Beauty Mistakes To Avoid

These are the makeup dos and don’ts that will change your makeup outlook for good.

Beauty may be all about coloring outside the lines and being creative but that doesn’t mean there aren’t mistakes to be made or rules to be followed. We’ve rounded up the most common makeup mistakes, problems, dos and don’ts so you can bring your beauty A-game.

1. Doing your makeup in bad lighting

Repeat after us: good light is everything when it comes to achieving your best makeup look, period. What exactly qualifies as good light, you ask? Natural daylight is tops as it won’t skew the intensity of your makeup like fluorescent lighting can. If you can, position yourself in front of a window to get the best light possible and also to help prevent makeup mistakes, like the dreaded color mismatch, which we’ll touch on next.

2. Using the wrong shade of foundation

Name a more obvious makeup problem than stepping out in the wrong shade of foundation or concealer. We’ll wait. Listen, we’ve all been there when you quickly glance in a rear-view or store mirror and your reflection practically screams I’m wearing foundation. The easiest way to prevent this from happening to you? Natural lighting, you guessed it! There are also these stellar tips you should take note of stat. And remember, foundation will oxidize and degrade over time so keep your stash fresh for best results and don’t apply the same foundation shade in the winter that you do in the summer. Our fave products for avoiding the wrong shade of foundation? Tinted moisturizer! Go for a formula with a light-to-medium coverage payoff and natural effect on the skin.

3. Ignoring waterproof formulas

This one’s for all the teary-eyed folks who are prone to makeup slippage and raccoon eyes, another common makeup mistake. We’re looking at you super smudgy mascara or traveling eyeliner. If your eyes are on the sensitive side and you tear up easily, like when you laugh or go outside in wind, consider using waterproof mascara and eyeliner formulas exclusively. It’ll eliminate any embarrassing situations of friends pointing out your obvious beauty blunders and will give you the ultimate peace of mind. This smudge-proof lash miracle worker is easy to remove with warm water and doesn’t contain irritants like perfume, alcohol or oils. If you need a hardworking waterproof liquid liner that will not budge, look no further than this fan favorite. 

4. Improper cleansing (or none at all!)

When you reach a certain age, say your 20s, it’s assumed that you’ll grow out of your bad beauty habits from your teen years and one too many nights out. One such habit is not washing your makeup off before going to sleep. Yeah, we said it. It’s just not the hill we’re willing to die on, okay? Besides the clogged pores, the weird cast it gives your skin and the dreaded dirty pillowcases, it just doesn’t feel good the morning after. The best line of defense to cleansing fatigue? A really good makeup remover and cleanser.

5. Bad blending

Harsh makeup lines are best left in the 80s when they were cool. Nowadays, blending counts for so much more for your overall makeup look. One of the most common makeup questions related to blending is how to do it better and the answer couldn't be easier. Use a proper brush! Bigger can be better for areas like your cheeks and contours. For eyes, choose a brush with fluffy bristles for optimal blending results. Be sure to blend any makeup lines in natural light for a proper diffused look that you see all on TikTok beauty pros.

6. Skipping primer

Let’s see, how do we put this nicely…skipping primer is a surefire way to a common makeup mistake: product settling into visible pores. The older we get, the more pronounced our pores can look, meaning our makeup just cozies all up in them. Get into the good practice of applying primer to your skin every day to ensure all the makeup that sits on your skin looks as good as it can. This hydrating formula is ideal for everyday use and keeps your skin looking fresh from day to night. 

7. Textures that clash with your skin type

A not-so-obvious makeup problem is when you don’t use the right products for your skin type. That means textures that aren’t doing your skin any favors, like a matte formula for dry skin. Pay attention to the words on your beauty products because they contain helpful clues. If your skin is oily, you’ll want to look for oil-free makeup products. If it’s sensitive, look for clean-beauty claims, which have minimal yet effective ingredients.

8. Unflattering eyebrow shape

The good news: natural full brows have been trending for a few years now. The not-so-good news is, that doesn’t help if you’ve been victim to over-plucking in the past. Restore your brows to their former full shape by balancing them out (no skinny ends!) with the help of a natural-effect eyebrow pencil. Tip: use an old photo to help you remember your natural shape. A good rule of thumb is to not go too arch-crazy. Try a straighter shape and you’ll see the difference.

9. Enhancing dry lips

One of the most common makeup don’ts to avoid is enhancing your dry, flaky lips. When you don’t first treat the issue of peeling dehydrated skin, masking them with makeup won’t work out, trust us. Give your dry lips the TLC they need with the help of an ultra-moisturizing lip care formula. The avocado oil will condition and soothe your lips so you can get back to wearing your beloved nude lip glosses and lipstick.

10, Letting your makeup wear you

This may seem obvious but we’re going to go ahead and say it anyway: don’t let your makeup wear you. This mantra can be interpreted in many different ways but generally speaking, we’re talking about makeup trends that don’t hit right (and frankly, belong on the runway, not real life), or even looks that you just don’t feel comfy wearing, like black lipstick or bleached-out brows.