Author: Olivia King

I saw a lady on the elevator yesterday who inspired today’s post.  She had the cay eye look going on which is one of my favorite looks, but I could see the space between her lash line and the liner.  The liner wasn’t even near her lash line…this is something that I ALWAYS get on my sister about.

REMEMBER: Eyeliner should be applied as close to the lash line as possible.I know everyone is not an expert, I’m still learning a lot of stuff myself, but hopefully these following make-up blunders can help you learn and keep you on a good path.

TOO MUCH BLUSH

I know a lot of women who skip the blush, but applying blush is the easiest and quickest way to bring out a dull face. The problem is when its overused.  Remember, fair skin looks great in rose, olive in peach & dark skin in apricot or even red.  Next find the right blush formula for your skin type. Powder is typically best for oily & combo skin. Cream is great for dry skin. Liquid and gel are great for oily skin. For even better results, combine cream & powder together.  Put the blush on your brush, tapping off any excess or put a dab of gel on your fingers.  For a healthy flush, simply apply blush ONLY to apples of your cheeks.

 

ASHY FOUNDATION

One of the main issues for women of color when using mineral powder foundation is that their face looks and feels ashy. Loose Mineral foundations are dry, powdered products with no fillers that add moisture to the skin. This means the skin needs a good skin care regimen especially a good moisturizer before application.  Even if the skin is oily there needs to be some form of primer for the foundation to adhere to.  Apply a moisturizer and/or primer before foundation.The ashy foundation look could also be the cause of the wrong color foundation or too much translucent powder.

TOO LIGHT CONCEALER

Everyone wants to conceal those under eye circles but when you’re walking around with a little white mask you’ve chosen too light of a shade.  That big concealer mistake is trying to hide the circles under a too light shade of concealer. You will create the little white mask, which not only will not reduce the shadows but also only emphasize the dark area, instead of concealing them.  Your skin tone will be your guide as to which shade of concealer will best suit you. Ideally a concealer should match your skin tone exactly, that match is rare so it is still safe to go one-half to one shade lighter than your under eye circles.

 
As under eye circles are typically have a blueish or purpleish tone covering with a pink based concealer will have them appear grey. Not the desired effect. A golden toned concealer such as will counteract the blue-purple tones and look the most natural for you.

 
For extremely dark circle, {and we have all had those at one time} you can go with dropping down one full shade lighter but you will have to be much more cautious with blending when you apply .A good trick is to keep the color above your eyes. If you have freckles, you will want to match again your skin tone and not the shade of your freckles.

 

One of the most common makeup mistakes that women make is selecting the wrong lip color. Women usually choose a lip color based on what they were wearing, or simply because they liked the look of the lip color in the tube. While occasionally these selection techniques will result in a good choice, most of the time it is going to lead you to the wrong color.

One of the easiest ways to select the right lip color for you is to use a color chart provided by the makeup’s manufacturer or the cosmetic counter. This chart will usually separate the available lip color by skin tones. This is a good option to use to get an idea of what will look good on you.  If you don’t know what looks good on you and you don’t trust the color charts, then ask for help. Most cosmetic departments will have a makeup specialist on hand to help customers find the right colors for them. They may also be able to show you how to apply the lipstick properly, what lipsticks will work best for you, and what tricks you can use to make your lips look full and sexy.