Eight makeup mistakes that can age you ASAP

We gals turn to makeup as a way of boosting our confidence and enhancing our features. However, we sometimes make mistakes that add years to our look instead of keeping us fresh and pretty. Are you guilty of some of these common makeup blunders? We’ve got tips on how you can remedy them!

Makeup mistake #1: Using lip liner that’s too dark for your coloring

Wearing lip liner is important for keeping your lip lines crisp, prolonging the wear of your lippie, and even for making your lips look fuller and poutier. We get that 90’s trends have been making a comeback but that dark lip liner is best left in the past. Instead, use a lip liner in the same color as your lipstick. This creates a longer lasting lip color but if you can’t find a perfect shade match, opt to use a lip liner in the same shade as the natural color of your lips. Some brands also now have invisible lip liner formulas, which is great for easy matching with any and all your lippie collection. Check our recommendations for lip liners on a budget!

Makeup mistake #2: Packing on too much product

While applying makeup can be a lot of fun, it’s easy to go overboard. It particularly happens a lot with base makeup because of the impulse to cover up every minuscule blemish, but the cakey application calls the wrong kind of attention to itself as well. It may look alright at first but as the day goes on, the products can settle into fine lines and adding even more emphasis on your wrinkles.

Applying moisturizer and eye cream as a regular part of your skincare routine and pre-makeup routine helps prevent telltale aging lines in the first place. Make sure to apply makeup in sheer layers - it will be easier to add more later on than to sheer it out.  Also, remember the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If you’ve got generally good skin, just skip the full coverage foundation and use a sheer base. Go easy on the concealer or skip it entirely. There’s no rule to how much makeup you should have on, but generally: the less you have on your face, the less you’ll have to worry about how it wears throughout the day.

Makeup mistake #3: Using concealer that’s too light for your problem areas

For some of us, dark undereye circles are a reality we wake up to every day. Blame it on stress, lack of sleep, and sometimes, genes. Some makeup artists do recommend applying a concealer with a slightly lighter shade than your skin tone to offset the darkness, but don’t go beyond that single shade difference. Any lighter and you may get “reverse raccoon eyes” instead, with white rings where your eyebags used to be. Find your shade match instead, and use a color-corrector if the blemish is still too dark.

Makeup mistake #4: Overdoing makeup on the lower eyelid.

Do you apply mascara on your lower lashes and eyeliner to your waterline? These are both useful for creating eye definition but make sure you don’t go overboard! Too much mascara on the lower lid makes your eyes look sad and droopy as the effect pulls it downwards. Thick eyeliner can actually make your peepers look smaller. Apply mascara with a light hand, and consider drawing your line up to a third of the way only. Better yet, use lighter eyeliner colors such as brown for a softer look, and nude for a youthful, wide-awake look.

Makeup mistake #5: Skipping eyebrow makeup

If you’re wearing any other makeup on your face, make sure to give your brows some love, too!  Leaving your brows bare when you have foundation or lipstick on creates an unflattering contrast that ages your look. The easiest and quickest way to groom and enhance your arches is to simply apply a few coats of eyebrow mascara. You don’t need to apply it as precisely, and it will keep the hairs in place. Check out our recommendations for brow mascaras on a budget here.

Makeup mistake #6: Using an eyebrow product that’s too dark

A friend once told me about her major makeup faux pas for her prenup shoot. The makeup artist used a black eyebrow pencil (!) on her, and it looked so harsh that her photographer avoided taking any close-up shots that would make the blunder more obvious. Reserve black for when you have bald spots on your brows that need to have hair drawn in; otherwise use a soft brown or taupe shade. A good rule of thumb is to go one to two shades lighter for dark-haired gals, and to go one to two shades darker for light-haired gals.

Makeup mistake #7: Not curling your lashes

When you skip the eyelash curler, you lose the instant eye lift effect. Curling your lashes instantly opens up the eyes, making them look youthful and awake. Take the extra 20 seconds everyday to bust your eyelash curler out, whether you own a Shu Uemura or an F&S curler. We promise that it’s worth it!

Makeup mistake #8: Makeup that is too matte.

We love it on our lips but for an all-over look? It can make skin look flat and dull. Although the Korean dewy look is refreshing and youthful, it may not be for everyone. To keep from being monotonous, choose at least one facial feature to highlight or to gloss. This can mean incorporating some shimmer eyeshadow, applying highlighter, or even simply opting for a satin lip instead of the dry-as-a-desert matte lipstick. Creating a bit of that contrast makes your look more interesting and 3-dimensional!

What makeup mistakes are you guilty of doing? Got any more to add to our list?