As women, we have good instincts when it comes to our beauty routine, and when there is a need for change. The only problem is, sometimes we don’t know what that change should be. When it comes down to it, the solution might just be tweaking your day-to-day makeup routine in small ways that make a big difference.
Makeup is a genuine art form, which usually takes a lot of experimentation. Practice definitely makes perfect, and there’s usually a makeup fail or two on the way to improving your makeup skills. Sometimes your brows will be like distant cousins instead of sisters, or your body looks like it’s had a week away in the sun and your face looks five shades lighter – it happens to all of us! So, to set you on your way to great makeup skills, i'll going to be going through top makeup fails (that we’ve all experienced), and of course, how you can avoid them or fix them in the future.
With the extra time on your hands due to the current pandemic, now is the perfect time to get in front of the mirror and practice your makeup skills. Read on to get your makeup right, every time!
1. Applying makeup before Moisturising
Dry skin is makeup’s worst enemy. Applying makeup directly to dry skin can cause flakiness, cracking and make your skin look tired which makes it difficult to blend the product into the skin. Before applying any makeup, make sure your face is freshly cleansed and moisturised. To help your skin long term, make sure to exfoliate weekly.
If you have oily skin this is not an excuse to not use moisturiser, people with oily skin also need to moisturise as sometimes your skin can produce even more oils as a way to compensate for the dryness. It is important to carry out proper skin care practices for for your skin type.
2. Too much concealer and not setting it correctly
I love concealer as much as the next girl, but be wary of using too much. Less is always more, applying too much concealer can lead to unwanted creasing, the dreaded lines can become worse throughout the day as oil builds up and as you make regular facial expressions.
Make sure to also correctly set your concealer to minimise creasing, if primer sets the stage, then setting powder steals the show. Powder helps lock your look in place, so your concealer can last all day.
Tip: Try to start off with as little concealer as possible, then add more where needed. Opt for more lightweight concealers that still offer good coverage for a more natural and luminous finish. You should always apply your foundation first and then concealer. Doing this will help you seamlessly blend the products together. It will also minimise your chances of applying too much concealer to coverup. A useful tip for setting your concealer is a technique known as “baking”, a method in which you add a thick layer of loose setting powder to the areas you applied concealer to lock the product in place, before lightly dusting off the excess powder.
3. Using the wrong shade of foundation
This is a makeup mistake we have all made at some point. Wearing the wrong shade of foundation can look very unflattering especially when taking pictures because your face won't match the rest of your skin and this can be very visible especially in flash photography. When choosing a foundation, make sure to shade match by testing on your jawline rather than your arm for the most accurate results. You can also try buying two colours that seem close to your skin tone, and either choose the shade that looks best in natural daylight or keep both to mix-and-match as your skin-tone fluctuates throughout the seasons.
Bonus Tip: If you have the wrong foundation shade its always more forgiving if its slightly darker as you can balance out the shade when you highlight using concealer, as long as it is blended to perfection. Lighter foundations coupled with setting powders will create a white cast over your face which can be very unflattering especially in pictures as mentioned earlier.
4. Over-doing your eyebrows
Filling in eyebrows too heavily is perhaps the biggest makeup mistake of all, as brows help frame the face. We love a dramatic brow, but there is such a thing as ‘too’ much. This can end up looking quite unnatural and can have you questioning your makeup choices in years to come.
We recommend using a light-hand when you apply your brow product, opt for a powder, gel or pencil slightly darker than your natural eyebrows to apply feathery upward strokes concentrating on sparse or uneven areas, rather than uniformly filling in the entire brow, for the most realistic finish. Make sure you start from the middle of your eyebrow outwards and then inwards towards your nose - follow the natural shape of your brows to get a natural look. Lastly, lightly comb through your eyebrows with a brow brush/spoolie to blend out the lines and even out the look. Voila! Great looking brows.
Bonus Tip: If you have long eyebrows that tend to move around throughout the day you can set it in place using a brow wax like soap brows, trust me you will never look back after using this product.
