For example, after having lunch with a friend who, unfortunately, was guilty of more than one makeup no-no ... I decided that writing about it in my blog may be the best way for her to get the subtle hint ;). It's not like I'm naming any names, right? A bit passive-aggressive perhaps -- but can you blame me? I'm not here to hurt anyone's feelings ... just sharing a few makeup tips to those who love makeup as much as I do. And lets face it ... every girl needs a few makeup tips every now and then. And that includes me :).
For the sake of this blog entry, I'll keep the list of makeup faux pas' (and their solutions) to 10. So without further ado ... lets begin with the most commonly made mistake:
Whether it's too dark or too light ... the fact of the matter is, too many people walk around with a foundation color that's simply too wrong for their face. So what's the problem here?
If I had to pinpoint the main misconception regarding foundation, it's the idea that one foundation color will do for the rest of your life. Now, I know that we're all busy and the idea of asking a cosmetic rep to match our foundation for us every time we re-purchase a bottle seems like a huge waste of time. HOWEVER, I feel that it is important to understand that our face is not always one color, nor is this color incapable of change. Change is inevitable, especially for those who are residents of high sunshine locations (like me ... sunny, sunny Southern California).
My advice is ... always match your foundation to your skin tone every couple months. Also, I find that keeping a few different tones of foundation with you can be most helpful. Personally, I have foundation to match my face for winter, fall/spring, and summer. By having a few selections to choose from ... it's easy to mix and match shades to custom-made perfection while your skin tone is in its transitional stages. Another suggestion is to get an outside opinion on the matter when purchasing a shade for the first time--and by outside, I mean LITERALLY go outside. Sometimes the lighting in a store can be deceptive. What looks great inside a store can look totally different when put to the test outdoors in natural lighting. And last but not least ... foundation is for your face, not your hand or your arm. So match accordingly. Since most products come with SPF nowadays, it's inevitable that the neck and face are going to be different shades. Try the 3 stripe test *check in for the "Foundation Overview" coming soon* along your lower jaw to find the right match.
2. The Masquerade Ball of Foundation
While a mask may be suitable for Halloween or a masquerade party ... it is not a look that's okay for your regular day to day.
Unlike color matching, this problem has a fairly easy fix. Just take your foundation brush/sponge/fingers (whatever application tool you use) and blend, blend, BLEND the foundation into your hairline, towards the ear, down the chin, and onto the neck. The whole point of foundation is to create an even, flawless finish to the face and prepare it for the rest of the makeup application process. Without proper blending, it defeats the entire purpose of foundation ... after all, an unblended mask of foundation not only accentuates unevenness, it's better off to not wear any at all. So take that tool and blend away, girls.
3. Unruly Eyeliner
I know you've all seen it lady's ... in fact, I'm pretty sure that you've been guilty (more like, victim) of the commonly made mistake of forgetting to keep your eyeliner in check.
That's right ... the eyeliner application process doesn't just start and stop with lining the eyes with your favorite pen/gel/liquid liner. The process actually begins with a good eyeshadow primer along with a wash of eyeshadow all over the lid, to prevent oils from underneath to break down the product. The process then ends with the key element of setting with your desired powder. By setting your liner with a powder (translucent or preferred eyeshadow color) it'll keep the liner from traveling away from its intended location. By combining these two steps, you can get through the day without worrying about any eyeliner mishaps.
4. It's called LIPstick ... not TOOTHpick ;)
Okay ... I KNOW that was lame, but you all know what I'm getting at. Lipstick belongs on your lips, not your teeth.
The solution to this problem isn't exactly the most "glamorous" but it works, and desperate times (more like "problems") call for desperate measures.
So here it is: the solution to avoiding lipstick on your teeth is to apply your lipstick as normal and then stick your *clean* finger into the center of your mouth and slide it out between your lips ... kinda like a lollipop. Your finger should catch any excess lipstick from the center of your lips and will successfully prevent any lipstick from smearing onto your teeth. **I do not doing this to a client ... it would probably be seen as inappropriate and you'll never see them again. In fact ... you probably won't be finishing the rest of their look either..."
5. ...Nor is it called FACEstick
yeah yeah yeah ... the lame police should come and take me away, but it doesn't change the fact that lipstick should stay on your lips and not make a mess on your face. Feathering lipstick is not an attractive look.
