Most Common Makeup Mistakes

Marvelous makeup can work wonders for your looks and your spirits.  But let’s face it, poorly applied; even the most expensive makeup can ruin your looks.  Take a look in the mirror and make sure you don’t make any of these most common makeup mistakes/

Heavy foundation base is disturbing, makes you look like you’re wearing a mask and is also aging, as it collects in facial lines and wrinkles.  Foundation makeup is neither essential nor appropriate for everyone.  But if you choose to wear it, do apply it sparingly.  Blend it smoothly outward to your ears, up to your hairline and down under your jaw for a natural appearance.

Extremely light or white concealing cream advances visually, calling negative attention to itself and creating a “raccoon eye” effect.  An under-eye concealing cream can effectively camouflage circles under your eyes, but do choose a color that is the same as or only slightly lighter than your natural skin color.  Apply it lightly, from the inner corner of your eye to halfway across the eye area and blend carefully.

Bright, vivid eye shadow shouts, “See what I’ve done to my eyes.” Light, bright shadow in blue, green or violet can visually advance and create a “bug eyed” effect.  Overly bright, they dull natural eye color.

Eye shadow as intended to add some dark/light contrast above your eyes and possibly a hint of color harmonious with your eye coloring or clothing.  Do choose a soft and subtle, muted shadow in brown, taupe, gray or fashion colors such as blue, green, teal, lavender and plum.  Do blend shadow smoothly upward and outward, from darker on the edge of the lid to lighter under the brow bone, but never clear to the brow.

Thick, heavy dark eyeliner looks harsh, artificial and smudges easily.  Black under-eyeliner is equally unattractive.  Think of a beautiful picture, framed only on the bottom half.  Where is attention drawn? Down, of course, and the picture becomes less important.  That is exactly what happens when you line only the lower lid of your eyes.  Your entire expression is pulled down, and the effect becomes glaring when done in black.

Do frame your eyes attractively with a narrow, tapered line on the top lid, slightly less on the bottom, and in a softer color, such as brown, taupe, slate blue-gray, navy, or khaki.  Blend powered eye shadow in a coordinated color over the line for a still softer look.

Thick, heavy, black mascara creates a stiff, cheap and artificial appearance.  Mascara is a marvelous tool, but many women tend to “glob it on,” and black is too extreme for all but the most dark completed women.  DO choose from medium brown, dark brown, black-brown or charcoal gray mascara.  Paint over lashes two or three times until coverage is sufficient. Separate clumped lashes and remove any messy looking beads or globs of mascara.

Blazing streaks of burgundy or brown-toned blush, as well as the vividly bright clown or kewpie-doll circles of blush, often applied too low or too close to the nose, are forever phony.  No one blushes there or that way naturally.  Do copy nature and brush a hint of warm color up and outward over your cheekbones, where you naturally blush?

Livid lips in shocking pink, fire engine red and orange are screamers of the first order.  It’s too much, too strong for most women.  Blue-purple lips don’t shout, they just groan, looking as though you just emerged from the deep freeze and nearly dead.  Do tone down overly bright lip colors.  Trade blue-purple for a more natural looking, slightly lighter shade.

Brown lip liner rimming your mouth is another in the “forever phony” category.  It creates an obviously hard, uninviting edge straight out of a coloring book.  The purpose lip pencil is to keep lipstick from bleeding into the creases around your mouth.  If you opt to wear lip liner, do choose a natural color to blend with your lips, or a color just slightly darker than your lipstick or gloss.  You’ll get the definition you want without an obvious line. Take time to spot and correct these most common mistakes and maybe your loved one will notice your fabulous face.