Lipstick always looks great on celebrities no matter the shade or texture, which makes us wonder what their makeup artists are doing differently. The best makeup artists have many tricks up their sleeve, and you must learn how these professionals’ hacks on applying on lipstick. For the sake of the perfect pout, we zeroed down on lipstick applying tricks by four celebrity makeup artists. Take a look.

1. Scott Barnes and the Lip Pencil
Here’s a lipstick hack by none other than Jennifer Lopez’s makeup artist Scott Barnes, who has over 28 years of experience in the beauty industry. His trick is to use a lip pencil to go past the lip’s natural outline to make them look fuller. He suggests blending the lip liner with the lipstick for an ultra natural look. His clients also include celebrities like Julianne Moore and Céline Dion, so we bet he’s an ace makeup artist and you can take his word for it!

2. Sir John Pitches “Eye Cream First”
Eye cream on the lips is a thing now, especially after makeup genius Sir John backed it up. Sir John is known for Beyonce’s flawless makeup looks, so you’d want to pay close attention. He suggests prepping the lips with an eye cream rather than a lip balm. He reasons that the lip balm messes with the texture of the matte lipstick. After applying eye cream, Sir John recommends filling the lip up completely with lip liner, and only then applying a moisturizing lipstick of a highly saturated color. So if you were using a heavy lip balm before applying lipstick, you might want to switch it out for an eye cream.

3. Ashunta Sheriff’s Nod to the 90’s Ombre
Makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff’s elite clientele include the likes of Jennifer Hudson, which speaks immensely for her expertise in makeup. Sheriff discovered a lipstick applying trick that improvises on the 90’s ombre effect with a touch of softness. She suggests applying a lipstick of a lighter shade and softer texture in the center of the lips after outlining and filling with a darker lip liner. She also recommends using a neutral shade for the lipstick like a nice deep brown as a nod to late American singer Aaliyah’s iconic makeup look!

4. Machhausen Uses Transparent Powder
Now here’s a lipstick trick you wish you knew earlier. Celebrity makeup artist Tyron Machhausen, who only recently worked with Jessica Chastain, advises using a tissue and transparent powder after applying lipstick to make the lip color last longer. He places a single tissue layer above the lips and then applies transparent powder on it. These two steps will prevent the lipstick from smudging as well as seal the pigment. Machhausen applies these two hacks more than once to enrich the color and get a desirable long-lasting effect.