Luckily, this problem has two easy solutions: lipliner and concealer.
Now, I'm not talking about 90's style darker than lipstick lipliner ... I'm thinking more along the lines of similar tone or clear lipliner to create a base and border to prevent lipstick from leaving its designated place. Simply line the lips and then color in the lips with chosen lipliner before applying lipstick. To further increase defenses against feathering, concealer can be used to create crisp lipstick lines and a border of sorts. Place a tissue over the lips and lightly powder with a translucent powder. This will prevent feathering as well as increase the lipstick's longevity. Can't ask for much more than that :)
6. Concealer without a corrector tone is kinda like ... showering and then putting on dirty clothes.
Totally defeats the purpose right? So let's talk correctors.
A corrector color is necessary for a concealer to work its magic properly. Think about it ... if you have a red spot (acne) and a blue spot (under eye circles) how can the concealer correct AND create the same color? It won't.
The concealer needs a corrector tone to neutralize the problematic color. A green corrector tone for any red blemishes and a salmon color corrector for any blue/green blemishes. After using the corrective tone to neutralize, you can then use your normal concealer to create that even tone to match your foundation. What I like to do is apply a corrective tone first, powder the corrected areas, apply foundation like normal ... then concealer for any areas that require extra attention. By applying in this order, a concealer may not even be necessary after the corrective tone and foundation is applied.
7. Why'd you leave the house with your eye makeup half done?
If you're going to put in the time to wear eye makeup ... why not put in the effort to do it properly? A blending brush is not just a necessity in your makeup brush collection ... it's one of the most important. All it takes is to place your desired eye colors ... then blend away the edges and/or where two eyeshadow colors meet with a clean blending brush and some translucent powder. The powder and brush will give it a nice gradient blend that smoothly transitions from one color to the next.
8. Is that a black eye or are you TRYING to look like a raccoon?
Every now and then I come across what I call an out of control smokey eye. What I mean by that is ... the smokiness of the eye has gone beyond its standard intended smokiness and the excess eyeshadow has fallen to the undereye area.
You can prevent this mishap by applying your eye makeup first. That's right. No magic tricks here ... just a little change up of the order. Just do your eye makeup the same as you always would ... and then clean up the excess fallout with some moisturizer.
OR
Do your face makeup. Grab a big fluffy makeup brush and any (clear/light) loose face powder you can find and liberally apply to the area under the eye. Basically it should look like you powder sugared your undereye area. TADA! This powdered area will catch any excess fallout during application and all you have to do is brush clean it off. That wasn't so hard, was it? :)
9. Cakey makeup ... totally your own fault.
Despite what you want to believe ... cakey makeup is not a result of bad cosmetics. In fact ... it's a result from a heavy hand. YOUR heavy hand. Use your makeup in moderation. You can always add more, but it's near impossible to undo over-application. If you use liquid or cream foundation try sheering down your makeup by blending with a wet sponge--you can also mix foundation with moisturizer to sheer down the coverage. And don't over-powder your face either. Try powder blush/bronzer to set your cheeks and then ONE good layer of translucent powder to set the rest of your makeup. If you need to get rid of midday shine ... try using oil blot sheets before packing on the powders. You'll thank me for it later. I promise.
10. Mascara is for your eyelashes ... not your eyelids
That's right ladies ... mascara belongs nowhere else but your eyelashes. So what are my application secrets, you ask? I have three.
First is what I call the blink method. The blink method is just that ... holding the mascara wand in one hand while blinking your lashes into the wand. This method is actually not my favorite, but it seems to be the only one that works for some of my clients when they're applying mascara on themselves. It's pretty foolproof, but it's also not the most efficient.
The second method is the pinky method. This is the one I use most frequently on my clients as well as myself. What I do is place my free pinky between the eyelid and the eyelashes and weave the mascara in with the wand. This allows for full mascara coverage without clumping.
The third method is the business card method. I read about this one in a magazine many years ago. Place a business card (with a semi circle cut in the shape of your eye) along your lash line and weave the mascara in with the wand. This method is great for those against getting your fingers smudged with mascara. The only downfall is that you have to have a business card. Minor detail.
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Well ... I hope that was helpful. Please let me know if you have any requests or questions you'd like answered.
Happy Makeup-ing!
xoxo,
Grace
makeup@gracechun.com
