As anyone starting to use makeup, I used to encounter all sorts of tips and rules I needed to follow to do it well. From my mom, aunts, cousins, friends, magazines, television, and so on, like the ten commandments, these rules were set in stone and basically, everybody had to follow them if they didn’t want to look like a clown. But are these really true? I mean I look back at my teens when I followed these rules religiously, and to be honest most of the times I feel embarrassed of how I did my makeup back then. The thing is, that most of these rules are nothing but myths that might have applied in another era but are absolutely outdated today. With the Internet and the continuous growth of the makeup industry, there are now so many products, styles, and techniques that are way much better than any old tip and that can actually work better for you. So, let’s go together to debunk some of the most popular makeup myths.
Makeup damages the skin
This is what parents say when you’re starting to wear makeup, but the truth is that it’s an absolute myth. What really causes breakage and damages the skin is bad hygiene and beauty routines. Actually, in this polluted world we live in, makeup is one of those things we can rely on to protect our skins. If you moisturize well, apply a good primer, foundation, and set everything with spray or powder, you’ll be creating a protection layer that blocks external agents to get into your pores. The thing is that you really have to wash your face properly before sleeping to prevent damage.
Expensive makeup is better
That’s a very common rule in makeup that sometimes is true and sometimes not. I mean, in an ideal world, expensive makeup should work better, but the truth is that it depends a lot on the product and the lab making it. For instance, you can have one laboratory working with a very prestigious high-end brand while, at the same time, they also collaborate with more affordable ones, so in theory, the quality is very similar. The trick here is to try everything before buying it and fortunately most makeup stores allow you to do so. So just don’t get stuff for the price or label, it’s not really a guarantee.
You don’t have to clean your brushes if you’re the only one using them
Let’s go back to hygiene. In theory, that would be right since these are personal products, but the truth is that your brushes can be the best environment for bacteria to grow and spread, more if you’re using them for creamy products. I know it’s a burden and it’s so annoying but we should really wash our brushes every week to avoid any possible infection.
Apply concealer before foundation
When I was learning how to do my makeup I remember I read so many articles and watched so many television programs claiming that the best way to cover under eye circles and other blemishes was to applying concealer first and then your foundation. That’s an absolute myth that actually makes your circles look kind of grayish. The thing is that foundation is supposed to blend with the natural color of your skin and by doing so covering most of your lines and imperfections. If you still want to conceal something, then you’ll just have to apply a little bit of it instead of covering everything.
Match your foundation with your wrist
I hate to admit this but for years I used to do this and the results were not very pretty. Our hands and wrists tend to be a bit darker than the color of our actual face, so you end up getting the wrong color. The worst thing is that you won’t look a bit tanned since it kind of blends with your color, you’ll just look weird toned and not in a pretty way. the best thing is to try it directly on your face so that it matches perfectly and actually you can see if the formula works for your skin type.
Choose between intense eyes or lips
If you want to go for a more intense eye look and pair it with bold lips, go for it. The only tip I would give you is to work with a cohesive and matchable color palette so that you don’t look mismatched.
Never match your eyeshadow with your lipstick
Monochromatic looks are quite fashionable and, if you know how to play with different hues of the color scheme, you can create really cool looks.
Using eyeliner on the water line will make your eyes look smaller
This is true if you go for darker hues. However, it’s become a quite nice trend to wear contrasting lighter colors in the waterline to combine it with your eyeshadow look and this can actually make your eyes look bigger and alive. Even just applying some white liner will make your eyes pop and shine quite nicely.
Use powder to reduce the oil on your skin
As a person with oily skin, I used to apply some translucent powder all the time to soak the oil from my skin. The result: extremely cakey foundations. Actually, the best way to keep the oil from your skin is by wearing a matte primer or other products before applying your makeup.
You can use a moisturizer as primer
It’s a great idea to moisturize your skin before anything but doesn’t miss your primer. The reason is that a good primer will create a layer preventing makeup and any other particles to get into your pores, something that moisturizers don’t do because they don’t have the same formula.
I’d say that the only makeup rules you should follow are the ones to protect your skin, other than that, you can actually play and create whatever you feel like. I mean, it’s makeup, you can wash it if you don’t like it and if you do and people don’t that’s their problem. It’s supposed to be fun, so play with it, and stop believing in rules that are nothing but huge myths.
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You might find these useful:
An Easy Guide To Makeup Tools That Are Perfect For A Flawless Look
5 Tips To Achieve The Perfect Makeup When You Don’t Have All Your Stuff With You
The Best Makeup Removers For Nights When You Never Make It Home
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Images by @ssssamanthaa and @andthatsjacob