It is no lie that makeup can quickly take you from a five to a ten as it can give the illusion of glowing skin and highlight our best facial features. We aren’t all born pros like Kylie Jenner or Rihanna, who glide on without any makeup mistakes. Also, it takes a whole lot of experimentation to get our makeup right. When it comes to makeup, it can be easy to fall into the same routine without realizing it’s not the best for you anymore.

Whether you are a rookie or a pro you might be surprised to learn that you have been committing some sins in makeup 101. Thankfully, we can change that by making a few tweaks on how we apply our makeup. Here are the 10 makeup mistakes you should avoid to better realize your product’s full potential.

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Makeup Mistakes you should Avoid

1. Applying Makeup on Dry Skin

Admit it, you have probably done this one. You cannot have a stable building with a poor foundation as everything will come tumbling down. When you apply makeup on dry skin you are more likely to appear dull, old and tired. The last thing you would want after spending a huge part of your morning or evening perfecting your makeup is having visible cracks on your skin minutes after finishing up. Always ensure your face is properly moisturized and hydrated before applying your makeup.

2. Using a Sponge or your Fingers to Apply your Foundation

You are running a little late and need to get your makeup done ASAP. You figure you’ll dab on some foundation and lightly tap and spread it with the tips of your fingers. Perfect and simple right? Well not quite; this is one of those makeup mistakes that will leave you with an uneven and cakey result. Using a sponge, on the other hand, soaks up a lot of your creamy, expensive Nars Foundation while wasting most of it. Invest in a good foundation brush which glides easily across your face which leaves you with even coverage.

3. Wearing Waterproof Mascara Every Day

Waterproof mascara came to save our lives. It is amazing if you are attending a wedding (do you find yourself tearing up in weddings, especially during the vows like I do?) or are you planning on spending the day at the beach or poolside? However, it should not be your daily go-to. It takes an extra amount of effort to remove it and the formula that makes it resistant to water will dry out your precious lashes. In the end, you will end up losing more of your lashes.

4. Using too Much Powder

Powder application is one of those makeup mistakes most people don’t understand. Powder works wonders when it comes to correcting skin defects such as the greasy effect most of us get on our T-Zone. Apply small quantities of light mineral powder and avoid powdering the area around the eyes as this only further highlights your wrinkles leaving your skin looking quite dry.

5. Shimmer and Glitter Disaster

Once in a while, the shimmer and glitter fairy visits us. Shimmery eyeshadows appear very attractive when minimally done. When used over the entire lid they can easily kill your whole look. To avoid this, use shimmery or glittery eyeshadow on the inner eye area and eyeshadows that are a couple of shades darker than your skin tone, then nude eyeshadows or a matte shadow for the rest.

6. Testing Out your Foundation on the Wrong Areas

While on our adventure to find the perfect foundation shade to try and correct some makeup mistakes, most of us may smear it on our wrists or hands for a quick test. This may, however, lead you to buy a shade that’s too dark on your face. To get the perfect pigment, I would suggest testing out on your neck, outside of your cheek or décolletage for more accurate results. On these areas, your colour is usually a lighter hue which makes you less likely to purchase a formula that is too dark. Remember it is easier to fix a lighter shade foundation with bronzer than lightening a darker foundation.

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7. Makeup Mistakes in the Wrong Lighting

Have you ever seen the meme which shows how your makeup looks indoors vs once you are outside? It can be quite a buzzkill if you have spent so much time perfecting your makeup in your bathroom only to steal a glance in the mirror in your car to find out it isn’t as perfect as you thought. Makeup always looks perfect with less light, even better try it out in natural lighting.

8. Clown Cheeks

Highlighting the apples of your cheeks with blush when we were younger seemed to be the in-thing. As we become more mature we need to learn how to adapt to the changes our skin goes through and avoid some blushing makeup mistakes. Instead of applying blush on the central part of our cheeks, switch to the upper cheekbones, but not too close to the nose area. Also, try using mellow, natural tones which will not only make you look younger but also give you a sweet romantic glow.

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9. Tracing your Lips with a Liner

This is the one mistake I admit to having done a few times. With the constant obsession of having our lips appear fuller a lip liner can be the best tool to help you achieve this. It amplifies your natural lip line but this does not mean you only use it to outline your lips. Once your lipstick fades, the line will be exposed. Always make sure you fill in your whole lips then add gloss or lipstick over it.

10. Going to Bed with Makeup on

After a long night of partying, the last thing you would want to do is take your beautiful expression of art off. You are tired and worn out, and the only thing probably on your mind is catching some Zzzs. There is no excuse for going to bed with makeup on. Neglecting to take your makeup off will make your skin prone to acne and infections. Keep your skin healthy by making sure you remove all traces of makeup before heading down to dreamland.

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What makeup mistakes are you guilty of? Feel free to confess in the comments below.

About the Author – Abigail Mbithe

Abigail is a 20-something wild child who still believes in unicorns, fairy tales, and everything beautiful. When she’s not trying to invent a new hairstyle or fighting acne, and keeping her skin ageless, she’s either sipping on something or hanging out with her tribe.

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About the Author

Abigail Mbithe

Abigail is a 20-something wild child who still believes in unicorns, fairy tales, and everything beautiful. When she’s not trying to invent a new hairstyle or fighting acne, and keeping her skin ageless, she’s either sipping on something or hanging out with her tribe.