If you’ve ever wondered why your makeup application doesn’t look as good as what you see professional makeup artists or influencers do, then it might come down to some simple and common makeup mistakes that you might be making unknowingly. Makeup is essentially an art that needs a lot of practice to master. To improve your makeup game, avoid these common makeup mistakes and learn how you can fix them.
Here are the Top 5 Male-to-Female Makeup Mistakes and How You can Correct Them:
No. 1. Not prepping your skin properly
The biggest makeup mistake that many make is not prepping their skin properly before applying makeup which will make all the difference in how your makeup looks, feels and wears. To ensure a flawless makeup application, it is important to first prep the skin to create a solid foundation for your makeup. A fully hydrated and prepped face will do wonders for the final result and is also healthy for your skin under makeup.
You can prep your skin by following the steps below:
1) Cleanse your face by washing and gently exfoliating the skin using a gentle cleanser/face wash.
2) Use a toner by gently applying a small amount of the product all over your face and neck. This helps to remove any last traces of dirt and impurities stuck in your pores after you wash your face.
3) Next is Moisturizing, which is one of the most crucial steps in the pre-makeup to-do list. Apply a generous amount of moisturizer on your face depending on your skin type (normal, dry, or oily skin) to properly hydrate your face.
4) Use a Primer. Before using primer, allow your moisturizer to completely absorb. Primer helps hold makeup nicely and much longer by creating a barrier between skin and makeup.
5) Prep your lips with lip primer or lip balms.
6) Now your face is ready for makeup application.
No. 2. Not using the right makeup tools to apply Makeup:
Applying makeup with just your fingers or with the wrong makeup tool will render all your efforts useless. You will end up wasting a lot of makeup products and your time. If you don’t have the right tools, you might have a hard time achieving a much smoother and more even application of your makeup.
It is important to understand that having great products or skills won’t be enough unless you have the right makeup tools as well. Your makeup turns out better when you use the right makeup tools for application. Invest in good makeup brushes as they offer more control during makeup application.
Here is a list of essential makeup tools you need to be a pro in the makeup haul:
Beauty Blender – This teardrop-shaped sponge is used to apply and blend any cream or liquid makeup product (foundation, concealer, etc.) onto the skin evenly on your face to create a smooth, pore-less finish. Wet the sponge with water and squeeze out most of the water to dampen the sponge. This helps to prevent the sponge from soaking up all your makeup product. Use a bouncing technique to apply your product of choice and tap it on your face gently to blend your makeup smoothly.
Foundation Brush – This brush is used to apply your base face makeup, usually your foundation or Concealer cream to create a smooth, seamless base. But foundation brushes do require some skills to master to use them correctly.
Powder Brush – The powder brush is best for applying powder makeup (like foundation, blush, or finishing powder) on large areas of the face. They have soft bristles which help to blend makeup evenly on the skin to create natural-looking coverage.
Angled Blush / Bronzer Brush – The angled brush is handy for contouring the face. The slanted shape of the brush offers an accurate application for a sculpted look. You can use it to apply cream, bronzers, powder, or liquid blush for a professional result.
Eyeshadow Brush – This brush is used for applying eyeshadow across the lid and upper eye area and makes the application and blending process much easier for your eye makeup.
Brow Comb – They are used to comb your brows into shape with precise control and also apply eyebrow powder for a polished, neat look.
No. 3. Applying Makeup in the Wrong Lighting
It’s definitely one mistake a lot of people make. When you apply makeup in poor or unnatural lighting, you will notice that it doesn’t look as flattering as you hoped when you step outside. Natural light will always be the best form of lighting for makeup as it provides the most accurate reflection of your face in a mirror. If natural light isn’t an option, you can choose a warm white LED light or Daylight Bulbs, which closely resembles the natural lighting outside.
Also, the position of the light matters a lot. For best results, position your light source to shine on your face from the front as the lighting will hit your face evenly from all sides. You should avoid lighting of fluorescent, yellow, and rose-colored lights for applying makeup.
Fluorescent lighting has the effect to exaggerate your flaws while washing out your complexion, making you use a lot of makeup that you actually might need. Yellow and rose-colored lights make it difficult to see the true colors of the products that you’re using or how well the items are being blended.
No.4. Not Blending Enough
Incorrectly blending or not blending enough is one of the biggest mistakes that needs to be avoided for a flawless and natural looking makeup. If you aren’t blending your makeup correctly, it may result in your face looking unnatural and out of place.
It is crucial to blend any visible signs of foundation, contour, eyeshadow, and blush lines to ensure that your makeup looks seamless and well put together. Also, another common mistake that many make is not blending the complexion down their neck resulting in their foundation not looking natural.
Blending your makeup to achieve a flawless and confident look takes good practice to master but you can improve your blending skills quicker by learning to use the right makeup brushes with the correct blending techniques. You can find a lot of tutorials on YouTube to learn about blending techniques to make the process easier.
No.5. Using Wrong Shade of Foundation than Your Skin Tone
Using the wrong shade of foundation is one of the most common makeup blunders which makes your face look painted or unnatural. A frequently committed mistake by many is choosing a foundation with a lighter shade than their skin tone to beautify their face and ending up with a face looking way too overdone and mask-like instead.
To create flawless and natural-looking makeup, a foundation should blend seamlessly into your skin tone, appearing consistent after application. Make sure you are choosing a foundation that correctly matches your skin tone. Skin tones are generally split into three main categories – Light, medium, and deep but there is a wide range of shades available inside those categories.
To pick the best match for yourself, test out your color along your lower jawline and neck. The right shade of foundation will blend pretty well in with your face and also your neck and likely be less visible.
This is a great article, it really helps. The main thing for me is how to get the right foundation tone and cover the beard shadow properly, and I know that probably the only way to do it is to go in person to a sephora store or the like which most of us do not want to do – unfortunately. I’ve watched a lot of youtube videos on the subject and they make it look really easy but it is not. Thanks again for posting this.
Really liked this article. This will definetly help me.
Thanks for the tips
Thanks for the tips. The brushes part is very helpful. One problem I’ve had about foundation is that I have a ruddy complexion that pretty much looks like Rosacea. Also, I have dermatitis that makes it really difficult to wear makeup. I haven’t bothered going to Ulta yet to get color matched for a foundation. I can’t find a good reference for affordable products that won’t flare up dermatitis. It’d be useful if you could make a guide for people like me that recommends products (that don’t cost a fortune) for each step of the process.
this was a great help for me , now i can do a much betterr job on my face thanks
I have been doing my makeup for about 25 years. What I learned was to have at least one professional makeover. I had two about a year apart. It helped me to find my colors and to apply the foundation properly. I have often heard people scoff at drugstore makeup. There is nothing wrong with it if you find a brand that works for you. I have been using Revlon exclusively. I tried Clinique but didn’t get consistent results.
I always have a hot shower and exfoliate before shaving and then shave with a new 5-blade razor twice. Once with the grain and the second time against. I then put on a generous coat of moisturizer while getting my clothes ready and let it totally absorb usually an hour or so. Before I start my makeup I apply a second light coat of moisturizer. Once it is absorbed I apply a good-quality primer and let it dry before beginning my foundation. To me, my final result will depend on just how thorough the prep was.