How to: avoid a makeup faux-pas

There are a few little tricks up my sleeve when it comes to keeping makeup fresh and natural-looking, and many, many times I've noticed women with the classic makeup faux-pas. We all know the "different coloured face" one, which can be overcome by choosing foundation based on the colour of the skin in your jawline/neck, rather than on the back of your hand/inside of your arm/forehead/nose, etc. Blend, blend, blend away the "line" where your foundation ends, and use a good powder to set your makeup that you can brush down over your neck and chest to keep the colour continuity. But there are some other makeup tips and tricks to help us overcome a little makeup disaster or make the most out of our makeup looks;

The first one is this little area right here: the nostrils. Often, we put on our face and forget that the skin around our nostrils curves inwards, and we need to get some foundation on that inward curve to avoid a "flaring nostril line", or a band of skin directly around the nostril which is a different colour. This is another very good reason to always use clean sponges, because you're going to have to edge your sponge just inside the nostril to get a good coverage.

Then there's the bleeding lips. Usually this will happen if you haven't used a lip liner, or if you're using bright glosses very close to the edge of the lip line. I've come across women in the past that just shouldn't wear lipgloss. It ends up all over their face. If you're one of those girls, take heed: lipliner, lipliner, lipliner and lipstick. A little bit of gloss goes a long way, so let's not slather it on like we don't care how fast it runs out. It's not a good look, your hair and makeup flawless, but your lippie looking like it's trying to escape up your nose. So, the key to avoiding this is not just lipliner, though that is important. You need to also make sure that when you apply your foundation, you also cover your entire lips. Then apply lip liner, and you're set to get your lipstick or gloss on there without a disaster.

Here's a little something that a lot of people don't even think about. When we apply mascara, we generally go in from underneath and coat the underside of the lash, but you can achieve a much fuller look by remembering that lashes are cylindrical, and a good coat from above is important to get the whole lash working for you. I often get comments about my lashes (twice now from heterosexual manly-men without makeup knowledge!), asking me where I got them, because people assume they are false lashes. Then when I explain that they are my real ones, I'm often asked how I get them looking so full....and now you all know my secret!


So, there you have it. Some of my tips and tricks for avoiding a makeup faux-pas and for making the most of your makeup looks. If you guys want to ask questions or request a tutorial, let me know and I'll get to work on that for you!