How many years have you been putting make-up on your face? Ten, fifteen, twenty…? How many bad habits have you picked up without even realising? You don’t even want to think about it right?
I’m really interested in skincare and beauty and I’m guilty of impulse purchases and also guilty of cutting corners in my make-up routine when I’m tight for time. Tut, tut, slap on the back of the wrist I know.Who better to ask how to improve my daily make-up look than one of my best friend’s Róisin. I have serious make-up envy when it comes to her flawless application. This goes back to our school days when I met Ró aged thirteen. She never fell into the pitfalls of mismatched foundation, smudgy eye-liner or dodgy eye shadow colours. Hmm, yes I’m having little flashbacks of blue mascara, metallic shimmer and an awful lot of matt berry lipstick before it was ‘90s throwback cool’ if you know what I mean? Ró has been a dab hand at perfect eye-liner, pigments and contouring for years.
I sat her down and asked her some of her worst make-up pet peeves to help us to correct common errors. Take cover if do any of the below…Ró will come and find you!!
Big no nos
“Never draw on your eyebrows in a heavy line with a pencil as it will look fake and draw attention to any mistakes you might make”, warns Ró. Eyebrows frame the face. Think Cara, think Cindy, the full brow is a thing of beauty.
I know that it can be hard to believe but our natural eyebrow shape will suit our face shape so Ró’s key advice is to work with what you have. If you do have thin patchy eyebrows due to overzealous tweezing, as many of us do, fill in the gaps with a brown eye shadow. It can be more natural looking than a pencil. I find using a pencil really gives definition to my brows and my make-up feels complete when they are tidy and shaded. Ró let me in on a good tip – align a pencil horizontally to the outside of your nose, right up to your eyebrow. It’s a simple guide to make sure you don’t go outside the natural frame of your brow bone when shading. Similarly, you can tilt the pencil at your nose out to the outer edge of your eyelid.
Avoid panda eyes
While these bears are cute as can be, you don’t want to look like you’ve done ten rounds with one in a ring with black smudged liner under your eyes by 5pm. Ró was really strong on was the incorrect use of liner on the skin, “You shouldn’t line underneath your eyelashes on the skin with eye-liner. Use a thin brush and dab the eye line with dark brown or kohl shadow to frame the eye. You should use a pencil to lightly pencil the inner lid. Ro’s pet peeve is seeing people roughly pulling the eyelid down to line it. “Don’t do it, you’ll give yourself fine lines and wrinkles, be gentle with your skin”, she cautions.
All about the base
I’m on a constant quest for good foundation and I personally like a dewy, natural look. Ro’s Holy Grail for an even application is a set of really good quality brushes. A good stippling brush for instance will allow much more even coverage and allows you to really work into the crevices of the skin, especially around the nose, eyes and eyebrows. Your fingers will do so much but what you need to remember is that your fingers have natural oils and bacteria from touching surfaces throughout the day. If you have break-outs or oily skin, you could be aggravating your skin or spreading bacteria. If you have clean tools, you will be less likely to spread germs and you will get a more professional look. Another tip if you have downy hair on your face is not to rub against the direction of the hair growth. The circular motion will raise hairs and make them more noticeable. Use the brush in a downward smooth motion.
The dreaded orange mask
Avoid an awful mismatched make-up line along your jaw by moisturising the skin and prepping with primer to avoid dry patches or a product clinging in places. Work foundation down your jawline and don’t ignore the skin on your neck. If you are a regular fake tan wearer, it could be worth investing in two foundation shades to combat the tango look, or almost as bad, the ghost face look. A light tone is best for your natural skin and a darker one when you are golden and bronzed. When testing foundation, don’t use the back of your hand as a colour match for your face. This skin will be more tanned on your hands as it is more exposed to the elements. It is better to test on your jaw if possible to check the colour match. Similarly, don’t put bronzer all over your face. You will end up looking shiny. Use bronzer to give definition to areas like cheekbones and the sides of the forehead and a light dusting down your nose and along the jawline. Don’t go to heavy handed, a light touch will be more natural.
Money saving
If your skin isn’t too much of a combination, you don’t need to invest in an expensive primer. A more sensible approach is a good moisturiser and sealing foundation and concealer with a translucent powder. Primer is more appropriate if you a needing foundation to last an event or all day.
Oily skin
Ró has some great tips for managing oily skin. Her number one rule – don’t use liquid foundation. It will slide off your face as the natural oils build throughout the day and it can lead to pore blockages and breakouts. Look for good mineral foundations and again, don’t use your fingers to apply, use brushes. A good translucent power will be very good to seal your foundation and use blotting paper to deal with real problem areas.
Spider eyes
We all remember the character in Friends that Chandler broke up with because of mascara goop in her eye? Don’t be that woman! It’s good to separate and build up lashes but don’t reapply to the point of it becoming clumpy or like Ró says, ‘spidery’. Your make-up will look heavy and overdone if you layer too much mascara. Instead, invest in a good product, quality will carry through. Ideally, apply, leave for two minutes, reapply and leave to dry.
Lips
Invest in a lip liner as it will create a matt base for lipstick to sit on. “If you don’t use a liner, you lipstick will be gone within hours, says Ró. If you are wearing a bold lip colour, keep your eyes simple or alternatively go for a smoky eye and neutral lips. “Whatever you do, don’t try and do both looks at once, it will be far too much”, she cautions.
Eye shadow
Blend, blend, blend, this is the key tip from Ró. “A mistake that I see people making is to take a darker colour and blend it above the natural crease in the lid. The can make your shadow heavy and blocky looking. It’s better to use a slanted brush to dab some dark shadow along the crease and then with another softer, eye shadow brush, work it out in circles but don’t go higher than the crease. It will give a much more even finish”. You can then blend in lighter shades above the crease for a more natural application. The lightest cream shades or illuminating pigments can be used in the centre just under the arch of your brow. It will lift the whole look of the lid.
What are your pet peeves or top tips? Let me know! Here are my favourites from researching this piece.
- Apply moisturiser regularly
- Use a primer if you want long-lasting make-up
- Apply make-up with appropriate brushes
- Dab concealer vertically to cover blemishes, don’t drag skin. It will cause fine lines
- Apply powder to seal foundation
- Use blotting paper for trouble oily spots
- Invest in the correct brushes and tools