By Jessie Van Amburg, Women's Health
Most of us wear makeup every day, whether it's just a little mascara and some concealer or full-on contouring and strobing. Yet even in the day of extensive YouTube tutorials and Instagram makeup stars, where it feels like makeup info is available 24/7 at our fingertips, apparently there are areas where we could all use some help with our technique. At least, that's what we learned when we recently interviewed several makeup artists about the mistakes they see the most often on the job.
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A common theme shared by the makeup artists we spoke to? Overdoing it. Apparently we could all stand to dial back on the foundation, powder, contouring, and highlighter—despite what those Instagram makeup tutorials tell us. "A common mistake I see is too much makeup! Less is more," says Derek Selby, makeup artist and global ambassador for Cover FX. So maybe before you add another few dots of concealer under your eyes, think before you apply. (Keep your makeup in place all day with Au Naturale Finishing Powder from the Women's Health Boutique.)
Here are the other mistakes we're making with our makeup—and how to fix them:
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Most of us wear makeup every day, whether it's just a little mascara and some concealer or full-on contouring and strobing. Yet even in the day of extensive YouTube tutorials and Instagram makeup stars, where it feels like makeup info is available 24/7 at our fingertips, apparently there are areas where we could all use some help with our technique. At least, that's what we learned when we recently interviewed several makeup artists about the mistakes they see the most often on the job.
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A common theme shared by the makeup artists we spoke to? Overdoing it. Apparently we could all stand to dial back on the foundation, powder, contouring, and highlighter—despite what those Instagram makeup tutorials tell us. "A common mistake I see is too much makeup! Less is more," says Derek Selby, makeup artist and global ambassador for Cover FX. So maybe before you add another few dots of concealer under your eyes, think before you apply. (Keep your makeup in place all day with Au Naturale Finishing Powder from the Women's Health Boutique.)
Here are the other mistakes we're making with our makeup—and how to fix them:
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Too Much Concealer
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"Over-using concealer like they do on social media. Concealer is to be used extremely lightly and only to correct. Not put on in stripes and triangles all over under the eyes. That looks too cakey and will disintegrate very quickly, and looks horrible unless you are under bright beauty lights." —Matin Maulawizada, celebrity makeup artist
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Mismatched face and neck
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"There is nothing worse than seeing a nasty line around the face of deeper makeup and a stark, lighter neck. This is an easy fix! We are living during a time when makeup and makeup instruction are EVERYWHERE! Sadly, in recent years this instruction has been to load up on foundation, contour, highlight, and powder—making skin look almost mask-like. Remember to only apply foundation where needed and thoroughly blend! This includes bringing the foundation down to the neck, chest, and often-forgotten ears." —Ami Mallon, global corporate educator for Osmosis Colour
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Too Much Blush
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"This is another common mistake, little do most people know it is also one of the easiest to correct! If too much blush is applied, simply grab the foundation brush used (even better if it still has residual foundation left on it) and blend out any harsh edges, making the blush look more seamless on the skin." —Ami Mallon, global corporate educator for Osmosis Colour
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Skipping lip prep
"Using matte heavily pigmented lipsticks before properly prepping the lips is one of the worst makeup mistakes. Not only does it make your lips dry, but they also look awful as the day progresses. I recommend prepping the lips before color. I love the ChapStick Total Hydration Conditioning Lip Scrub coupled with a ChapStick Total Hydration lip balm which preps and moisturizes the lips under color without compromising the look that you are going for." —Matin Maulawizada, celebrity makeup artist
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Raccoon Eyeliner
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"Usually, I see women wearing too much liner around the eyes. I know it’s a quick 'makeup' fix but sometimes it makes the eyes look tired or heavy. Usually pencils drag when applied so the applications tend to look very heavy. I always recommend using the Osmosis Colour Eye Pencils. It goes on smooth and you can glide it on the top of the lash line to make the eyes look bigger and the lash line look thicker. Use sparingly on the bottom lashes so as to not make the eyes look too dark." —Alejandro Falcon, celebrity makeup artist, corporate educator and artistic director for Osmosis Colour
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Using the wrong highlighter...
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"Now that highlighting and strobing is a popular, I personally think a chalky powered highlight for daytime is a mistake (but hey—that's just me). Switching to a cream or liquid is more subtle and forgiving in the daylight." —Justine Purdue, celebrity makeup artist
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...Or just too much highlighter
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"One common mistake is over-using highlighter. Highlighter should be used strategically to play up your features (apply high up on cheek bones, on tear ducts, center of lower lip, for example) it should not be applied along entire length of your nose or all over your face, creating a wet or shiny look. Less is more." —Ramy Gafni, makeup and brow expert, creator of Ramy Cosmetics
Related: The Best Eye Cream To Use In Your 20s, 30s, and 40s
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Related: The Best Eye Cream To Use In Your 20s, 30s, and 40s
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Forgetting the eyelash curler
"Not using an eyelash curler before mascara. If you aren't blessed with a natural bend to your lashes, always use an eyelash curler before you apply mascara." —Romy Soleimani, makeup artist
