12 beauty faux pas we've all made

...and keep on making

Rules are made to be broken, right? In some cases, yes, but there are a lot of cases where rules are just made to be followed. And for good reason - when you don’t follow them you either end up in some sort of strife or put yourself out in public looking a way you’d never want to be seen. But in a world where there are so many new blogger makeup tricks to try (socks to apply foundation any one?) and crazy beauty trends from Instagram and youtube, it's hard to keep to the straight and narrow.

Got a few beauty faux pas lurking in your closet? So do we. Here are the mistakes we’ve all made, some of which, we're still making… 

1. Overdrawn brows

Admit it. Cara Delevingne hit our scene with a big brow bang and you got happy with all of the products. So did we. Pencil was followed by powder, powder was followed by gel and before we knew it we had something that resembled two caterpillars sitting on top of our eyes. Thankfully, we found a handy guide to working out the best eyebrow shapes for every face shape and slowly, we're coming back around.

http://giphy.com/gifs/VxGQCfZnCwXEA

2. Not throwing out makeup

We all have that shade of lipstick we can't bear to part with. But just a little side note, that lipstick may also contain toxic levels of bacteria if it’s over 18 months old. Don’t know what you need to chuck out and what you can keep? You need our makeup expiry list. 

3. Not blending at the neck

Daily life isn’t fancy dress, but we’re definitely guilty of wearing our foundation like a mask. 

4. Overly bronzed cheeks The number one rule to live by when applying bronzer to your face is to do it in natural light (or at least look at yourself in the mirror before leaving your home). A suntanned clown has no superiority over a regular clown. 5. Streaky blush

See above

http://giphy.com/gifs/42MXyJUPrYeAw

6. Matching foundation to the back of our hands

Our face and hands aren't the same tone, yet we're all guilty of trying foundation on the back of our hands instead of the side of our cheek, jawline and neck. 

7. Applying under eye concealer in a small semi circle

It seems like a no-brainer to apply concealer under our eyes just where we have dark circles, but we should really be applying it in the shape of an upside down triangle under our eyes to create an overall brightening effect that looks a lot more natural. 

8. Skipping basecoat

Sometimes it's just easier to paint on the colour and go, but this is exactly what leads to yellowing of the nail bed and chipping. Base coat acts as a colour barrier, while gripping the nail polish for a more durable, glossy finish.

9. Using the wrong formulas

Creams go with creams and powders go with powders. If you're wearing a powder foundation and apply a cream blush over the top, it's likely you'll move your foundation around and end up with patchy make-up. Similarly, if you're wearing a creamy foundation formula and brush over your cheeks with powder, it's likely it'll stick like glue and you won't get as nice a blend as you would with cream on cream. 

10. Contour all the way down to your lips Use the Iris of your eyes as a guideline on where to stop. If you want perfectly chiselled cheekbones, focus on the area underneath your cheekbones near your ear and lightly blend towards the apple of your cheek, stopping 1/4 of the way across.

http://giphy.com/gifs/jANzYlUv0kbV6

11. Not prepping

Primer is a must. Yes, it seems like a step you could do without, but to put it bluntly, it's a step you need. Primer not only acts as a barrier between your skin and make-up, it also provides a smooth base for your foundation and helps your make-up stay put. 

12. Curling lashes with mascara on

If you want to keep your lashes and not end up with bald lids, don't do this. Not only will it make your lashes clump together, there's a likelihood that you'll rip out most of your lashes as you release the curlers.