Top Makeup Blunders

I am often asked by women the right way to apply makeup, but rarely am I asked "what am I currently doing wrong?" We all could use an unbiased opinion from time to time; a subjective eye to help us out with our techniques - yes, even veteran makeup artists like myself. I remember years ago when I was in my early 20's a fellow coworker suggesting I try adding color to my very blond brows. Once I looked at my darkened brows I thought twice about the enterprise; she thought I looked like Brooke Shields, I thought I looked like Bert from Sesame Street. But after enough affirmation from others around me and after I got used to the idea of doing my brows, I too realized how much better my overall appearance looked. Some beautifying techniques simply take time to get used to. For me as it turned out, it actually took a long time for me to perfect my brow look - It was two more years before friends had the nerve to tell me that one of my brows was way shorter than the other one. Oops. Luckily, I finally got the right formula and my brows are often the one thing people compliment me on. Keep on coming back every week and check out the scoop on the most egregious makeup mishaps and how you can steer clear of ever standing out for the wrong reasons!

This Week's Makeup Mistake:
Wearing the Wrong Foundation Color

We all have seen women walking by with makeup that is obviously too dark or too light for their skin. They just seem to blithely stroll along unawares. Nothing will diminish the look of your complexion faster than foundation that looks too dark, blotchy and uneven. A foundation that is too light is equally unattractive. Keep the purpose of foundation in mind: it is not supposed to mimic flawless skin by completely concealing every inch of your skin under a thick, packed on layer. In addition, foundation is not to be used to give your skin more "rosiness" or to make you appear more tanned (people will clearly see you are neither) it is simply supposed to even out your natural skin tone. What many women do not understand is: Foundation should match your natural skin exactly. Choosing the right color can be tricky so do solicit the help of a pro if you can; if not, bring a trusted friend with you and be sure to try at least 4 or 5 shades in different formulations - cream if you are dry, water-based liquid or oil free powder if you are oily (types of foundations will be posted in a subsequent entry).
Once you have 3 or 4 shades next to you to try, use a Q-tip to place a stripe down your cheek close to your mouth. Once you have striped your skin with the 4 colors, DO NOT blend them in. Simply let them sit on the skin in a thick stripe. choose whichever color seems to disappear best against your skin tone.