5. Not taking the time to blend your makeup properly
Proper blending is probably the most important thing when it comes to makeup, makeup that isn't blended well can look quite unnatural and unflattering. There is some flexibility in how you apply your foundation, however if you want the most natural photo ready finish, most makeup artists would agree that beauty blenders or any good makeup sponge are they way to go. This is because brush bristles can leave little streaks and lines on your face, and your fingers/ hands are unable to smooth out, blend and distribute foundation evenly and in a way that looks natural. When using your beauty blender/ makeup sponge make sure to dampen it in water as this makes blending a breeze.
Tip: Drain excess water in a towel or paper napkin, don't use setting spray to dampen your sponge as this wont be as effective. Then dab a few drops of foundation over the main points of your face (forehead, cheeks, and chin) with your finger or small makeup brush. Then, using a stippling/ bouncing motion, not dragging or rubbing motions, quickly tap the sponge over the dots, blending the foundation out toward your hairline and jaw to blend out the colour. Keep tapping under your chin and jaw to seamlessly blend the foundation's edges.
6. Not trimming down your lashes
This next tip is often overlooked but once you start doing this, it'll make all the difference. Most lashes come with a lash band long enough to fit most eye shapes and sizes, so its important to trim the band down to fit your eyes. This tip is especially important for people with smaller eyes, as long lash bands can stick out and look quite horrible and also makes it obvious you are wearing false lashes. Plus when the band is too long it can cause irritation to occur in the inner corner of your eyes making it quite uncomfortable, especially if it gets into your tear duct, which will cause your eyes to water.
Tip: When trimming down your lashes bring the lash to your eyes to measure it for size, if you find it's too long, use a pair nail scissors or embroidery scissors to trim away from the outer end of the lash. Make sure to cut it down bit by bit checking for length as you go along, this will help you avoid cutting too much off your lashes and ruining them. Our lash kits comes with all the tools you need to do this effectively.
7. Harsh eyeshadow
This tip also links back to tip 5 - Makeup is much more than dabbing on eyeshadow and thinking it'll somehow look good. Even if you apply a neutral shade, it is going to look unnatural and out of place, if blended improperly. When it comes to great looking eyeshadow, the key is to BLEND, BLEND, BLEND! Even when you think you’re done blending, you’re not! Blend more. However be careful because there is a fine line between blending and making your hard work look muddy, but don’t worry because blending is a lot easier than you think.
Tip: Blending is important however blending in the wrong places can ruin an eyeshadow look with so much potential. Here's how to maintain pigment without have sharp lines on your lids. The general rule of thumb is that your eyeshadow should have a gradient look, which creates dimension, with the most shadow on your lid ( however not always, because this depends on your desired look.) Take a clean, tapered fluffy brush and, in windscreen wiper motions (side-to-side), swipe along your crease (this is the space between your brow bone and eyelid). Then press eyeshadow onto your eyelid just up until your crease, then take a clean, fluffy brush to blend out any harsh lines. Remember, you can always add more but taking away can be messy, so take your time. Also note shimmery colours always look best just on your lids, it can look unflattering once it goes beyond this point.
8. Contouring in the wrong places
Perfecting your contouring technique can take practice, as we all have different shaped faces, so its important to figure out what is best for you – less is often more with contouring, so take it easy! The idea of contouring is to enhance your bone structure without drawing a fully fledged skull onto your face (lool).
Tip: Take some time to really get to know your face. It sounds crazy, but a lot of us don’t! Notice where your cheekbones are, the bridge of your nose, the shape of your jawline and don’t be afraid to give yourself a poke to figure out your bone structure. Everyone has a different face and there’s no one set of rules as to how you should contour, so it’s important that you embrace your uniqueness! The main places to contour is your cheekbones, nose, temples of your forehead and jawline. Make sure you're using the correct shade of contour, this should be about 2 shades darker than your skin tone and the correct undertone for your skin. And, (yep, i'm telling you again) blending is your best friend! So in a circular motion blend the contour upwards onto your cheekbones, and from your forehead upwards into your hairline. Blend out from your jawline towards your lower chin. On your nose, blend up into your eye sockets and soften the line on either side of your nose.
With everything being said makeup is an art form and can be used to express yourself in any way, so whilst practicing these tips also feel free to experiment with different techniques and looks that truly fit you!
Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended to be taken as full professional advice. These are just tips we would like to share with our readers.
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