Have you ever seen an old picture or caught your reflection in the mirror and wondered what the hell is! So have I. Thank goodness most of my make-up mistakes are period-appropriate (remember the 90’s skinny Chola eyebrows ). So it has been a process of learning what works and what doesn’t.
However, as I move about my daily life there are some makeup mistakes I see repeatedly. All of which can be easily solved with a few tweaks, to get you looking red-carpet ready or better still look like you have nothing on.
Want to find out what they are? let’s dive right in.
Wearing the wrong shade of foundation
This is one of the commonest makeup sins, which makes so many women look like they have a mask on. Foundation is the base for all your makeup, so getting it wrong throws everything askew. Unfortunately choosing the right shade of foundation can be tricky. You may get the shade right but not the undertone or vice versa.
Most people tend to test their foundation on the back of their hands when ins the store. Sadly this is not the best idea because your face and hands are generally not the same shade. The best way to find your perfect shade is to apply 3 shades of foundations vertically from your jawline to your neck(like in the picture below). Within a few minutes, the shade that looks like it has disappeared is the right one for you.
The second mistake people make when choosing a foundation is testing it in the wrong light. The lights in department stores are usually fluorescent which is extremely misleading and makes you look like something out of a horror movie when you get into natural light. So get a sample and test it at home. Alternatively, get your make up done in-store then go about your normal business to see how it looks in real life. Some foundations oxidize( get darker ) when exposed to air and sunlight. So this is a great way to find out if it oxidises or stays the same. That way you are sure it will look like your skin, not a mask when it is applied.
To combat this some of the higher-end brands and stores developed a technology called foundation IQ which reads your skin and undertones to help you choose the perfect foundation. So check your local stores to see if it is available and get tested.
Mismatched face and neck
This is a very common makeup mistake and one I have been guilty of in the past. It is extremely jarring to see the foundation stop abruptly at the jawline, looking like a mask. As kids, we made fun of women who looked like that, saying they were wearing ‘’pancake’’ the slang for a foundation that looked like it had been slapped on.
Don’t worry you won’t need an extra pump of foundation, just make sure to extend the application down to your neck so there is a seamless transition from your face to your neck. This is especially important if you are using a full coverage foundation. If the colour of your chest and neck are significantly different from that of your face, it may be better if you match your foundation to your neck and chest instead of your face so that it looks natural.
Harsh brows
I like defined and well-arched brows as much as anyone, but some of us do the absolute most when it comes to brows. It’s like we cannot find a middle ground we either do too much or too little. In camp, too many are the Instagram brows, overly arched and concealed above and below and way too much for everyday makeup.
Another pet peeve of mine is jet black brows, why? No one’s brows are jet black it looks like a caterpillar died on your face. Let your natural hair colour be a guide, your eyebrows should be two shades darker than your hair colour with few exceptions.
The last brow mistake are the very skinny brows which are thankfully less popular these days.
No one’s natural brows are a solid straight line across their face and you are not Marlene Dietrich so stop it. Just make sure your brows are properly shaped so that you don’t need to do much each day. Then when using a brow pencil, please in the name of all that is holy do not draw a thick line across. Use thin upward strokes that mimic hairs to get the most natural-looking brows.
Makeup mistake 4: Not prepping your skin
If the foundation is the base for good makeup application, then prepping your skin is the base of the base. Skin prep is the key to gorgeous makeup because if not done correctly despite the quality of your makeup products it won’t perform. Overly dry skin will make your foundation flake, too oily and your makeup slides right off. Prepping your skin should include cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing and applying your makeup within 10 mins of your skincare.
Over over-lining your lips
I don’t understand how this started to be accepted as normal but it needs to stop and right now. It is a trend that is a huge makeup mistake and irredeemable in my eyes. I don’t care how much people like to pretend that it makes their lips look plumper, it doesn’t at least not in person. So if you are having a photoshoot, then go HAM with overlining, but in real life? Please don’t, I can see the line you tried to draw and your lips don’t look any bigger.
Too much blush too low on your face
Blush gives a nice wash of colour, too much and you look like you lost a bet to a clown. Your blush should complement your overall makeup look and not be the centre of attention. To make you have just enough blusher, tap of the excess by rubbing your brush over the back of your hand. If you already have too much blush on your face, use your foundation brush to sweep off the excess.
Another mistake you can make is putting the blush too low on your face. Your blush should sit just below your highlighter and overlap slightly, too low and it pulls your whole face down making you look much older. To avoid this use a tapered brush which allows you more control and blends it upwards.
Not blending enough
With all the contouring, bronzing and highlighters everyone seems to think they need to use blending seems to fall through the cracks. If you use a lot of products it is important that at each product be blended properly into the skin. There is nothing as creepy as walking past a person with stripes across her nose or face so blend blend blend. There should be no demarcation from one product to the next they need to flow seamlessness into the other.
Too much makeup
Foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, highlighter, lipstick lip-gloss mascara. I love makeup more than the average person but, think we have gone bonkers with the makeup trends. Not every look is a day- time look. And no you don’t need a full coverage foundation if you have great skin. Makeup should be used to enhance your beauty and cover blemishes. Go the whole hog if you have an event but do the minimum for daily use.
Conceal blemishes, use a tinted moisturizer or sheer foundation to even out your skin tone in other areas. You don’t need every product in your arsenal all at once.
That’s it my list of the most common makeup mistakes I see women make? Let me know in the comments if you agree, did I miss anything? What are your pet peeves?
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What a great list thanks for this