Who can honestly put up their hand and say that they’ve never made a makeup faux pas? Perfecting your look takes a great deal more time and effort than many of us are willing to admit and it only makes sense that, over the years, we all step out of the lines, so to speak. Thankfully, however, there are some people out there who have been consistently getting it right and have thought to share their secrets with the rest of us. The chances of us getting something wrong are relatively high but with these tips, we can massively reduce the amount of times we misjudge our makeup. Now there’s something worth getting excited about.
Lining Your Foundation Line
Finding the perfect shade of foundation for your skin is a struggle for most people and even if you think you have got it right, you run the risk of leaving a thick foundation line between your jawline and neck. To avoid such a stark contrast, you can try dusting the outsides of your face with bronzer to hide any foundation lines. Not only will this hide any surplus makeup but also, will slim the look of your face; double bonus!
Piling on the Powder
Let’s face it; no one likes a greasy face. After piling on dewy product after dewy product, you might feel that your face is a little more slick than you would like and when that happens, you wouldn’t be wrong for reaching for the powder. However, getting the balance between just enough and too much product can be a tricky task to tackle and more often than not, we can veer on the side of overuse. While applying powder, try targeting the areas that are prone to becoming greasy, rather than covering all areas of your skin. Mattefying the T zone and across the cheeks after foundation is normally a safe bet; apply too much elsewhere and you risk flattening out your complexion entirely.
Going Heavy on the Concealer
While we all know the dangers of applying too much eyeliner, we rarely think about the product that goes underneath our eyes. In fact, going in too heavy with under eye concealer can have just as bad an effect as heavy eyeshadow, giving us a panda-eyed look in reverse. All makeup applied in the eye area should be done so sparingly; skin in this area is fragile and susceptible to dryness and overloading it with makeup will only show up any imperfections. Try dabbing a small amount of concealer around your eyes with your ring finger and building as you go. That way, you can work upwards rather than having to try and level out your makeup elsewhere on your face.
Forgoing Mascara
In terms of your makeup wardrobe, few items are as important as mascara. As well as defining the eye without need for a liner, mascara can open up and widen even the most tired of eyes, giving you a more youthful look. Skipping the mascara stage of your routine leaves you with an unfinished, tired look that even the most effective of eyeliners cannot remedy. On the other hand, make sure you don’t over apply your mascara; thick layers of makeup can give your eyelashes a dried out and spidery appearance which will weigh down your eyes.
Overusing Makeup
While we might contest to the opposite, using makeup for too long is something that we’re all guilty. Like most things in life, makeup comes with a best before date and using it past its best point can lead to nasty breakouts and even skin infections. Across the board, every makeup product differs and depending on its type, it will have a different shelf life. Generally, however, you should follow these guidelines when using your makeup:
Powders – 2 years
Cream-based products – 12-18 months
Concealer – 12-18 months
Mascara – 3 months
Oil-free foundation – 1 month
Liquid or gel eyeliner – 3 months
Pencil eyeliner – 2 years
It might seem like a more difficult rule to follow but doing so will improve the quality of your skin and enable you to switch up your look more often than you would have before. Makeup is all about experimentation, and by following use-by deadlines, you will have much more of an opportunity to play around!