11 of the most common makeup mistakes

Ah, make-up. It’s a ton of fun but at times, tricky to master. We’ve all made mistakes when we’re doing our ‘face’ – just like Goldilocks, it’s often hard to find the balance between too much, too little and just right. But at bh, we’re all about solutions, so here are 11 of the most common make-up mistakes – and how to fix them. Let’s do this!
#1 Skipping primer
Applying foundation and powder to an uneven base can draw attention to imperfections, rather than hiding them. The key to acing your base is primer. Its silky texture covers any bumps and provides a smooth surface on which to apply make-up. We like Benefit The POREfessional, as its translucent formula complements all skin tones.
#2 Wearing the wrong shade
If your face looks like you’ve just come home from a beach holiday, and your neck doesn’t, your foundation isn’t quite the right match for your skin. When choosing foundation, don’t check the colour against the palm of your hand. Instead, grab two shades that are close to your skin tone, and apply each of them to your chest. The one that disappears is the one to go for.
#3 Applying too much blush
Are you guilty of going overboard on the blush? We’ve all been there (just blame the bad lighting). The trick with blush is to start small, and slowly build up colour. You want to look lightly flushed, not like you’ve run a marathon. Blow your brush to remove any excess product before applying to the apples of your cheeks.
#4 Blending incorrectly
Severe lines have no place on your face. Your blush should fade into your bronzer and your concealer into your foundation. To make sure this happens, grab a kabuki brush sans any product – we like MAC Brush 182 –and buff across your face and down your neck. This will create a soft-focus effect, and make your make-up look far more natural.
#5 Drawing attention to both eyes and lips
It’s fun to experiment with eyes and lips. Trust us, we get it. But when you’re doing your make-up for a night out, you have to choose between long-lashed, smoky eyes or dramatic lips. They just don’t look the best when teamed together. Less is more in this case!
#6 Rocking obvious lip liner
The 90s called, and they want Christina back. Lip liner is great for making lips appear fuller and extending the wear of your favourite colour, but you need to invest in the right shade. Choose a lip liner that is one shade darker than the lip colour you are applying. Line the lips, buff with fingers to blend, and then apply your gloss or lipstick.
#7 Over-exaggerating your eyebrows
It’s easy to get carried away when filling in your brows, so we forgive you if you’ve made this mistake before. To avoid changing the shape of your brows, only fill in sparse areas using an eyebrow pencil that matches the colour of your brows. We recommend Australis Cosmetics Eyebrow Pencil, as it’s available in four shades to suit all complexions.
#8 Sleeping with your make-up on
We all know this is a no-no, yet we’ve all done it. Usually, tiredness or one too many wines are to blame! Keep a pack of Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes next to your bed for those nights when you just can’t be bothered. Problem solved.
#9 Using dirty brushes
It’s so important to regularly clean your brushes. If you don’t, they become a breeding ground for bacteria. We recommend investing in a spray – like Bobbi Brown Brush Cleaning Spray – to clean brushes between make-up applications. Keep it in your make-up bag, and spray on your brush after every use (or as often as you remember). Your brushes will stay in tip-top condition, we promise.
#10 Going overboard on fake tan
While your body might look banging with a super dark tan, your face does not. If you’re an avid at-home tanner, invest in a face tan on your face. We recommend Ella Bache Great Face Tan Without Sun as it achieves a natural glow that lasts for days. Check out this video, where bh's Sam shows you how to apply fake tan on your face.
#11 Getting stuck in a rut
It’s a little too easy to stick to your make-up routine. Your eyeliner goes with your eye shadow, which goes with your favourite blush. But, as with everything in life, it’s good to step out of your comfort zone. Coloured eyeshadow? Pastels? Negative space? Why not give one of these new beauty trends a go?
Have you ever made any of these make-up mistakes? Do you have any other suggestions to avoid them?
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68 Member Comments
Ok I need to do no. 11 as I usually know what suit's me but changing it up once every now & then wouldn't hurt, cleaning make-up brushes definitely need to do this & luckily for me I finally found the right shade with the foundation but definitely need to master it as the one I'm currently using is a NBN one which is a bit watery.
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Guilty of skipping primer.
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Always wondered what the kabuki brush was for! Now it will come to good use.
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Oh I don't use a primer .. I wonder if this is a big sin. Haha one has never been suggested for me! I will be on the hunt tho
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I really struggle when I see people with overdrawn brows.
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think everyones guilty of some of these, or at least used to be
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I am surprised how much better my makeup looks and lasts with a good primer, it was a very long search to find the perfect one but it was worth it!
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Happily i don't do any of these anymore
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Interesting read and very informative. I skip primer just because I don't have any... but am getting one soon and then we'll see =)
And I agree with that soft focus effect from buffing with a brush. I do that too, especially when I need to mute down some colours or blend a bit more. I don't have a kabuki brush so I use a powder brush and just buff my face without product on it to soften it a bit.
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I don't do any of these makeup boo-boos.
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Number 8 is a really bad habit for me!
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great tips thank you.....guilty of a few of these :)
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I do like wearing eyeshadow (quite dark colours eg navy blue, burgundy, etc.) and a bold lip (fuchsia pink, a blue red) but it seems OK on me. It appears to make my whole makeup look "balanced". I've had no complaints. LOL !!!
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Easy to fall into the 'go to' look each day, great to spice it all up and freshen things.
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Life is too short! Go emphasize your eyes and lips at the same time! If you feel beautiful, you'll look beautiful! Forget the norm and create your own style!
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Yes, I usually forget to use a primer before applying my foundation.
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I always thought to test your foundation shade on the inside of your wrist so testing it on your chest makes sense too.
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I'm guilty of a few of these, number 1,8 & 11.
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So funny! Loving the doggy and the oompas too!
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Guilty of both the last and first one!
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Hmm definitely been guilty of a few of these
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Going overboard with tan, I just want black and beautiful when I wake
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Need to get stuck in to those brushes!
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I don't like negative space. Other trends, like wearing unconventional lipstick colours, are something worth trying though.
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I am currently sinfully in a rut
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