Chances are, you have a beauty routine. You apply your make-up the same way each day; you tend to use the same products; you wash and brush your hair a certain way. Many of us are hesitant to try a new product or switch up the way we do something. We’ve gotten used to a certain way of beautifying ourselves, and it works for us.

However, there are so many awesome cosmetology tips out there, many of which you might not even know about. Andrew Graham of La' James International College of Cosmetology has put together a list of 15 of the best little-known beauty Cosmetology Tips and tricks for you below:

Our List of Cosmetology Tips...

1. Use scotch tape when applying eye liner or eye shadow
Grab a piece of scotch tape and lay it strategically to prevent the shadow or liner from going where it shouldn’t. This is especially helpful when you’re doing winged eye liner. Lay the tape at an angle so you can draw the line along the edge of the tape. This will also help keep both sides even.

2. Easy lip exfoliation
Use a baby or child toothbrush to exfoliate your lips. You can coat your lips in lip balm or petroleum jelly before you scrub them. For more serious exfoliation, you can also make a homemade lip exfoliation treatment by mixing sugar and coconut oil.

3. Wash your hair the right way
Make sure your hair is wet before applying shampoo. If you have long hair (hair below your shoulders), condition your ends before you shampoo; this will help protect them from drying out or being damaged more. You only need to lather your hair at the scalp, and in particular the nape of the neck. You only need to condition from the “middle” section of your hair to the ends, and the longer the conditioner stays in your hair, the better it absorbs. And lastly, rinse your hair with cold water; this shuts the cuticle and gives your hair the most shine.

4. Plastic spoons are your friends
Got a plastic spoon lying around? When you’re applying mascara to your bottom lashes, place the spoon directly under your bottom lashes (the underside of the spoon facing up) to avoid getting any mascara on the skin. You can also get a thicker coat this way.

5. Find the right shade
When you’re choosing a foundation, test the color on the skin near your jaw line. Try to do this in natural light. You don’t want the shade of your foundation to be too different than the natural color of your neck.

6. Make your eyes look bigger
Instead of using a dark pencil or liner in your water line, use a white pencil. This will create the illusion of a bigger eye.

7. Heat your eyelash curler
Hold a hairdryer to your eyelash curler for about 3-5 seconds. This works in the same way that a curling iron does. The curl will last longer!

8. Use a clarifying shampoo
Clarifying shampoos help remove buildup from styling products. However, you don’t need to use one everyday; they can be used once a week. They also help prevent dandruff and other scalp and hair conditions.

9.  Keep your eye liner in place
To ensure your eye liner stays where it’s supposed to, particularly under the bottom lashes, apply pressed or loose powder directly under the eye liner on your lower lid. This creates kind of a barrier which prevents your eye liner from moving downward.

10. Compliment that pedicure
Pedicures are great, but it’s also important to take care of your feet—not just your toes! Scrub your feet with a pumice stone in the shower every morning. After you dry off, apply moisturizing cream to your feet. This way, you don’t need a pedicure as often. It also keeps your feet healthy and the fungus away.

11. Enhance those lips
To make your lips look slightly fuller, line your lips just outside of the natural line. Don’t go TOO far outside of this line! You want it to look natural. Choose a shade of lip liner that is very close to your lipstick color.

12. Nail Color that Pops
Instead of using a clear base coat under your favorite nail polish, use a coat of white nail polish instead. It will make your nail color pop more, with a bolder, brighter color. It will also protect your natural nails from becoming stained by heavily colored polishes.

13. Perfect Winged Eyeliner
Achieving that winged look around your eyes that everyone loves is really easy, and all you need is your eyeliner pencil and a spoon. Start your eyeliner being drawn from the outer edge of your eye, and press the rounded side of the spoon against your eyelid, moving the pencil around it as a guide. Move the spoon outwards as you draw the shape of your liner, then fill it in with your pencil.

14. That Smoky Look Made Easy
If you’ve wanted to try that smoky eye makeup look but think you lack the skills, think again! With your darker eyeliner, draw a hashtag at the outer corner of each of your eyelids. Make it slanted to follow the line of your lid. Just blend it in as you apply your eyeshadow, and you’ll get a nice smoky look without the hassle.

15. Apply Concealer the Right Way
Instead of dotting your concealer under your eyes, instead apply it in a triangular shape, extending down the side of your nose, across the tops of your cheeks up to the outer corner of your eye, and across the bottom of each eye. This will not only hide redness beneath your eyes, but will also brighten your entire face, instead of making your under-eye area oddly lighter than the rest of your skin.

** Read Jessica Mae's 6 Concealer Hacks to Hide Any Flaw at Women's Health Magazine. 

So there you have it, a handful of tips and hacks you can use to get the most from your makeup routine each day. Just keep in mind that it’s not about using the most expensive products, but more about how you use and apply them that makes a world of difference.

About The Author - La' James International College

La' James International College (LJIC)  has been educating students for over 75 years and has eight accredited locations in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Davenport, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, East Moline, IL and Fremont, NE. Students learn in dynamic facilities complete with elite spas. LJIC is an industry leader in concept, appearance and the ability to enroll, educate, graduate and place alumni. No matter of the path you have chosen for your journey to success – Cosmetology, Massage Therapy, Esthetics or Nail Technology – LJIC offers you the opportunity to embrace the vision, transform your desires into goals and your time into results.