Lea Michele's Makeup Artist Shares a Quick-Fix Beauty Tip

Thank goodness for wet wipes!
Some days you got it, and some days you don't. That rings true for professional makeup artists, too—just ask Michael Ashton, the master of the feline flick. (You've seen his iconic work on the likes of Adele and Lea Michele.) When your beauty game is weak, there's nothing a good makeup removal wipe can't solve. But what if you mess up something and you're halfway done with your face? Read: There's no need to start completely over.

"One of my favorite little tips that I tell people is that if you take a cotton tip and wrap a facial wipe [over it], you can create a flat side (which now kind of looks like a spatula tool) and swipe away the layer," the pro told E! News.
This makeshift tool will give you more control in targeting an isolated area while also giving you the ability to have a lighter hand in removing product. It'll also cover more surface area than a regular cotton swab, which saves on time.
"It's a really fast way to move on to the foundation, especially if you have fall-out from the eye shadow," added Michael, explaining how to clean up an under-eye area.
When the pro artist is in a pinch, he likes to use First Aid Beauty Hello Fab Caffeine Matcha Wake Up Wipes ($15) over thin cotton swabs from Muji ($3.50), which Michael also likes to use with micellar water to clean up his famed cat-eyes.

"Just look straight ahead," he advised. "You can just take the cotton tip and you can just swipe it up. And you always want to have it at a 45-degree angle. And when you give it that drag, it also helps to refine that flick at the end."

Sounds easy...in theory. Good thing we have about 199 more cotton tips to try again.