July 03, 2008

The line between good and bad make-up is quite thin and even a slight recklessness on the applier’s part can cause it to be crossed. A little too much or too less can completely change the way one looks and result in an appearance that is different from the one intended. Here are some common mistakes that can easily be avoided.

1. Heavy base: When too much base is applied, it gives a very artificial and painted look. The base should be just enough to give a smooth and fresh, yet natural look.

2. A wrong shade of base: The wrong shade of base is one of the surest signs of the fact that one has used base. Whether it is too dark or too light, it will not match the skin of the neck or the arms and hands.

3. Highlighting more than one feature: When applying make-up, one should decide upon a certain feature to focus on, for instance, the eyes, the lips, etc. If one feature is heavily made-up the other features should be toned down to balance it. Bright red lipstick with heavily made-up smoky eyes is a major no-no.

4. Clumped up mascara: Avoid chunks of mascara that get stuck between the lashes as they end up making the eyelashes look tangled and untidy. To avoid this, wipe away all excess mascara from the wand, at the opening of the bottle or tube before applying it. While the mascara is still wet, brush lashes with an old toothbrush or eyelash comb so that they don’t look tangled.

5. Applying eyeliner only to the top of the eye on the upper eyelid: When applying eyeliner one should make sure to also apply it to both the upper and lower lid; liner on just the upper lid makes eyes look empty.

6. Streaks in the makeup: Whether it’s the base, blusher or eye shadow, if the applicator is not smooth or one is unable to blend the make-up properly, one will get tell-tale streaks that show every stroke of the applicator on the face. This makes the face look painted and unnatural. Instead one should use an applicator with a smooth surface that has an even texture and blend the make-up well.

7. Dark lip colour with discoloured teeth: If one has discoloured or yellowing teeth, dark or bright shades of lip gloss or lipstick should be avoided as they draw more attention to the teeth and consequently their colour becomes more prominent.

8. Lip-liner that doesn’t blend in with the lipstick: This makes the face look painted. When one is unable to find a lip-liner that exactly matches one’s lipstick or lip gloss, it is better to use a lighter lip-liner shade than a darker one because the former tends to stand out less than the latter.

9. Lip liner that goes beyond the natural lip line: In an attempt to make the lips look fuller, many women tend to outline their lips with a liner on the outer edge of the lips and then fill it with lipstick or lip gloss. Even if the colours of the liner and gloss/ lipstick are a perfect match, this gives a sloppy look. Instead, one can fake plumper lips by using a darker shade of lipstick on the outer lips and a lighter one on the inner lips (make sure, however, that the shade of the lip liner and lipstick at the outer edge remains the same), blend the two and coat with lip gloss.

10. Too much blush, in the wrong colour or at the wrong spot: The blusher should be just enough to give a natural flush to the cheeks and the best shade for most skin tones is a pinky-peach one. It should be applied to the apple of the cheeks, not all over them and with upward strokes. Although most blusher compacts are accompanied by a brush, these brushes are too small for proper blush application and one should try using a nice big brush to spread the colour in a more evenly manner.

11. Using expired cosmetics: Make-up, like everything else, has a shelf life. Eyeliners and mascara, especially, should be replaced after every four months while cream based foundations and blushes last for up to two years. You can extend the life of your lipsticks and nail polishes by storing them in the fridge.

12. Going to sleep with make-up still on: No matter how tired, one should never go to sleep with make-up still on. Your skin needs to breathe and with all the make-up covering the face, the pores get blocked and suffocated. If you make this a regular practice your skin will eventually lose its natural freshness and beauty.