10 Beauty Don'ts

I'm not a makeup artist. I'm not an expert and I don't know everything. But after a while I started to learn a few things that just don't work on anyone. I've either learned from experience, or from professionals. I think we're all guilty of committing a beauty crime every once and a while.. But take this list. Read it. Learn it. Pass it on. And lets try to help make this world a more beautiful place by preventing these crimes of beauty. ;)

1. Don't wear eyeliner on the bottom only.
- I remember trying this out because I wanted to change my look up a bit. In my mind it would make my eyes look more open or something; however it actually isn't that flattering at all. It ends up bring your eye down and making it look a little droopy and doesn't really create the effect you're looking for.
* If you want to switch up your look, try using liner on the top lid only (as well as tight-lining your upper water line) and skip the bottom liner. Apply mascara to the top and bottom. It will brighten your eyes while doing something a little different. 

2. Don't use shimmery shades in the crease.
- There may be some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, use matte shades in the crease! This is why I'm so particular about palettes including enough matte shadows, because they're important! Your main goal should be to deepen and define your crease, making your eyes pop. When you add a shimmery shade in the crease it acts as a highlight which actually brings the crease "forward" in a sense which makes your eyes seem more deep set and flat.
* Try using a bright shimmery shade on the lid, a mid-toned matte in the crease, and a matte creamy shade on the brow bone and blend everything out. This is the best way to make your eyes/lids pop, deepen your crease, and make your eyes appear bigger and brighter. 

3. Don't wear foundation darker than your neck/body.
- I know this seems like common sense, but sooo many people do this! I know its hard to find the right shade. I absolutely hate buying foundations and trying new things because its so hard for me to find a shade that works for me. It can be very frustrating, but nothing looks worse than a dark face and pale body, not to mention it tends to look very muddy on the face, whether you think so or not.
* My #1 tip for buying the right shade: BUY MULTIPLE COLORS! Believe it or not, most drugstores and mass retailers take returns on cosmetics as long as you have the receipt. If you see 2 or 3 colors that you can't decide between, buy them all. I know that sounds silly, but its the best way to guarantee you'll find the right shade. Buy them all, save the receipt, and return the ones that don't work. Obviously you shouldn't return it if you've used a ton of it, I don't recommend that at all. But try it once, all over, and see how you like it. And don't rely on one form of lighting. Go from room to room and check the color with different lighting, even if that means taking a mirror outside to see how it looks in sunlight. Having a foundation in the right shade is sooo worth it! And, believe it or not, the best way to assure it matches your body: try it on your collar bone! Or even your shoulder. Sometimes our face, neck, and body are 3 different shades, and if you don't want to look crazy, try some unconventional methods of color matching.

4. Don't over-pluck your eyebrows.
- For whatever reason, eyebrows just stop growing back as you get older. You'll learn the hard way eventually. I, for some reason, have the thickest, coarsest, bushiest eyebrows in the world, so I have to keep them maintained or else I'd look like a hobo. But I'm so careful to keep them to a reasonable size. I've noticed that the ends, which were waxed one too many times, have stopped growing in and now I have to pencil them a bit longer. Nothing looks worse than tiny, skinny eyebrows. They make me cringe and no matter what you were told in the 90s/early 00s, IT ISN'T CUTE!
* If you're unsure about what you're doing, go to a professional! Try the Brow Bar at Ulta. Go to a well-known salon or spa that does brows. Ask for help and have a professional do it. Eyebrows frame the face and can completely change the way you look (trust me- click here to see how important eyebrows are. eek!)

5. Don't skip your moisturizer! 
- Putting foundation over dry skin only emphasizes any dry, flaky patches you may have. If you have dry skin and you've tried it, then you know that's a no-brainer. But for people (like me) who don't have dry skin at all, you may think putting on moisturizer before your makeup only makes your skin greasy.. but that isn't true at all! That extra layer of moisture not only acts as an extra barrier between your skin and the makeup, but it makes a much smoother application.
* My mama always told me, the best time to apply your moisturizer is right after your shower or right after you wash your face. Your pores are open and it absorbs it best that way.

6. Don't try to wear an entire eye shadow palette in one look.
- When I first got my Naked 2 palette I wanted to use all the colors right away; however, the shades in palettes aren't meant to be worn all together at once. You don't need 10 shades to create a look. I can always tell when I'm using too much shadow at one time because my eyes start to look powdery and the shadow looks thick. You only need 4-5 shades tops to create a look.. don't worry about using them all at once!
* This is a good guideline I found on Pinterest on combos that work well together.

7. Don't sleep in your makeup. 
- We all know its bad.. but do we all follow the rule? I didn't. For years. My mom and sister would always fuss at me for not washing my face before bed. But I was just lazy and never felt like it, especially once I was ready for bed! Eventually I made myself do it, and it was the best beauty decision I ever made. It changed my skin in a drastic way. My face is smoother, my pores are smaller, and I have significantly fewer breakouts.
* Find products that you like, that make your skin feel good, and create a routine. Set a timer on your phone. It doesn't have to be right before you go to bed.. do it at 9:00 every night, or after dinner. Use all your products and use the time to pamper yourself. I also use this time to brush and whiten my teeth, put on lotion, and wind down before bed. Read about my facial products here. 

8. Don't leave your eyeliner in a jagged line.
- For some reason eyeliner seems to be tricky even if you consider yourself a makeup pro. Its not easy to do and if you don't have a particularly steady hand, its easy to mess it up. In the past I've applied my eyeliner and it looked a little jagged, so I applied even more eyeliner, which was more jagged... it was a never-ending cycle that ended with me taking off my eye makeup completely and starting over. Sometimes its the liner itself, try something different that has a smoother, easier-to-apply tip. Keep trying new things until you find something that works for you.
* If you can't seem to get a straight line, try buffing it out a bit with a pencil brush. Take some sort of fine-tipped eyeshadow brush and drag it along the eyeliner, smoothing and blending it out. For an even more dramatic look, dip the brush in a bit of dark shadow and apply it over the liner. It creates a subtle smoky eye. 

9. Don't use those sponge-tipped applicators! 
- I don't know why they even include these in drugstore eye shadows anymore.. they are impossible to work with! Not only do they "suck" up most of the shadow into the sponge, wasting product, but its impossible to blend out your shadow with them. You need brushes to blend everything out and to avoid any harsh lines.
* Its honestly better to use your fingers than a sponge applicator. If you're in a pinch and need to apply shadow, use your finger and try your best to blend everything out. Really though, investing in some good brushes is important. They don't have to be expensive. There are some great Ulta brand brushes and of course I swear by Eco Tools which are sold at Walmart, Rite Aid, etc. 

10. Don't wear too much black eyeliner. 
- I was so guilty of this for so many years. If you're rimming your eyes with thick, black liner, STOP RIGHT NOW. It not only ages the eyes, but makes them appear much smaller, and sunken in.
* Change up your routine and try something different. Line the top with black, but try smudging some brown shadow on the bottom lash line, or be brave and skip it all-together. It may take a while to get used to, but once you break the habit you'll be glad you did. Your eyes will look brighter, bigger, and more open. 

Its so easy to get caught up in our routine. You've probably done your makeup the same way every day for years, and you don't realize how switching it up and changing the smallest things can make a drastic difference in the way you look. Try something new! It may look funny for a little while, but you're the only one who will notice. Trust me. Have fun!