5 beauty tools you didn’t know you needed (but, yep, you really do!)

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Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you have it.

That’s the case with these products that will make a huge difference in your beauty routine. Yep, these tricks and tools of the pros will take your appearance to the next level. Run, don’t walk, to the beauty aisle!

Setting spray: After applying your makeup, if you want it to last and not fade, spritz a light amount of setting spray over your face. This will bind to the makeup and protect your skin. Our favorite brand is All Nighter Long by Urban Decay, $30, Sephora. (Note: It’ll last forever.) Makeup Forever also makes a great setting spray that is slightly cheaper, $29, Sephora.

Lip brush: Especially if you like to wear darker lipstick, you need the right tools. You can’t simply smack on some red lipstick and look right. Start with powdering your lips, then line them with red liner. Finally, apply your lipstick carefully with a brush, like this finish lip brush by Dior, $27, Sephora.

Shower filter: The water in your shower may be damaging your hair—and killing your color. Chlorine, heavy metals and VOCs that are commonly found in tap water can make your hair look dull. A shower filter, like the Resc-Hue Water Purification System, $120, Sephora, removes most of the chlorine and damaging chemicals from the tap, so your hair and skin will stay healthy.

Face primer: Apply a primer to your face before you apply your makeup to absorb oil and keep your face free of shine. Some primers, like Smashbox’s Photo Finish oil-free foundation primer, $39, Sephora, also will minimize your pores, so your foundation will look much better, for up to eight hours. Many professional makeup artists agree you should never go without primer.

Root touch-up: There’s this awkward period of time between when your roots are starting to pop up (or a few gray hairs) and when you truly need to get your hair re-colored. During that window, fill in the color gaps with a root concealer, like Rita Hazen’s Root Concealer for gray coverage, $25 at Sephora. This comes in a variety of different colors to match your hair. Just spray it on to quickly and easily cover the gray pop-ups and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.