Makeup Mistakes To avoid This Holiday Season

ScarJo wearing beautiful, Instagram-free makeup

With the holiday season in full swing you've no doubt got tons of parties and events lined up to take you all the way through to New Years Eve.
You've already planned out your outfits, your accessories and your hairdo so that you look and feel super glam at each and every event, now lets make sure you don't ruin your look by making any of the following makeup mistakes.

 8 Makeup Mistakes To Avoid This Holiday Season

Too Much Makeup

The more makeup tutorials girls watch, the more makeup they pile on. Don't get caught up in all the makeup steps you see online - makeup is meant to enhance your features, not smother them. 
Seriously, less is more.

Contouring Like An Instagrammer

Looking at a face that has been over-contoured makes your brain hurt. Makeup artists have been contouring forever, but not the way you see it on Instagram. We artfully apply a little highlight here and a little shade there to bring out the best features in the face. The key is to be subtle and to be so well blended that you can't see it with the naked eye. 
The nonsense that is still all over Instagram is like a very bad joke.
Heavy product, sitting on the surface of the skin (instead of blended away to almost nothingness) shaded too light and too dark, flagrantly abusing color theory and totally visible to the naked eye is really bad makeup.
Do yourself a favor: don't look at Instagram before you do your makeup!

Stoppppp!

Treating Your Face Like A Makeup Chart

When you treat your face like a makeup chart you start to look like a caricature of yourself. It's super unflattering. 
Instead of following the Instagrammers, focus on creating a gorgeous complexion with sheer foundation and a soft creamy blush. Leave the drag queen look to the drag queens - remember these goddesses of the night use this extreme makeup chart makeup to take their larger, more manly features and turn them into soft, female features. They have reason to do it. You don't.

Instagram Eyebrows

I'm not sure which bothers me more. Instagram contour or Instagram eyebrows.
Eyebrows are one of the most important features on the face. They help give the visage dimension, frame and open the eye, and create balance. 
I am all for a well defined brow, but these crazy, squared off, ferocious brows that are all over the IG look plain stupid. 

Too Much Foundation

Foundation shouldn't be a thick, opaque layer that obliterates the skin. It's job is to create the illusion of perfect, glowing, healthy, even toned skin. Keep your formulation sheer, and blend it well. The person standing next to you should be thinking you have a gorgeous complexion, and shouldn't be able to see foundation sitting on the surface of your skin.

Mis-Matched Foundation

Your foundation shade should ideally match the skin color at your collarbone. Your face shouldn't be any lighter or darker than your decolletage.

Putting Trend Before Reason

Don't be too obsessed with trends in makeup. Find out what works for your face, and do that. 
If a matte oxblood pout is all the rage and you have thin small lips, do a sheer, glossy neutral instead. If dark, smoky eyes are the biggest thing in makeup, but you have deep set eyes or heavy bags under your eyes, you will just draw more attention to those features.
Colors that are on trend might not suit your skin tone, makeup styles that are in vogue might not work your face shape. 

Dull Lipstick

Party season lips need to have a pop of bright color. Dull, brown lips drag your face down. The idea is to look bright and vivacious.

If bright colors feel overwhelming, at least give yourself a pretty, colored gloss.

5 Makeup Mistakes That Age You

image by Kelly Cappelli

Most of us put on makeup because we want to look prettier.
Those of us over the age of 25, maybe apply makeup to help us to look a little younger.
The problem is, maquillage mistakes can make you look much older than you actually are, and not in a flattering way.

Here are 5 common makeup mistakes that make you look older:

1. Too Much Powder

Powder's job is to set foundation and maybe knock down a little excess shine. 
Over powdering your skin can age you 10 years. Instead of looking fresh and glowy and healthy, an over-powdered complexion looks dull, lifeless, dusty and old lady-ish.
Do yourself a favor and only use powder sparingly.

One of my pet makeup peeves is crushed mineral powder foundation. If you have perfect, flawless skin you can maybe get away with it, but for anyone who has even slightly dry skin this type of powdery foundation makes the skin look old, and very dried out, both of which are very aging.

