I generally don’t like to say there are set “rules” when it comes to beauty and makeup, but rather certain guidelines that will hopefully expand your options and maybe boost your self-confidence. Here are a few key beauty habits that have transformed my makeup game over the years.

1. Skincare is the most important step of your beauty routine. Moisturize your under eyes, face and lips to make your complexion healthy and clear (with or without makeup). Moisturize even if your skin is oily. When your skin is dry, your skin can produce too much oil trying to compensate for your dryness. I like to give my moisturizer a few minutes to soak into my skin before applying any primer or foundation.

2. Heavy-handed contour and blush can be aging, so work in layers. Add blush along the cheekbones, rather than straight on the apples of the cheeks and add a small amount of contour powder or cream to the hollows of the cheekbones. If you’re scared of your face looking harsh, I suggest working with cream products, which are easy to blend away and have a softer finish than powders. Powders can also be lightly applied on top of creams to set them in place if you’re oily. Making small, circular motions with a brush can help you achieve a blended look on all areas of the face.

3. Make your eyes pop with eyeshadow, not eyeliner. Bold eyeliner can make your eyes look smaller, depending on your eye shape. Even if you don’t wear any other eyeshadow for everyday looks, pick up a shadow slightly lighter in tone than your natural skintone to put under your brows and in your inner corners to brighten eyes and appear more awake. Save the dark eyeliner for dramatic smoky eyes.

4. Embrace the highlighter trend. Makeup is all about enhancing what you already have, so highlighting your cheekbones, nose, chin and brow enhance your natural features and open up your face. I already talked about bringing light to the eyes with a lighter shadow, so the same goes for the face: After bronzing your face, highlight your features for a polished, radiant look. Whether your highlighter is low-key or shimmery, have fun with it and give your skin a healthy glow that lasts all day.