ARE YOU MAKING THESE COMMON MAKEUP MISTAKES?
While we all can’t have a makeup artist on speed dial, we can learn from the best. Celebrity makeup artist Jay Jay (who’s worked her magic on Sigrid Thornton, Antonia Kidman, Sarah Murdoch and Sophie Faulkner) has seen her fair share of disasters but has this easy advice to switch from fail to fabulous.
1. Mistake: Using shimmer eyeshadow on mature skin - it highlights wrinkles. Instead: Use matt as a great everyday basic eyeshadow to add a pop of colour to the eyes.
2. Mistake: Wearing your summer foundation in winter. Instead: Have two slightly different shades for summer and winter and in between, you can blend the two together.
3. Mistake: Applying bronzer all over the face. Instead: Apply a small amount only where the sun naturally tans the face (forehead, top of cheeks, nose, chin). This is also a great idea to warm the face using up your winter foundations.
4. Mistake: Lining the lips with lip liner. Instead: Use a liner to fill in the whole lip so when your lipstick wears off it wears off evenly without leaving a ring. And this will also give the lipstick longevity and depth.
5. Mistake: Choosing the wrong foundation while under fluorescent lighting. Instead: Choose a foundation in natural lighting matching it to your chest. As we avoid the sun on our face, the skin is usually 2-3 shades lighter.
6. Mistake: Using concealer to hide wrinkles, bags and dark circles - it can’t do it all! Instead: Using your ring finger, apply a small amount by pressing into the dark circles, and remember less is more. The more you apply the more it will settle into the lines highlighting your wrinkles more so than ever. And remember, you can correct colour with concealer but not the texture of the skin. There is always a compromise when it comes to using concealer as you age.
7. Mistake: Don't draw on brows. Instead: Use an eyebrow pencil to colour hairs and fill in gaps with light brush strokes
8. Mistake: Don't over-apply blush. Instead: Apply a loose mineral blush with a blush brush, smile gently to see the apples of the cheeks. Starting from the ear, softly brush forward to achieve a soft, flush look.
9. Mistake: Apply contouring powder in all the wrong places. Instead: Using a mineral powder and a contour brush, apply from the top or the ear in line with the corner of the mouth stopping directly under the start of the eye. Go over the area in a circular motion to blend hard edges.
10. Mistake: Mascara stamping your eyelids. Instead: Always apply the bottom lashes first then apply the top lashes.
11. Mistake: Foundation ruined with eyeshadow fall out. Instead: Do your eyes first, this way you can wipe away your fall out get a clean crisp underline when you apply your foundation.
12. Mistake: Shakey eyeliner. Instead: Apply your eyeliner resting your elbow on a countertop or firmly tucked into your body for stability. Using a light flicking motion start lightly-handed from the inner eye and work your way out.
