With party season on the horizon and the highs of fashion week influencing our new season of trends, let’s talk *make-up*
There are so many rules and advice when it comes to make-up, but what if some of your “make-up mistakes” aren’t actually so bad?
We asked Resident Make-up Artist at Face the Future, Rachael Divers, for her take on some common make-up no-no’s that are actually totally fine.
Darker lip liner
Although it’s true that using a darker lip liner can often give a harsh, more unnatural contrast, it’s actually a great technique for adding the appearance of volume to your lips. To get a gorgeous ombre effect, line your lips with a darker lip pencil shade before blending it inwards towards the centre of your lips. Next, take a lighter coloured lipstick or lip crème and apply it to the centre of your lips only, before softly blending it out until it’s gently diffused into your lip liner shade. This adds a lovely gradient of colour and gives the illusion of pillowy, plumped-up lips. And you don’t have to go big and bold to see a marked difference. Experiment with different shades of pink or nudes to find what works best for you.
Concealer before foundation
Many years ago, professional makeup artists were taught by beauty schools that concealer should always be applied before foundation. As time went on, it became much more modern to apply concealer on top of foundation instead. Whichever way you prefer, applying concealer first can actually be really helpful in creating a more natural base. Use a targeted approach to apply the smallest amount of concealer to blemished areas before softly blending out. Follow with your foundation to create an extra perfected base. You’ll most likely find that you need to apply much less foundation to get that flawless finish.
Using your fingers for makeup application
Using your fingers to apply your makeup is often frowned upon as it’s a quick way to spread bacteria and transfer it between your face and products. However, using your fingers to apply liquid and crème products, like foundation or even eyeshadows, can be really beneficial! The heat from your hands really helps to warm the product as you apply it to your skin, allowing you to blend to perfection and get a more natural finish. Always keep a hand sanitiser in your makeup bag just in case, then you’ll never be caught short.
Overlining your lips
Overlining your lips is often seen as looking too ‘fake’ and over the top, but with careful application, it can actually look incredibly natural. If you’re looking to achieve the ultimate natural-looking overlined lip, the key is choosing a colour that matches the shade of your natural lip pigment. Line your lips just outside the vermilion border, and don’t thicken the oral commissures (corners) too much – they should naturally taper at the edges for the most realistic effect. Lastly, to create a perfect pout every time, draw an ‘x’ over your cupid’s bow before gently filling in the rest of your lip. To make the look even more natural, gently diffuse the edges using a small brush or cotton bud.
Mixing textures
Applying liquid products, like a liquid highlighter, over a powder foundation used to be a huge no-no. Not only did products used to break apart when mixed, but they’d also roll up on the surface of the skin to form tiny beads and fall off (this is called pilling). Today, formulas are much more advanced and adaptable, so mixing textures is a fun way to experiment with your look! So whether you layer a gorgeous sheen of liquid highlighter across your powder base, or use a liquid highlighter as a base for your powder highlighter, experiment with how different textures affect the intensity of your products when applied together.
Layering mascara
Layering mascara can help you to get a customised lash finish – whether you’re looking for lengthened lashes, plumped-up volume, lift and curl, or a combination. Sometimes referred to as ‘mascara cocktailing’, layering your mascara can also help you to create the illusion of different eye shape. Concentrating mascara on the outer corner of your lashes will give a feline effect, or concentrating on small sections of lashes across your entire lash line will give you that doll-like effect often seen in manga and anime characters.
Blush
Many people are a little scared of blush, but it’s a product that’s super versatile and can really change your look: from helping to add a youthful flush of colour when applied across the bridge of the nose and the high points of the cheeks, to adding fullness and plumpness when applied to the very apples of your cheeks. For a super high fashion, lifted look, you can also ‘drape’ your blush using the same technique and number three shape you’d use to apply your bronzer.