It’s so easy to make a makeup mistake. If you think about it: a slight tilt of eyeshadow placed too high near the brow or too-dark matte lips can instantly change your look, and not always for the better. The belief that age should dictate your beauty choices is outdated. You can and should wear whatever makes you feel your best — and if that means a little glitter on the eye, go with it, no matter what an expert might advise. But some makeup mistakes you could be making aren’t so much about person style as they are about technique.
These seven makeup mistakes are common. But they’re also easily fixable. Here’s what you need to know to stop making them.
The 125 Best New Beauty Launches Of 2023
Shutterstock
Mistake: Your concealer is too light
When your concealer is too light it can look pretty great on camera, but it doesn’t translate to real life. The under-eye area has a lot of movement and fine lines and when you wear too much concealer or one that is super light compared to your skin tone, you are drawing emphasis to those fine lines.
Solution: Use Color Corrector & Concealer One Shade Lighter
The solution is to stick to a concealer that is only 1-2 shades (and two is pushing it) lighter than your skin tone. Also, don’t make your concealer work too hard: apply a peachy color corrector first on those areas that are darker in color under your eyes and then apply concealer after this. That way, you are addressing the color discoloration with a product designed to do just that job.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Not setting concealer with powder
Once you apply your color corrector and concealer, don’t just let it sit there. Doing so can eventually lead to makeup falling into the crevices of fine lines and pores and settling there.
Solution: Set concealer with powder
Here’s where setting your concealer with translucent or pressed powder becomes important. A light dusting of powder will help ensure your makeup has longevity. Tap the product onto skin using a makeup brush.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Applying eyeshadow to naked lids
Ever notice that your eyelids are a spot on your face that can contain quite a bit of discoloration? When you apply eye makeup directly on top of naked lids without priming them first, you are not canceling out any blueness or redness on the lid and your look won’t be what you envisioned. Not to mention: you may find that a few hours later your eyeshadow and eyeliner have shifted if your lids became oily over the course of the day.
Solution: Prime your eyelids first
Apply an eye primer to your eyelids before you apply a stitch of makeup. This helps create a beautiful base by canceling out blue and red tones and helping makeup glide on, appear more pigmented, and stay put.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Overdoing the eyebrows
Remember back a few years when beauty experts and celebs couldn’t get enough of a really, really bold brow? Brows will never not be a focal point of a look — after all, they frame the face and can change your makeup look drastically. But intense brows that are too dark or too arched are now considered outdated because they draw too much attention away from your overall look.
Solution: Fill in sparse areas
Instead of focusing on creating a whole new brow for yourself, make the most of what you have by filling in sparse areas with a pencil that is your brow color or slightly darker. Set it in place with a brow gel. And don’t feel like they have to be SO perfect. A natural brow isn’t just on-trend, it’s also youthful.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Applying eyeliner too thick by the inner corner
A winged or slightly winged eyeliner look can open up the eye area and look stunning. But when you’re applying your liner, take caution not to make the line by the inner corner of your eye too thick. Doing so can close off the eye and make it appear smaller.
Solution: Go thin and then thicker as you approach the outer corner of your eye
The solution is to modify your technique by starting off with a very thin line near the inner corner of your eye and gradually thickening it as you reach the outer corner of your eye. If you want to add a little drama with a wing or upward flick of liner, be our guest.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Placing blush too low on the face
Blush can be a tricky makeup product to get just right. When applied too low on the cheeks it can actually drag the face downward and look more aging.
Solution: Go higher
Start off by placing your blush a little higher than might feel normal to you. Blend it outward toward your hairline and avoid concentrating it too close to your nose, as this can also be aging. And make sure you’re choosing shades that aren’t too dark or too warm or cool for your skin tone.
Shutterstock
Mistake: Placing faux lashes that are too long on the outer corner
False lashes can be so much fun to play with — and they can add a lot to your overall look. But the trick is choosing a shape that works with your eye shape and not against it. If your lashes start off shorter in the inner corner and get long at the outer corner, this can actually “draw arrows to the hooded area” of your eye if you have hooded or aging eyes.
Solution: Modify your lash shape
You can still wear faux lashes, but find a pair that go from short in the inner corner to their longest in the middle to shorter again at the outer corner. This shape may defy everything you’ve been taught is good and right in lash shapes, but it works best with hooded and aging eyes.