2. Too Much Foundation

We all already know that "less is more",and yet plenty of us pile on the foundation as though it's a mask to hide behind.
Thick foundation settles into the fine lines and wrinkles, making them look bigger, and when foundation starts looking opaque (when you can't see skin through it) your skin looks lifeless and much older.
 The trick is to remember that foundation should look like flawless skin, not like battle paint. Instead of spackling it on thick, find a sheer formula that gives you the coverage you need, and apply the finest coat possible. Let your skin look glowing and fresh and you will look years younger.

3. Abusing Bronzer

I swear bronzer abuse drives me crazy! especially when girls try to contour their cheeks with bronzer.
 Getting the bronzer equation wrong can be super aging too. Some of the culprits are: using a bronzer that is too flat and matte, using a bronzer that is too dark, coloring the face in too much with bronzer, using a bronzer that is too glittery or sparkly.
Remember that bronzer is supposed to make you look like you've been outside in the sunshine. Use it to create a little warmth in the complexion.

Try Laura Mercier Matte Radiance baked Powder Bronzer

4. Eye Makeup Overkill

Too much eye makeup makes you look much, much older than you need to. An overly smoky eye or a heavy eyeliner can really make you look aged and tired.

Opt for softer colors, avoid black liner, sparkly finishes, and heavy eye makeup. You can make your eye look fantastic by defining it with soft, neutral shadows and choosing an espresso brown liner instead of a black one.

Try The Eye Pencil Primatif in Basic Brown by Kevyn Aucoin

5. Lips Too Dark

I love a big, bold, dark lip.
But dark lip colors are super aging. They compress the lips and make them look thin, pursed and angry.
Deep, dark, heavy lip shades make you look older, and can also make your complexion look drained, so choose soft, medium toned shades instead.
Another super-ager is matte lipstick on an older girl. Opt for a satin finish to your lipstick and let your lips look luscious!

Makeup Mistakes That Age You ~ Beauty Tip Of The Week # 15

Makeup can accentuate your best features, diminish those you're not so keen on, and make your skin absolutely glow.
When it's done right.
When it's not done correctly makeup can totally age you, suck the life out of your skin and leave you looking haggard.
Beware of these 7 Makeup Mistakes That Totally Age You:

1. Not Moisturizing Before Makeup.
It is so important to moisturize your skin before applying makeup.
Dry skin grabs makeup and makes it look both cakey and overdone.
Apply a good moisturizer, evenly, then give it a couple of minutes to soak in before you put on your foundation.

2. Concealer That's Too Light.

Concealer should be matched to your skin tone. Ideally it should match your skin color or just be a hint lighter.
Concealer that is too light or that has the wrong undertone will make your under eye area look grey, dull and aged. To correct dark circles under your eyes use a color corrector in a pink or peach shade.

3. Heavy Foundation.
Heavy, opaque foundation is a thing of the past. These days the look is sheer, with a focus on glowing, youthful skin.
Put down the heavy, spackel like foundation, instead look for lightweight formulas or BB creams to give you even color and a fresh faced, healthy look

4. Black Eyeliner.
Black eyeliner gives a heavy look to the lashline, and on eyes that are even just starting to show tell-tale signs of leaving their 20's, it can be super aging. Instead of letting black eyeliner age you and dominate your face, opt for deep plums and espresso browns to give you depth at the same time as being softer.

5. Too Much Mascara/Poorly Applied Mascara.
There are twin devils in the world of mascara. The first is applying it to just the ends of the lashes, the second is applying too much and having it look clumpy.
Invest in a good, glossy mascara, and apply it from the base of the lash wiggling the brush out to the tip of the lash. Your lashes should look smooth and shiny.
Don't pump the brush inside the tube - that will dry your mascara out.

6. Too Much Contour.
You are not a Kardshian, so don't try to contour like one. 

These days it seems like women of all ages get crazy on Instagram and You Tube contouring. 

image via Muskoka Makeupartistry

For the most part (with a few exceptions) if you see it on You Tube or Instagram, do the opposite. 

Excessive contouring makes your skin look dirty, sucks hollows where you don't want them, makes you look too heavily made up, and also makes you look like you're trying to hard. Which is both unflattering and aging.
Instead of a mega contour try a little well placed highlight to brighten the complexion.

7. Dark Lips.
Dark lipstick is aging. It makes lips look thin and mean and can drain the life out of your skin.
Unless you have plump, full lips, avoid dense, dark shades, choosing mid-tones and lighter shades instead.

image via Huffington Post