Makeup: What Not to Do

So this is a crappy phone picture of me and my high school friend Kelsey.

Kelsey, Liz

 And another...

Liz, Kelsey

 One more...

Just Kelsey

We took these pictures about a year ago for a school project.
Long Story.

But I thought these were a good visual example of what NOT to do with your makeup.

1. Foundation should match your skin tone. It should not be 3 shades lighter, or darker, or more orange, or more yellow, or pink or ashy. If for some reason it does not match perfectly, use less of it and blend down to your neck a bit so you don't get that awful line at the jaw. Maybe try mixing it with your moisturizer for lighter coverage if it is not your perfect colour. And make sure the application is even, not splotchy and cakey. And go easy on the powder too. You only need enough to set the makeup, not to make your face a flat mask all day.

2. Bronzer is not face powder. If you want t look tan, caking layer after layer of bronzer all over your face just makes it look like you are wearing a mask. There has to be some contrast between the warmth of the bronzer and the tone of your skin to make it look like a sun-kissed glow. LIGHTLY dust it just under your cheekbones for a contour, and a teeny bit at the temples, around the hairline, and tops of the cheeks will make it look like the sun has naturally tinted your skin, not like you suffer from a pigmentation problem in your skin.

3. Blush is meant to give your cheeks a nice flush, not make your face the same colour as the blush in the pot. Using very little pressure, apply the blush towards the upper half of the apples of your cheeks (the part that pops when you smile) and sweep it back a BIT. Don't apply blush into your hairline, temples, jaw, or ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR NOSE. If you do not have rosacea, don't pretend you do.

4. When it comes to concealer, less is more. I am right there with you suffering from acne scars and disgusting dark circles. But layering on clumps of product will only draw attention to problem areas. Lightly dab a bit of concealer directly on the area (using a clean finger or brush) and blend the excess product around it so it fades into the rest of your skin.. Do not compensate for very dark circles by applying concealer that is too light for you. Concealer still lets some skin show through, and using a shade that is too light will make you look sick.

5. Use an eyeshadow primer.
Or I will find you.

6. Instead of smacking on as much eyeshadow as you possibly can then try to smudge it out, start with a bit of shadow and build up the intensity so you can blend as you go. It is easier to add eyeshadow than it is to remove it. I cannot stress BLENDING enough. And do not apply bright blue eyeshadow up to your eyebrow. You're going to scare children like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. And easy with the black.Use a BIT at a time, and gently blend. Do not smear it all over your eyes. Come on. And if you have an intense eye look going on, please keep the rest of your makeup simple. USE BRUSHES.

7. Do NOT over-pluck your eyebrows. This is by far the WORST thing I see ever on girls and women. Start with your natural brow shape, and just clean up the strays underneath and MAYBE on top. No tadpole eyebrows, or super-straight thin brows, or rainbow eyebrows. And if you like to fill them in like I do, use a matte eyeshadow, not a pencil, in a few shades lighter than the hairs. The goal is to gently tint the skin beneath the hairs so that when light hits your face, your eyebrows do not appear transparent. Do this lightly and follow the shape of your brows, gently filling in any serious gaps.
No tattoos.

8. Eyeliner. Aye-aye-aye. If you like dark eyes, do us all a favor and blend the blackness. Black eyeliner in the waterline can be very flattering if it is blended into the lower lashline well. You want smokiness, not a harsh line under your eye. It makes dark-circles more apparent. For liquid liner, start with a thin line as close to your upper lashes as possible, THEN create the shape/wing you want. Rather than tracing a long line, use short strokes for better precision. No liquid liner on the bottom. To make bottom eyeliner last longer rather than melt down throughout the day, lightly blend some similarly-coloured eyeshadow over it to set it in place. Be careful if you have sensitive eyes; do not put eyeshadow inside the eye, only under it.

9 Mascara is one of the best accessories to your face available. Eyeshadow and eyeliner are pointless without it. But PLEASE, for the love of all things beauty, do it properly! Don't glop on layer after layer of the gunk expecting flawless "volume". Your lashes should look separated, not like 4 thick black triangles stuck to your eye. When you open the wand, twist- don't pump- to get product into the bristles. Pumping will dry out the mascara and make clumping inevitable. Lay the wand at the base of your lashes, and gently wiggle it up towards the tips. Do this a few times, ensuring the lashes look like lashes and not a black stripe. Comb through them gently without clumping. Clumping is bad. Do not apply more product over a dry coat of mascara because it will cause clumping. Do not layer over mascara you had on yesterday because it will cause clumping. And get yourself a lash curler so you don't feel compelled to use as much product to shape your lashes. Replace your mascara every 3 months; no need to spend 20 bucks or more on something so disposable.

10. Dear Lip-Liner-Lady-At-The-Mall... You are setting a terrible example for EVERYONE. Lip liner is a great thing to have. But pressing it into a hard line around your mouth and filling your lips in with a pale lipstick is a tragedy. Use natural-looking colours that flatter your skin. Dark colours make small lips look smaller, so shy away from super deep browns and plums. They can be aging anyway. Use light, short strokes to trace the natural shape of your lips; you are not a drag queen so do not over-draw! Use the pencil to softly fill the lips in so the next thing lasts longer...

11. Lipstick is another great thing we use to enhance our lips. Using a lip brush to apply it over the lip liner will help with precision and even texture. NO BEIGE LIPS. They make you look DEAD. Ugh.  Try to keep the product away from the edge of the lip liner to prevent bleeding. Lip liner will help the colour last longer on your lips, but don't feel like you need to do it every day for pretty lips. If you like, you can just use....

12. Lip gloss is a pretty simple product. It comes with its own fool-proof applicator and is sheer enough for one colour to flatter a LOT of different skin tones. But don't overdo it! Glopping on layers of gloss will make your mouth look sticky and gross. Opt for a bit of shine to enhance your lips, not a mask of grease dripping down your face. Eww.

If you've managed to stick with me this long, I commend you.

This evening, my sister's boyfriend attempted to do her makeup. And while he was a little lost on the concept of eyeliner, he did a way better job than about half the women I see. At least he understands that less is more.

Sammeh!

Aside from a minor eyeliner-across-the-eye mishap, this is not bad for someone who did not know what foundation was before today.

There's Matt behind Sam!! Great job :)

So just bear these tips in mind the next time you're looking at that picture of Snooki taped up to your mirror, with that bronzer-weapon at the ready. Have fun! Be you!

Please send any requests to lizziehanley94@yahoo.ca