In the great wide world of beauty, the variety of makeup looks one can wear is endless. From clean and simple, to colorful and exotic, there are many shades of shadow that can enhance your unique features. We've all had our fun with 'experimentation-gone-wrong' at some point or another, but more often than not, beauty lovers keep missing the mark on getting it right. Now, I don't mean to be overly critical, but with so many repeat-offenders on the rise, I want to help you nip it in the bud and be the beautiful little glamour queens you were born to be. Here I've broken the "Seven Deadly Offenses" no woman should ever encounter with their makeup...So grab your mirrors and makeup remover, this time we're gonna get it right!
Offense Number #1: The 'Tarantu-Lash'
Now, I've always had a sick obsession with mascara - it's probably one of my favorite items in my makeup arsenal, and I've searched far and wide for the top contenders in this category. Not only do I want a mascara that will lengthen, volume and make me look fabulous - I want something that will look great after 2-3 coats. YES, I do apply that much mascara because I'm a freak about it - but I do it right. If you are going to layer on that black magic - there are a few rules to remember:
- One Coat, is One Coat
When you start applying your favorite mascara, one coat is equivalent to moving the wand across the lashline and back. DONE. When you go over the lashes repeatedly like a madwoman, you're earning yourself a free ride to Clump-Ville... and it's not a pretty place! Remember - we're adding another coat or two, so don't put all your eggs in one basket and pile it all on in one shot.
-Wiggle That Bottom
So we all know that little trick for thickening up the lashes - wiggling the wand back and forth. No, it's not rocket science, but it's not the only method to build volume. Keep the wigglin' at the bottom base of the lashline and keep to the first coat. If you wiggle around too much at the tip of the lashes, you build up too much product and end up with an unnatural and well, unattractive look.
-Learn to Separate Yourself
The most important thing to do if you are adding multiple coats, is separate them in between!! There will be the rare occasion where you end up with a perfect first coat, but let's just play it safe and pick up our lash comb. A disposable mascara wand will work too, just make sure you are working quickly - mascara doesn't take long to dry, and if you are taking your sweet time to perfect each baby lash, going over the dryed mascara will only encourage it to flake up and end up all over your face.
Offense #2: The Concealer Lip
Ladies, ladies, ladies... I know how much you want to rock out the perfect nude lip, but just because NARS Belle Du Jour looks great on Kim Kardashian, doesn't mean it will look flattering on you. People really underestimate how difficult it is to find the perfect nude color for them... and it is! Honestly, for the longest time I wanted to convince myself that MAC's Lipstick Myth, just had to work for me. I read countless blogs and watched tutorials on this classic nude lip color, but on my light skin - it's a hot mess! Often times those nude colors pack a lot of brown/tan undertones, and look best on those with sunkissed skin. It's totally achievable to wear a pale hue, just stick to more sheer formulas that are 1-2 shades lighter than your natural lip color. Going any lighter will just look like you've been chowing down on powdered doughnuts or, well... getting ready for your clown costume on Halloween... And if you are fair skinned like I am, stick to more pinky undertones.
Pale Lip Picks:
-Laura Mercier Lip Glace - After Hours
-MAC Lip Glass - Florabundance
-NARS Lip Gloss - Turkish Delight
Offense #3: "Oh, I'm Blushing!!"....WAY TOO MUCH
I know, I know, this picture is a little ridiculous, but the overkill blush fad of the 80's should have been locked into it's own little time capsule and buried underground for good. The cascading 'mouth-to-ear' rose tint is not a look that anyone should attempt! The issue is that so many women come to me with the complaint that they are just too washed out and feeling quite lackluster as their summer tans are fading into the abyss.... "How about a good blush?" seems to be the first idea popping out of their mouths. But let's press the pause button for a second - Yes, blush is quite a good thing - but let's tackle the "lackluster" portion first. Aside from skincare, if someone wants to liven up their appearance I recommend trying a great bronzer. Just using a little to frame and warm up the face will make a huge difference. If you hate using bronzer, well, that's ok too. Some of the most beautiful women in the world have milky pale skin, but just don't use a blush as a bronzer replacement. Blush should be applied to the apples of the cheeks and gently faded so it looks natural and soft.
