The holiday season is just around the corner and once again we find ourselves rushing to the nearest Sephora to stock up on makeup and other beauty essentials. Before you try on the latest makeup looks on yourself, read on to find out some common makeup mistakes you can avoid.
1. Applying the wrong shade of foundation.
“Did someone dump a bag of flour on my face?” I once asked myself as I flipped through some pictures from last week’s event. “How could I not have noticed?” I thought. I challenge you to check your photo album right now and count the number of pictures of yourself where your face appears visibly whiter than the rest of your body. Cringe-inducing, right? Don’t worry. It happens to even to the best of us. Most cosmetic brands originate from the west with the Caucasian target market in mind. Until recently, they didn’t offer a lot of choices for ethnic groups. We’ve had no choice but to embrace what they’ve had to offer in our department stores where we usually shop for makeup. These days many cosmetic companies have expanded their product lines to reach out to a more diverse target market both domestically and internationally. Plus, there are local brands available in the Philippines nowadays offering makeup shades that match Filipino skin tones.
Tips: Take a picture of yourself with the flash on to determine if your foundation matches your skin tone. If your face appears either lighter or darker compared to your neck and the rest of your body, try again. Can’t find your perfect shade? Try mixing two different shades of foundation to match your skin tone.
2. Using too much makeup.
Have you ever stared at yourself in the mirror and not recognize your face with all that makeup on? I live by the philosophy that when makeup is done right, you don’t need much. Makeup should serve to enhance your natural features while hiding imperfections here and there. If you can manage to apply makeup properly and still look like yourself at the same time, you’ve found a balance. Unless you are going to be on television or on stage where harsh lighting can wash out your makeup, you don’t really need much. But then again, every now and then it’s nice to try something different for character photoshoots.
Tip: Wipe it off and start over!
3. Applying the wrong shade of under eye concealer or not blending it well.
The under eye concelear is meant to be a shade lighter than your skin tone. When it’s too light you get the opposite of a raccoon eye and it makes your face look segmented. Typically the concealer is used to hide tired eyes or dark eye bags. When not done correctly, however, it may only serve to highlight those problems even more.
Tip: Blend your concealer well or mix it with a darker shade.
4. Forcing a high-bridged nose.
The appreciation of a high-bridged nose is deeply rooted in our culture. Growing up we are constantly bombarded with images of beautiful women on the cover of magazines from the western culture. We are used to making fun of the ‘Filipino nose’. If we genuinely love ourselves for who we are and stop trying to become someone we’re not, then maybe we won’t make this mistake as often! It’s normal and acceptable to perform contour shading around the nose area for definition (even people with high-bridged noses get it done), but when you overdo it you could end up with dark lines on the sides of your nose making you look completely fake. Most of all, if you don’t really need it, you’re better off without it.
Tip: Blend downwards with a light foundation to make the lines appear more subtle.
5. Touching your face without first sanitizing your hands.
We all do our best to take good care of our skin. One simple way to do this is by keeping it clean from germs, bacteria and other microorganisms that may irritate the skin or cause acne. Therefore it’s important to sanitize your hands before touching your face.
Tip: Keep a hand sanitizer handy before any makeup session.
6. Dirty makeup brushes or beauty tools.
Imagine using the same brush on your face for months on end without ever cleaning it. You never know what kind of microorganisms could be lurking underneath the bristles. It is not a pleasant thought. We spend so much trying to take care of our skin that it only makes sense to only allow clean beauty implements and makeup brushes to come in contact with it. Clean beauty tools = clear skin! Plus, makeup application will be much more flawless because you don’t have all those products and colors mixing together on one single brush.
Tip: Purchase a cleansing spray for your makeup brushes or keep an extra set handy.
7. Lip liner a little too far above your natural lip line.
Drawing your lip liner differently to improve the shape of your lips or make them appear fuller can look funny and very unnatural if it is exaggerated or the wrong shade of lip liner is used.
Tip: Opt for a dab of gloss on the center of your lips instead for fuller, natural-looking lips.
Posted by PinoyWatchDog.com
on November 30, 2011. Filed under Glamour.
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