NEW MAKE UP 2011

Getting make up right can be hard work…In an ideal world, we’d all have the tools and make up we need to create an amazing look for every occasion, but in the real world, it’s likely that we’ll have to make do with what we’ve already got. Which means we are prone to making make up blunders…here are the top ones to should avoid!

Wearing too much, or too little
One of the most common make up mistakes is not matching your make up to the occasion. Most days won’t call for full make up, which could make you look like you are trying too hard, and instead would suit a much more natural look better. For everyday activities, try just using a moisturizer, under eye concealer, a little blush, and some lipgloss. Then curl your eyelashes, and you have the perfect daytime look!

Using the wrong foundation
Your foundation needs to perfectly match your skintone to give you a natural, flawless finish, and any difference could leave you looking awful. For foundation, it can be very hard to see what will match, but there will be a foundation that is perfect for you. I’d recommend visiting a beauty stand and asking them to find a produce that matches your skin tone, but if you want to test some yourself, draw ‘lines’ of concealer from your cheek to your neck, and find one that completely disappears. There’s your match!

Over Tweezing Your Eyebrows
Over tweezing (or completely ignoring) your eyebrows can ruin your look…well maintained eyebrows make the perfect finishing touch, and make even natural looks seem divine. Over tweezing could also lead to less hair growing back, which would be a nightmare! Follow your brow’s natural shape to get the best look, and visit a professional to show you how to do it. You should be able to maintain it yourself after that, but if you aren’t confident, let someone else. Waiting for them to grow takes forever!

Rainbow Colours
Rainbow colours might look amazing, but most of the time, you should stick with blending three colours. A medium tone on the eyelids, a light tone to highlight the brow and the darkest as a liner gives a mature and sophisticated look, and is so easy to do! Adding more shades and colours makes the look overcomplicated, and can look too much.

Neglecting your skin
No makeup can compensate for neglected skin, so if you aren’t looking after yours, it’s time to get started! Make sure you keep your skin properly hydrated, so it will look it’s best and will be more resilient to wrinkles, and if you have oily skin then use a cleanser to wash the oil away before applying makeup. Look out for makeup that’s designed with your skin type in mind, too.

Favouriting A Feature
The rule goes that you should pick one feature to avoid looking like a clown, and this is still true, but don’t go overboard! If you really dress up one feature, you risk looking like you are overcompensating, which is the opposite of what you want. Instead of bright, pretty eyes, people will see a lot of eye makeup, which defies the point. Make sure you keep makeup understated and subtle, and always use a lipgloss!

Drawing Large Lips
Have you heard the advice about making your lips look bigger? Beauticians always recommend drawing lip liner around your lips, and filling the middle with colour, but most women can’t pull this look off. It’s very difficult to get right! Instead, I’d recommend using a lip plumping gloss. It’ll look more natural, and understated too…I love mine!

Faking Curves
Trying to fake curves and contours using darker blush is a trick best left to the experts…while it might work well on films, often a lot of airbrushing is needed to ‘finish’ the look. In normal sunshine, the darker colours will be obvious, and it will look very odd. Stick with a light, flattering colour, and draw attention to the features you like best with delicate, pretty make up. It’ll look much prettier!
I know I’m guilty of a few of these…I ran out of moisturizer for a long time, and I really struggle finding a foundation that matches my skin tone…I’m very pale, so even ‘Ivory’ colours look too dark. Most of the time I go without! But I’ll be making more of an effort not to make these mistakes again…if you’ve heard of another common make up mistake, I’d love to hear it!