Top Secrets of Beauty Pros

You know how the Toaster filter makes you actually like your picture? This cover-up change-up has a similar complexion-perfecting effect.

Ignore your pimples: You want to blob concealer on blemishes straight away. Don't. They'll be cakey and obvious. Instead, "apply a spray foundation all over, blending with a sponge," says Carmindy, a makeup artist in NYC.

How-to: Hold Dior Airflash Spray Foundation, $62, a ruler's length away, then spritz.

Now spot-check. Anything escaped the spray? Tap concealer on those stubborn holdouts.

Pretty smart: Pink concealer brightens eyes; yellow hides dark marks; beige masks under-eye circles.

How-to: All three are in the Benefit Perk-Up Artist Custom Complexion Enhancers kit, $30.

Photo finish: Dust highlighter from cheekbones to brow bones. "The luster makes skin flawless," Carmindy says.

How-to: A great highlighting powder: Pixi All Over Magic in Rose Radiance, $24

It's been said, The bigger the hair, the closer to God.

Our take: The bigger the hair, the closer to goddess status! Whether you have a bob or long layers, major movement and height give hair babe cred. Pump up the volume (and put men in a trance, trance).

You need product. Spritz damp hair with volumizing spray and blow-dry your head upside down.

How-to: Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray, $25, adds lift, not stick.

Tease, tease, tease. Push a comb through 1-inch sections of roots. Slide it down, not up and down—upward action creates a knotty mess, says New York City celeb stylist Sarah Potempa.

Hairspray your brush. Then gently smooth it over hair to tame it...a little bit. OMGlamorous!

How-to: These wide-toothed plastic combs are ideal for teasing. Cricket, $4 for both

Make enamel stains, not your cash, do a disappearing act. Our trickery has almost the same whitening mojo as fancy dentist-office treatments but costs a whole lot less.

Go Girl Scout. Stash a whitener and wipe out stains as they happen—post-latte."Teeth are porous and absorb stains quickly, so the sooner you act, the better," warns NYC dentist Jennifer Jablow, D.D.S.

How-to: Supersmile Quikee, $18, and GLO Everyday GLO Teeth Whitening Maintenance, $25

Lip illusion: A blue-based color creates a contrast that makes yellow teeth seem whiter, Carmindy says.

How-to: Chanel Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in Exaltee, $34

A gel mani doesn't chip and looks amazing for weeks. But you knew that.

The news: Now you can DIY with a simple at-home kit.

This is important. Your polish may peel right off if you skip a key prep step: Remove shine and residue with a very fine buffer to give a little grip, says Terri Silacci, a nail educator for Sephora.

Freeze. Just as you do in the salon, you're going to spend time under a special light to set the polish. Hold still or color might bubble.

How-to: Skip the coats. Apply gel decals and go under the light once. Sally Hansen Salon InstaGel Strips Starter Kit, $30

Splurge on the Mally Beauty 24/7 Professional Gel Nail Polish System ($182); it comes with fun colors like Aristocrat.

If you have ovaries, chances are you once crushed on an animated princess. Those eyes! Those eyelashes! Create a little of your own Disney-style magic like this.

Sprinkle fairy dust on lashes. OK, loose powder, but you get the idea. Fluffing it on with a brush "gives lashes texture, so mascara sticks," says Brett Freedman, a makeup artist in Los Angeles.

How-to: CoverGirl LashBlast Waterproof Mascara, $9