By BR Kellie
I'd like to think that young folk who are interested in makeup in this day and age have it easier than those of us who discovered the stuff in the dark old days pre-internet. These days there are articles galore explaining what is what and why you need it. Beauty gurus dot the interwebs with tutorials, ranging from simple day time or school-appropriate looks, through to makeup suitable for balls and evening events. Back in the day we literally had to figure things out by doing things wrong, and most of the time we didn't know it was wrong until we looked back on photos and thought 'yeah, that frosted blue eyeshadow did nothing for my complexion/skin tone/everything'.
So what do we wish we knew then that we know now? What pearls of wisdom would we pass on to those who may not want to or think to access the internet for tutorials and information. You know, the basics of makeup? We had a crew-storm and gathered together a little list of the Top Ten things we wish we knew then that we know now.
Foundation - it isn't a mask. Don't apply it like one. Blend it up into hair line and under your chin, then bring it down the neck. Avoid leaving a demarcation line. (And a big thank you to Tati for introducting the term 'demarcation' to me. It sounds so flaaaaash.)
More is not always more. Slapping foundation on with a trowel will result in an unnatural look, and could well emphasise the areas you're trying to hide. Keep it light and lightly build up the areas that require a little more coverage.
If you're trying to conceal a pimple apply concealer over your foundation, not under, because if you do it the other way you'll end up wiping the concealer away and your pimple will still be there in all its goopy glory.
Black eyeliner in the waterline works for some, but if it makes your eyes look smaller, don't do it. Or do it, because it's your face and you can do what you want, but if you're wanting your eyes to look larger. Don't.
Ignore skinny eyebrow trends. Especially if it means plucking your brows to the extreme. Big brows will always come back and it's a heck of a lot easier to work with natural ones that spending many minutes penciling in fake hair.
Eyeshadow is not a lid-only experience. It can go beyond the lid. In the crease, up to the brow bone, with lighter shades highlighting the area under your brows.
Blusher shouldn't be applied like two slanted sticks on your cheeks. Blend. Blend. Blend.
Self-tanning takes time to 'take'. Generally 12 hours. Don't keep slapping on more because you're not getting an instant result. You'll end up channeling Donald Trump.
Also, don't bronze all over your face. Because again, you'll look like you've come down with a case of the DTs.
To be honest, I don't even know if primer existed when the majority of the crew started playing with makeup, but we know now what we didn't know then, and if we could jump in a DeLorean and go back in time we'd tell ourselves to prime EVERYTHING. Our skin for foundatin, our eyes for eyeshadow. We'd also impress upon ourselves the need to prime our skin and lips if we were attempting to fake tan or apply a matte lippy, because the base is everything. A good base helps create good makeup.
So there you have it. Our top ten list of 'what we wish we knew then that we know now'.
Were you ever guilty of making our makeup mistakes? What would you tell your past self? And any guesses as to which crew member mucked up with what? Chat away!
Such a good list, I agree with all of them! I would also add using the wrong foundation shade or not blending it on your neckline properly