Beauty Blunders to Avoid (and how to fix them)

Ok, now this picture is a bit extreme. And I don’t mean to disparage that misguided person in the photo, maybe that was the look she was going for…?

To avoid looking..well, misguided, here are some common makeup mistakes and how to avoid them!

1. Not matching your foundation to the rest of your body

This is a very easy mistake to make and I have made it a few times myself. Your complexion changes year round depending on sun exposure and some makeup with an SPF can cause a “flashback” effect and give a white cast when a picture is taken. These are all reasons for your face not to match your neck.

How to fix:

When you are testing out a foundation in store, go in natural light after it dries to compare it to your neck. If you want to be absolutely sure you will not look mismatched, take a photo with flash to see how the product appears in pictures. If you switch to a different shade and are still looking mismatched in pictures the product itself may have an ingredient that is causing that effect. In that case ask the store clerk if there is an SPF free version if you think you will be wearing the foundation only at night for a special event.

You want your face to match as close to your neck as possible, in real life and in pictures. If you already have a foundation and have gotten either lighter or darker due to the seasons, you can even things out with concealer, contouring and bronzers where needed!

2. Making your eyebrows TOO bold and/or cartoony

I know bold and sculpted eyebrows are a trend. But unless you want to look like someone took a Sharpe to your face then know when how much is TOO much.

How to fix 

If you weren’t blessed with naturally perfect brows and need to fill them in like me, there are a few things to keep in mind. Using an eyeshadow /pencil/pomade that is either 2 shades lighter than your hair color if you have dark hair and 2 shades darker if you have light hair is the general rule for filling in brows. Of course there is some wiggle room for creativity, but keep that in mind when you are filling in your brows. Also, brush through your brows with a clean mascara spoolie during the brow fill in process as this will help keep things subtle looking.

For a more naturally filled in brow I like to use an eyeshadow instead of a pencil or a brow pomade. If the eyeshadow doesn’t have enough staying power throughout the day, add a coat of clear mascara on top to set the product in place. If you use a pencil to fill in your brows, use short light strokes to mimic hairs. Drawing straight harsh lines without blending leads to crazy  brows.

3. Overdoing the Highlight and Contour and Baking

This batch of trends that seem to be here to stay is highlighting and contouring and “baking” or “cooking”. For those that have been living under a rock (hehe) the highlight and contour practice allows you to bring forward and accentuate the high points of the face with “highlight” or a lighter toned concealer/foundation/powder ( on the cheekbones, nose, etc) and recede or minimize other areas by “contour” with darker concealer/foundation/powder (under the chin, hollows of cheek, nose, etc). Baking is when you apply a somewhat thick layer of setting powder and allow it to sit on the face for several minutes to accentuate the highlighted look and help the product last longer.

All of these techniques have been around for many years and used by drag  queens, stage performers, etc way before Kim K’s makeup artist helped popularize it with this generation. Don’t get me wrong these practices all have benefits, as contouring helps slim and define a face, highlighting gives dimension and glow and baking can help your face look more flawless and extend the longevity of your base. Where this goes wrong is when there isn’t a clear balance, and you look like Neapolitan ice cream.

How to Fix

Blend, Blend, Blend! When you use more advanced makeup techniques such as highlighting, contouring and baking and you don’t do it correctly it can look really obviously bad because the harsh lines may not be blended or the setting powder gets too cakey. Less is more here, and ensuring there are no noticeable lines or patchiness will ensure a much better outcome.

4. Too. Much. Makeup

Now, I get that makeup is about expressing your individual interpretation of what makes you feel beautiful. What I think is a perfectly applied face of makeup may be too much to someone else and vice versa. However, if you decide to play up too many features on your face all at once the effect can be overwhelming and almost showgirl-ish (unless you are an actual showgirl, then its OK!). Unless you’re a preschool teacher and you meant to pair that blue eyeshadow with red lipstick and hot pink blush and glitter and…well you get the point.

How to Fix

Pick one feature to accentuate. If you go for a bold smokey eye, pair it with a more subdued or neutral lip. If you want to do a bright or dark lipstick, don’t go too heavy on the eyes and keep the blush minimal. If you aren’t doing much on the eyes or lips, play up the blush and make sure your skin looks flawless.

You certainly can pull off a bold eye and bold lip at the same time as long as there is a balance and harmony of colors and intensity.

5. The dreaded Cake Face.

It can happen very easily, to any one of us. There are so many fun makeup products and we want and think we should  slap on all of them at the same time right!  While you definitely can do that, the amount and application of product you use is what needs to be taken into account. When you want to get dolled up for a big event, you can end up layering on the foundation, concealer, powder, blush, highlight, bronzer and the list goes on. All of that product can and will look cakey if not applied correctly.

How to fix

Whether you have dry, oily or combination skin, you should always start with a clean and moisturized face before applying makeup. Once your moisturizer has sunken in, after about a few minutes, apply a primer that will allow your makeup to adhere, go on smoothly and stay on longer. A well laid “foundation” before foundation is the best weapon against a cakey face. Layering products over dry unprepared skin is one of the leading causes of a caked up appearance.

Apply your products in light layers. You may want a full coverage look, but that doesn’t mean you have to slather a bunch of foundation on. Pick a full coverage foundation that isn’t too thick and if it is thin it out with moisturizer. If it’s still not giving you enough coverage, spot conceal with a concealer only where you need it.

Lightly powder your face with a transluscent/setting/HD powder only where you need it. I have oily to combination skin and I only powder my T-zone, I never carry the powder to the outer edges of my face because I don’t need it there. Set everything with a makeup setting spray which helps add a bit of dewiness to your skin and takes away that powdered look.

 

Hopefully we can steer clear of these common blunders and put our best faces forward! Hope you enjoyed my tips, until next time!