Cream blush is a great option too. Use your fingers to press a bit of color onto the cheek and pat in a circular motion to make it blend flush with the skin. Either way around, give it some practice. If you find that maybe you applied a little too much color, take a clean kabuki brush and blend it out. It's one of the BEST brushes to have on hand for any quick fixes on the face.
Offense #4: The Reverse Raccoon Eye
So, I'm sure this lovely lady's makeup artist made a 'boo-boo' when putting the finishing touches on her red carpet look - but the female battle with under eye concealer teeters on a fine line between "brightened' and 'whitened'. When choosing a concealer shade, people tend to associate hiding dark circles and tired eyes with using a color 3-5 shades lighter than their skin. There are a few problems you face when using this method: a) it looks ashen and doesn't conceal darkness b) it's difficult to blend (because it doesn't match!) and c) it will emphasize and draw attention to fine lines and wrinkles.
"So How Do We Fix This Hot Mess??"
Well ladies, it's easy. If you want the undereye to be brighter, start with a.... drumroll please.... Undereye Brightener! Yes these bad boys do exist, and thank heavens they do. You can apply a bit of this miracle product before the concealer. It is creamy and sheer, but has reflects of pearlescent sheen to diffuse light and brighten the look under the eye area. One of my favorites is the Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener. For $18, this product packs Vitamin E, Red Wine Extract, Peptides & Marine Collagen.... wow. So yes, it's meant to treat fine lines and rejuvenate, but what I like about this compared to others is that it's super hydrating, silky and doesn't get caked up on the skin.
Okay! Easy as pie - we've added some brightness underneath the eye.... so now what? Here's where our concealer comes into play. Yes, you can use a bit of an orange corrector to cancel out dark circles, but when picking a perfect concealer shade - choose one that is an identical match to the skin, or 1/2 shade lighter. I say this for two reasons -
1. Choose what you prefer (Me, I like to get all matchy-matchy with my skin)
2. Choose depending on under eye concern
***Dark Circles = 1/2 shade lighter
***Puffiness = Match your skin tone (There are no magic tricks to hiding puffiness with makeup, but
going lighter will only emphasize it more)
Also, a great concealer will have the following properties: Smooth, Creamy & Blendable with Coverage.
I'm a huge fan of the Bobbi Brown concealers/correctors because they have all of these qualities, and they set beautifully on the skin. If your concealer is dense and hard, it will be a little too difficult to apply and have a tendency to look a bit chalky.
Offense #5: The REAL Raccoon Eye
Taylor Momsen... I have no qualms with this young Hollywood Starlet, in fact, I applaud her for embracing her own style... except her now "signature" look has turned from "Rockstar Glamour" to "I Belong in the Slammer"... (it really does look like a mugshot). There is nothing flattering about this overdone, one-dimmensional smokey eye. I will admit, there was a point in my Junior Year of high school where black eyeliner was my new best friend - but I did leave the black sharpie in my backpack and not in my makeup bag. This girl is far too pretty for all this eye makeup, but if she wants to have that bold look, fine- a deep smokey eye can look awesome - it just takes a little more finesse to get it right.
Fade Into The Darkness...
Achieving a successful smokey eye will leave you smoldering, but work the shadows into layers. You can use browns, grays, greens, purples... any color... just let it have a gradiant effect. Smudge your darkest colors close to the lashline working your way up and fade the softer colors through the lid and crease. If you want a simpler option, or don't have much lid space, work the darker shadow into the outer corner of the lid and crease, and apply a lighter shadow with a bit of a sheen onto the inner part of the lid to open the eye up a bit.
So Here's the Bottom Line...
When dealing with the lower lashline, you want to be careful not too make it so thick and heavy - it will leave you looking dragged down and tired, sitting too close to your under eye circles. I watched a great trick on Mario Dedivanovik's vlog (Kim K.'s celebrity makeup artist) where he rimmed the waterline of her eyes with a very smudgy black kohl pencil, then turned it to lay flat and rolled it down through the lashes. This helps to thicken and give the lower lashline depth without having to apply the liner underneath the eye. Next fade a medium to dark shadow underneath the lashes to help blend everything together and voila! You should have a perfect smokey eye. No matter how dark or soft you want your smokey eye, always remember to take your time to blend it out thoroughly - making it look effortless and sexy!
