5 Makeup Mistakes to Avoid

Have you ever applied your makeup, thinking its going to turn out beautifully, and it just...doesn't? Or maybe you think it looks fantastic, but in reality, it could be better. Makeup can always be better! Even as a professional makeup artist, I still have a lot to learn and am constantly updating my skills. You also have to try and stay on top of current trends. Pinterest is a great place for makeup inspo and YouTube is your BEST friend on makeup tutorials, tips and tricks.

There are certain fundamentals of makeup and makeup application that you just have to get right. The rest is all play and you can let your creative freedom run wild! But for now, let us get down to the basics. Here are 5 makeup mistakes to avoid! If you do any of the below mistakes during your makeup routine, keep on reading to figure out why it's bad, and what you can do to fix it!

The first mistake to avoid is eyeliner, and probably why so many people struggle with eyeliner, is because they stretch the eye to create the wing. This does seem logical, as it makes the skin tight and somehow easier to apply liner to create that perfect wing. However, this is sadly not the case. Pulling the skin by the eye alters where that liner will be placed when you let go of that skin. The same goes for makeup applications on more mature skin that has wrinkles around the eyes. You HAVE to leave that eye alone while you're doing the liner. Don't touch it! The trick when you're applying liner is also to keep your eye open. Closing or partly closing your eye during application will once again affect the appearance of the liner when your eyes are open. Look straight ahead at your mirror, and draw your wing at the angle where it meets up with your brow. This sounds confusing, but makes the whole process so much easier. See the pic on the right for an easy pictorial! Hello perfect winged liner!

The second makeup mistake to avoid, and quite possible the worst, because it affects your entire makeup look, is applying makeup on dry, un-prepped skin. Yes the skin must be clean! But, it must also be hydrated and moisturised. Many people believe that foundation acts as a moisturiser as well and this is absolutely not the case. Even if you have oily skin, prepping the skin for makeup is SO important. If you don't, you'll be left with cakey, flakey, dull looking foundation. So clean your skin with a face wash, tone, serum, moisturise etc. and then apply a primer if you need it. There are different primers for different skin types and concerns: pore-minimising, oil controlling, colour correcting, it just depends if you need it. For very dry skin types (like myself), I like to use a skin mist or facial oil before applying my foundation, and this is also AFTER my skin care routine. Your foundation will look so much better, and will look more like second skin. This is such an important mistake that you definitely should be avoiding.

Third in line is a common mistake when it comes to contouring, concealing and foundation - choosing the right shade! When it comes to contouring, the worst mistake you can make is using an orange bronzing powder or cream. It should only be a few shades darker than your foundation colour (which by the way you should be matching to the shade on your chest - not your hand, wrist, face or neck!). Your concealer should only ever be 1 to 2 shades lighter than your foundation. Your contour shade needs to look natural and subtle. If you go too orange, it is immediately noticeable. It doesn't matter whether you use a cream or a powder contour, just make sure the shade looks nice and natural, and not too orange or too dark. Just look at the difference between the two...(sorry Lindsay). And pictured right is just a terrible mis-match of the foundation shade.

The 4th makeup mistake to avoid is applying too much foundation. I think it's safe to say we've all been there. I personally LOVE a full coverage foundation. I like to have thee most flawless beautiful skin possible, which unfortunately is not the case with my skin naturally. One common misconception is that high coverage = lots of product. This is most certainly not true. If your foundation says on the bottle that it is high coverage, you should be able to apply the same amount, if not less than you would with a more natural coverage foundation. Some people also believe that applying a thick layer of a medium coverage foundation will immediately give you great coverage. Sorry, also not true. The best advice I can give is to apply your foundation (thin) layer by layer, rather than applying a ridiculous amount of product straight off the bat. This will undoubtedly give your foundation a cakey appearance. If you find your foundation isn't giving you that coverage you need, simply apply some concealer in the areas that need a little more work. Start off with less product and apply more when needed.

And last, but certainly not least (no really, there are SO MANY more makeup mistakes being committed right now), we have the lipstick. But what could go wrong, you ask? Oh... so much. Applying lipstick, whether it be liquid lipstick or normal lipstick, or gloss in fact, the key is to have moisturised lips before you start applying! Many people believe that a quick lipstick touch up will make your lips look smooth, luscious and full, but if you have dry, cracked or chapped lips, your lipstick will only accentuate the dryness. Unfortunately, many lipsticks do not have many moisturising properties in them, especially matte ones, and while it may cover discolouration, it won't cover texture (the same goes for foundation, sadly). The key is to take care of your lips. A home-made lip scrub made with honey and sugar is fantastic! It removes dead skin cells while the honey has antibacterial and moisturising properties. Just like prepping your skin for makeup, you've got to also prep your lips for lipstick. Lips is often the last part of the makeup routine, so while you're doing the rest of your makeup, start getting your lips prepped and ready with a scrub and moisturising lip balm. The lipstick will go on so smoothly and will look beautiful.

And there we go! 5 (of many) makeup mistakes to avoid. If you've been making some of these mistakes and didn't know any better, it's okay! That's why you have me to help you along on your makeup journey. It is a learning process and there is always room for improvement. Try changing some of these things in your makeup routine and you'll immediately see a difference. It's often difficult to try and change our ways when it's what we know and are used to. But with a little adjustment, your makeup game will seriously improve! I hope these mistakes to avoid have helped you, and your skin and makeup will thank you for it!