I am fairly challenged in the grooming department and I often look vaguely mental when I try to make an effort on the makeup front.
However after scouring the interweb AND catching on to one of the best beauty vloggers around, Sinead Cady of MakeupChair.ie I think I’m ready to try harder to look nicer in the face from now on…
10 makeup errors I’ve been making forever (and how to fix them):
1. Testing foundation on the wrong area
I rub it on the back of my hands. My hands and my face are different colours. They’re not a different race from my face but still not a good way to test foundation. The jawline makes more sense.
2. Skipping the primer
I came to primer pretty late in life and it’s been a revelation. Make sure you match the correct primer with your foundation, if your foundation is water-based, your primer should also be water-based.
3. Eyeliner to compliment your eye shape
My eyes lining skillz are virtually non-existent and it had never occurred to me that different eye shapes demand a different style of liner, I’ve always been too preoccupied with just trying to apply it in such a way that I don’t wind up looking like an homage to Adele (not in a good way). If your eyes are quite close together, keeping the thickest part of the line at the outer edge of your eye will give the impression that they are further apart, while with wide-set eyes a thicker line at the inner corner works well.
4. Stripey blusher
From 1997 to 2012 I applied blusher in two heavy stripes down either side of my face. This is not great and made me look like a heavily made up Bowie for most of my twenties. The trick is to smile and apply blusher the apple of your cheeks and blend back towards your temples.
5. Contouring in everyday life
There’s no getting around it; it looks ridic. Contouring is to be seen on film or in photographs, in life contouring can look at best odd or at worst downright cray cray. Just go for slightly more subtle highlighting instead.
6. Eyebrow pencils
Eyebrows that are drawn on with a brow pencil look exactly like they’re, well, drawn on. A better option is choosing an eye shadow that’s close to the colour of your brows and applying it with a small angled brush.
7. Skipping the base coat
I only have to look at my nail varnish to chip it; a base coat seriously improves the varnishes longevity.
8. Foundation mask
Wearing too much foundation is a major downfall of mine. When you’re not comfortable with your skin, it’s natural to want to cover up. Unfortunately, this can result in a distinctly UNnatural, unsettling mask-like quality. Better to apply foundation to problem areas like the T-zone, nose and chin and go lighter on the rest of the face as this gives a fresher more natural look.
9. Poo-pooing the powder
Powder helps to seal your makeup, it’s an essential step if you don’t want the makeup to slide slowly off your face throughout the day.
10. Clean your brushes
Brush-cleaning is the flossing of the makeup – a painful faff that is, unfortunately, essential for minimising breakouts and getting the best application. Do it. It’s not so hard: Wet a sponge with a drop of baby shampoo and dampen the brushes, swirl them in the sponge to create a little lather and then gently rinse and dry on kitchen paper.
Main image via TheMakeupChair.ie
