Big, beautiful vintage brows to a nose contour to end all nose contours, makeup trends are coming and going quicker than ever this fall… giving us plenty of opportunities to create Instagram selfies that border on pathetic and blackmail worthy. If you are having some trouble mastering your makeup bag, you aren’t alone. Armenian Bridal had the chances to sit down with a few industry insiders this week and their advice will help you (and us) to remain a DO in a world full of DON’Ts and the bad kind of OMGs…

Problem: Your Nose Contour Looks Fake AF.

Solution: Add an Extra Step to Achieve Natural Results.

Nose contours are our spirit animal, but if you look like you just got in a fight with a brown marker… and the marker won… then you may be doing it all wrong. Stylists say that the trick to solving the fake factor is in adding a line across the bridge where the button portion of your nose begins. With this in mind, consider cream contours as they also tend to look more natural because they melt into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. Blend well and you will come away with a contour that is evident, but not Kardashian status. Unless that is your thing… then Kardashian away.

Problem: Your Eyebrow Pencil is Making You Look Like an Ursela Meme.

Solution: Try a Fiber Gel Instead.

Benefit’s Give Me Brow is being touted as the next best thing since silicone primers. While it is not a drugstore product, compared to other brands Benefit is more of an investment than a splurge. Products like these work by making your brows look thicker with fibers that adhere to the brows you already have. They do also have a tint, however, the tint is incredibly natural, giving you the look you want without wondering for the remainder of the day if you just did the best brows since Brooke Shields… or if everyone is staring instead because you look like a Disney villain set loose in Ulta.

Problem: Your Foundation is Cakey as Hell.

Solution: Use Your Fingers First.

If you love beauty blenders as much as us, chances are you have one in every shade, every shape and even one with unicorns on it that has no actual purpose or basis in reality – as you know, it will only be the same color as your foundation as soon as you use it. Beauty blenders are great for creating a natural finish, but if you are using them to apply your foundation from square one – you need to reverse steps. Apply foundation with your fingertips first to melt foundation into your skin. Then, use the blender to buff it out. This two-step process ensures a seamless finish without having to start from scratch.

Problem: Your Mascara is Clumpy… The Eighth Dwarf.

Solution: Let Each Coat Dry Before You Reapply.

Snow White’s makeup game was on point. That was why Clumpy got cut from the movie. Maybe that is why he keeps popping up in vanity mirrors across the world, seeking revenge and forcing all of us to pick him off our lashes clump by annoying clump until we look like we have been playing in a tar pit of jilted actor vengeance. As tiringly monotonous as mascara clumps can be, the problem here isn’t in reapplication as much as it is in drying time. We all get rushed and love finding ways to skip a few steps, but you should always allow a little drying time between coats. If even with drying time your mascara is whack on expert levels, then your mascara itself may be to blame. If it takes more than 2 coats to see even close to the results you wanted… try a new one. Also never forget the power of a great eyelash curler and a few carefully placed falsies.

Don’t spend Autumn in makeup-accident-hangover mode. Whether you are a beauty-blogging-makeup-wonder or it’s-a-wonder-you-haven’t-been-hired-by-Barnum-and-Bailey, we all have a thing to learn when it comes to putting our best face forward.