Offense #6: The Radioactive Lip
I must say, there is nothing attractive about looking like you've been beamed down from outer space and punished with having a metallic mouth for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, I feel like at one point in time this was "in style" (why?!?!) and I will confess - I owned my personal little silver slip-up in the past. I remember I lived a block away from a Sally's Beauty growing up - and for some reason my best friend and I LOVED buying Black Opal Makeup. Little did we realize at 12 years old the line was designed for African American skintones, but we wanted to get the brightest and most metallic colors we could find... it was the hottest thing next to our Jelly Sandals... (Payless was next door). Anyway, we buy this deep silver lipstick and plan to wear it out on our school field trip the next day. However, our plan was thwarted because our catholic school nun who was running the show - instilled the wrath of God in us, and I mean... BAD... telling us how sinful we looked - and made us wipe it off before exiting the bus... Needless to say, I never wore metallic lipstick again! I guess I thought the world would stop wearing it with me, experiencing their very own someone who told them how scandalous they looked, but no... people are still wearing it in 2010 and it needs to STOP!
I think people who are still purchasing metallic lipstick are getting confused with shimmer and sparkle. They like the look of having some kind of shine on their lips as opposed to a matte finish. With that being said, this is an easy fix! Go for a light shimmery gloss to pack punch instead of metallic hues, and avoid the little word "frost" if it ever comes across when pondering though new colors. MAC makes great Dazzleglass lip gloss, which has multi chromatic tones and gives off tons of shine and glimmer.
My MAC Dazzleglass Picks:
-Sugarrimmed - very pale nude
-Bare Necessity - neutral peachy beige
-Baby Sparks - soft pink with violet tones
Offense #7: The Mismatched Misdemeanor
When I look at this picture I think to myself.... Huh?!?!
It is absolutely remarkable how difficult it is for women to match their foundation. With so many variants in our own skin tone as well as each foundation, it's become a trial and error process that takes longer for most than it should. There's nothing worse than seeing a line of demarcation to separate your head from the rest of you... and it happens with both darker and lighter foundations. Often times there are two types of people who fall into the category of foundations fails:
The Color Clueless - those who just can't figure out their skin tone
The Color Debaters - those who "know" their color and refuse to opt for a different shade
Which brings me to my first point - TRY IT ON. This is a huge problem that occurs when buying a drugstore foundation, because more often than not, you can't try on the color so you rely on that wallet sized mirror in the makeup isle to determine your foundation fate. There are a few decent ones out there, but in my opinion - why not invest in a higher quality foundation you can try on, instead of wasting more money buying multiple cheaper foundations that you either hate because of the color or the quality?
So How Do We Get a Good Match??
Test the color from the jawline to the neck. So many women believe their skin is "pink" because hormonally, women tend to get a lot of redness around the nose, cheeks and mouth - which hides our true skin tone. Other women think they are much darker than they are, because they test the color on the back of their hand - a place that gets more sun exposure than our face, which usually has sunscreen protection. If you want to figure out your undertones, the best place to look is your chest. This area really reveals the pink, yellow or green in the skin. But truly, the fact of the matter is, we're wearing it on our face so we need to match it to our face. If you're the type of person who hates your super fair skin, warm it up with a little bronzer. If you want to brighten and balance out redness or hyperpigmentation - tackle it with skincare. There are plenty of treatments that will help you even out your skin and will be far more beneficial than packing on a too light foundation to cover it up.
Well ladies, this concludes my Beauty Blunder rant - and I hope to have helped you put an end to these makeup mishaps, and gather a few tips to achieve a more flawless look! Sometimes we all need to take a look in the mirror and reassess what's going on. Getting it right might just take a little tweaking and practice, but don't ever feel bad if you need to seek out a professional! Plenty of makeup artists give out makeup lessons or will sit down with you to go over colors and how to create the perfect look you want.
Good Luck to you all! Stay beautiful and confident :-)
xoxo,
Laura
