10 DO’S & DON’TS of Doing Your Makeup

It can be SO EASY to get caught up in doing your typical makeup routine that you forget to think about whether or not what you are doing is actually the best practice or the most flattering for your skin type, face shape and eye shape. TONS of people get caught in a rut of doing what they’ve always done, without stopping to think about if what they’ve always done is ACTUALLY the best way to go about it! While there are NO hard and fast rules in makeup (and every “rule” is made to be broken), there are some suggested guidelines that may make the process easiest and more flattering along the way. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.

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10 DO’S & DON’TS of Doing Your Makeup

ONE: DO match your foundation to your neck.

This is CRUCIAL to finding your exact foundation shade. One thing that NEVER looks good is an orange or tan foundation line. A lot of times, foundations will oxidize on your face throughout the day, so what started out as the perfect shade, will end up tinted slightly orange by the evening. Test different foundation shades on your neck and let them dry completely before deciding which shade works the best for you.

TWO: DON’T put your eyeliner all the way around your eye in a small line.

This used to be exactly how I did my eyeliner in middle school and the beginning of high school. A thin black line ALL the way around my eye. At the time, I thought I was KILLING the makeup game. Looking back now, I realize exactly how small and undefined that made my eyes look. Unless you are going for a dramatic, smoked-out eye – I suggest staying away from lining all the way around the eye. It makes your eyes look SO much smaller than they are, and it doesn’t do much to enhance your natural beauty. Stick to applying eyeliner on the outer thirds on the top and bottom lash line to give a wide-eyed effect!

THREE: DO use a tinted brow gel on your eyebrows.

EVERYONE should at least use a tinted brow gel on their eyebrows! Brow gels are fabulous because they are a no-fuss way to add the slighted bit of fullness and color to your brows. They help to hold your brow hairs in place all day so you don’t get any strays, and they gently fill in any areas that may have gaps. You’d be surprised at how much a difference a good brow gel makes.

FOUR: DON’T pump your mascara wand into your tube.

As tempting as it might be to do so, DON’T! It introduced an abundance of air into your tube which does a few things: 1. encourages bacteria growth due to the increased O2. and 2. causes your mascara to try out significantly faster due to the amount of air going in and out of the tube. Instead, roll the tube around in your hand to warm it up and move the product around on the brush.

FIVE: DO use an under eye concealer shade one or two shades lighter than your foundation to brighten your face.

To draw attention to the center of your face, use a concealer shade a hair lighter than your foundation shade. It helps to minimize the effect of fine lines and wrinkles, draws attention immediately to your eyes, covers dark circles and overall brightens up your face as a whole. I like to use my lighter concealer under my eyes, on the center of my forehead, down the bridge of my nose and just a dot on my chin.

SIX: DON’T sleep with your makeup on – EVER.

Please don’t do this. It ages your face, allows bacteria to grow, increases your chances of acne, and damages your eyelashes. There is absolutely no reason to be sleeping in it, especially when makeup wipes exist. If you have this bad habit, keep a little pack of makeup wipes right by your bed so you have no reason to skip it before you pass out.

SEVEN: DO apply blemish concealer BEFORE your foundation.

This is one of those that is totally conflicted. Some people will tell you to apply it afterwards, because your foundation will cover some of them up for you. BUT I don’t fully subscribe to that theory because I think you can get maximum coverage with the least amount of cake-yness this way instead. Start with your blemish concealer and spot concealer your larges acne blemishes. Once those are concealed, THEN apply your foundation, lightly dabbing in the areas with applied concealer. This cuts down on the amount of foundation you need to use, which means you aren’t going to end up with caking at the end of the day.

EIGHT: DON’T apply false eyelashes with wet glue.

If you’ve been frustrated with your false lash application, and they don’t seem to be sticking, or they are getting glue all over your eye, it may be because you aren’t letting your glue dry long enough after applying it to your eyelashes! One trick that people often forget is that you need to be letting your eyelash glue DRY 30-45 seconds after you apply it to your eyelash before putting them on. If you do it sooner than that, you’ll end up with a wet, sticky mess.

NINE: DO use a setting spray at the end of your makeup routine.

My personal fave is the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It’s SO GOOD and truly doesn’t waterproof your makeup, and help it last well into the day and night. I use it right after I’m done with my makeup but before I put any lipstick or gloss on. I helps any powder I used really sink into the skin so nothing is sitting on top looking overdone. 

TEN: DON’T use a bright white eyeliner in your waterline.

This used to be the trend a few years back (guilty as charged) but lately, I think it is a MUCH better and more natural look to use a light nude shade on the waterline instead of a bright white. The contrast is not as harsh, but it has the exact same eye brightening effect as the white. I’d rather have something subtle on my water line, especially if it isn’t the focus of my eye look.

PIN THIS FOR LATER: 

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There are so many conflicted messages about what is and isn’t best for your face when it comes to makeup. And true – at the end of the day, we should ALL do what makes us feel most comfortable. If that conflicts with something on this list, go for it girl. BUT there are some tried-and-true methods above that really do help to make your makeup application as flawless and long-lasting as possible. 🙂 

What is your biggest makeup DON’T?! Let me know in the comments below!