Even if you’re not a twenty-five-year-old with perfect skin and blindingly white teeth, it can still work for you. 

This look, worn by actress Amber Heard at the L.A. premiere of The Rum Diary, is simple but sparkling, and even if you’re not a twenty-five-year-old with perfect skin and blindingly white teeth, it can still work for you. The key is to strategically bring out your best features without adding a lot of extra color or drama. Here’s how it’s done. 

1. Maximize Volume
When you’re going for volume—whether the end goal is cascading waves or a gravity-defying updo—spray hair with a flexible-hold hairspray before you start teasing or backcombing. A spray like Bumble and bumble Spray de Mode ($26, Bumbleandbumble.com) helps hair grip as it’s being styled, but won’t cause stickiness or flake off as you brush.

2. Get Meticulous About Your Brows
We don’t mean pluck them to within an inch of their lives—shoot for natural, but well-groomed. Use tweezers to pluck wayward hairs, and then use a brow pencil to subtly enhance the color and shape using short, wispy strokes. With brow pencils, the thinner and finer the point on the pencil, the better, and the pencil itself should have a light texture and dry finish (oily pencils look too fake). Try Anastasia “Brow Wiz” Mechanical Brow Pencil ($20, Nordstrom.com), which features a teeny pencil on one end and a brush on the other end to blend and groom. Use a clear brow gel to hold them in place.

3. Wear Makeup That’s “Like You, Only Better”
Sometimes natural-looking makeup can make a bigger statement than bold colors. Highlight cheeks using a barely-there matte blush like Sonia Kashuk Beautifying Blush in Pink ($8.99 at Target), emphasize eyes with black mascara and a shimmery gold shadow, and finish the look with a youthful, creamy pink lipstick, like Becca Sheer Tint Lip Colour in Leticia ($24, Beccacosmetics.com)