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With our smiles being the first thing that most people notice, we can go to great lengths to make sure we always look perfect when doing this act for pictures, first dates, or important interviews. Makeup has the ability to enhance features and transform our faces into more polished, youthful looking versions of ourselves, and there are several things you can do to maintain a bright smile no matter what the occasion.

Here are my makeup tips on how to instantly brighten your smile that will have everyone stopping dead in their tracks:

1. No Gold-Digging: Say goodbye to bronze, gold, or lipgloss that has any yellow tones in it, as this can instantly dull the shine of your pearly whites. Opt for gloss and lipsticks that have cooler tones, which simply create the optical illusion that your teeth are whiter. Switch out your orange based lip colors and start testing out blue based plum, red, and pink lipsticks  to find the perfect shade for your skin tone and teeth.

Top Product Picks: Benefit California Kissin' Smile Brightening Lip Shine, MAC Lipstick in "Ruby Woo", Stila Lip Glaze in "Raspberry" 

2. Shimmer and Highlight: Add a touch of highlight to the cupids bow right above your top lip, and a touch of clear shimmer gloss to the center of the lips for extra shine. This will illuminate your mouth in a way that makes it stand out subtly giving you great light enhancing qualities too. Not a fan of highlighter?

Simply apply concealer around the mouth and blend with your foundation brush or beauty blender sponge.

Top Product Picks: NARS Illuminator in "Copacabana" , Benefit High Beam Highlighter, MUFE 5 Camouflage Cream Concealer Palette

3. Contour Your Cheeks: Contouring your cheeks with bronzer or powder will add warmth to the skin and help your teeth appear whiter, due to the contrast in color. Avoid orange bronzers as they will cast an orange hue to the skin, instead use natural colored bronzing powders or cream contouring products to give you the perfect glow.

Top Product Picks: Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette, Physicians Formula Super BB All-In-1 Beauty Balm Bronzer and Blush, Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Makeup Artist Tip: If your teeth need just a little more attention and you don't want to spend tons of money on whitening treatments, opt for an at home whitening kit that is also safe and effective on tooth enamel, try a natural peroxide-free whitening kit such as BeconfiDent, which guarantees at least 5 shades of a whiter, brighter smile.

4. Exfoliate Your Pout: When dead skin sits on the surface of the lips, it can be super distracting especially when wearing lipstick. It's important to make sure that your lips stay exfoliated on a weekly basis, not taking anything away from your smile. The best way to exfoliate gently is to use a lip scrub that's sugar based, and apply a hydrating and soothing lip balm immediately after. Best practice for this is to do it at night before bed, so the balm has enough time to set in and really get to work. 

Top Product Picks: Fresh Beauty Sugar Lip Treatment, Fresh Beauty Sugar Lip Polish

5. Pop Your Peepers: Using cool toned eyeshadows on your eyes will aid in the effect of skin and teeth looking brighter. If you're going to do a smoky eye, stay neutral on the lip color, and if you just want to add subtle definition, use a purple or navy eyeliner to enhance shape. Never forget to curl your lashes and apply 2-3 coats of mascara.

Top Product Picks: Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara, Too Faced Return of Sexy Eyeshadow Palette, Maybelline Master Kajal Eyeliner in "Navy Night"

Are you ready for a brighter, more beautiful smile?