"What do you consider complete don'ts in the steps of putting on makeup?"
Asked by Anonymous
1. Don’t over-strip your skin: Most oil-absorbing primers, etc are just silicones or silica. They don’t really train your skin to produce less oil, so if you are also using acne medication AND an alcohol-containing toner together with those, it’s probably too harsh for your skin. For some people, this means more oil.
2. Don’t apply too much concealer: It’s tempting to want to layer and layer until you can’t see any sign of your blemish or dark circles anymore. Less is more. Let your concealer do 80% of the work and your setting powder do the rest. When you try to cover 100% with your concealer and then set it with a thick powder, you just end up with cakey makeup. (AND it’s a pain when you need to touch up.)
3. Don’t over-apply powder: If you can get away with just powdering the center of your face, do that. I prefer using a blotting sheet as a final step to set my face, as it removes excess moisture or grease but still leaves everything luminous rather than flat and matte.
Can’t over-emphasize how much I prefer blotting sheets to powder over the rest of the day as well. I only use powder maybe 6-7 hours into the day, when coverage has faded a bit and I need to add some pigment back in areas. If you want to keep things matte, it’s much better to use blotting sheets than to keep layering on more powder.
4. Don’t forget to comb out your lashes: This is just a personal pet peeve. I don’t like twig-like clumpy lashes, but I like them full and fluffy, so a clean, disposable mascara wand is my best friend. Hold it ABOVE your lashes and gently roll it outwards and upwards to grab any clumps and separate your lashes without removing too much length. Lash combs are so much harder to use, and never give the same effect.
5. Don’t only match your foundation and powder to your face. Check your neck, check your chest.
6. Don’t be afraid of strong lip colors. Don’t think that just because your lips are smaller, you should stick to soft nudes and pinks and keep the focus on your eyes. It emphasizes your lips, but don’t think you should only emphasize one particular type of lip shape. Some women with smaller mouths (Dita von Teese) have crafted their signature look around full-on red or deep rose. Sometimes it’s all you need to perk up your face without a whole lot of other makeup.
7. Don’t wear a pale shadow and skip a dark mascara. You will end up looking like you have no lashes from a distance, and that gives a rather rabbit-y sort of look to them. They’re lovely creatures but you don’t want to look like them. (Too much.)
8. Don’t drip with lip gloss. It might look nice in photos but for real life, it’s just way too much maintenance and way too much mess. If you’re layering them over lipstick, just a dab around the center is plenty. There’s only so much product your lips can take before it starts to goop and gunk in the corners, in the center, and worse, outside your lip line. If you’re wearing only gloss, try using a nude pencil beneath, or apply a layer all over, kiss a sheet of tissue and then reapply just to the centers for max shine there.
8. Don’t forget to check your blusher in daylight. Period. Under-application is better than over-application.
9. Don’t keep focusing on your flaws. Do what you need to make you feel a bit more confident, but after that, explore. Play with textures and colors, and experiment a little. It’s not all about hiding things and trying to re-shape your face so much that you’re no longer you. (Unless you’re talking about that costume party this weekend; in which case, go right ahead!)
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I actually had to struggle to think of some of these because I’m not a “you must follow these rules” type of person when it comes to makeup. Just take what you need and forget what you don’t agree with!
10. Don’t be constrained by beauty rules that say you’re a Winter and you can only wear this or that; you’re olive toned so you should only wear warm reds; or you should never pair a warm eye with a cool lip etc. It’s not going to please everyone but life isn’t about that is it? We’re going to get criticized for being too wild, too conservative, too different, too safe; no matter WHAT you do anyway.
In the end, whatever you think looks good, gets you feeling confident, and is fun and enjoyable for you without causing harm and inconvenience to others, DO.
We’re not all meant to look identical, and life is too short to keep worrying about whether you’re breaking too many rules!
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@sexorchocolate: I’m going to go against the grain when I say skip the matte textures and go for something deeper, glossier and maybe slightly sheer so your lips look like juicy cherries! (Apply a clear gloss THEN stroke a deep wine-red lipstick over a few times.) And this is one of those cases where you NEED a strong eye so your lips don’t take over your whole face. If you worry about it looking a little over the top, keep this for evenings!
