Makeup Mayhem: 7 Beauty faux pas to avoid

Those of you who have never been satisfied with their DIY smokey eye look… raise your hands! Don’t worry, we’re raising our hands too. We’ve come to terms with it because just like other makeup tricks, there is a fine line between desirable and disastrous when it comes to the smokey eye look.

For help on the smokey eye and more, we talked to 7 beauty experts on their tips to avoid the most common beauty disasters. You’re welcome.

#1: Lining the waterline with black kohl pencil

Unless you are deliberately aiming for a particular look, lining the inside of your eyes with dark liner tends to shrink your eyes. It gives the illusion of droopy eyelids instead of lifting them up. Moreover, this is the recipe to disastrous dark circles. Instead, draw a sleek eyeliner to highlight and flatter the eyes!

Julia Knafo, Executive Education Bobbi Brown.

#2: Excessive cutting

Achieving a voluminous look when you have fine hair is not very easy, which is why we turn to our hairstylist for advice. Layering is an option but it’s not the best one. You might end up with hair that is too short for your liking or worse, a mushroom cut after excessive layering. So beware going under the scissors too much!

Étienne Sekola, hairstylist at David Mallett

#3: Excessive contouring

You might look extraordinary in pictures or videos, but it might be a different case in real life. Rule of thumb: take it easy with the contouring so you don’t end up with a bronze face and white neck. When choosing a bronzer, opt for the right earthy tone that suits your skin. Pay careful attention when highlighting the nose, neck and jaw. If it doesn’t blend well, it beats the point of using a bronzer in the first place.

Olivier Tissot, makeup artist at Rimmel

#4: Choosing the wrong concealer

Concealers can be a disaster if the texture is not right. A rich and creamy concealer will worsen an acne spot and it will cause your eyelid to feel damp. Concealers that are too dry will mark dark circles and highlight wrinkles.

Alexandre Ciancio, makeup artist at Laura Mercier Europe

#5: Forgetting to prepare your hair prior to colouring it

The more porous your hair is, the harder it is for the colour to stay. Then you’ll be inclined to colour it more, which causes your hair to be even more porous. It’s a vicious cycle really. One week before colouring, prepare your scalp and hair by treating it with specific products (thermo-protective sprays for example). Another option is to apply an oil-based hair mask to reduce the porosity.

Romain Colors, artistic director for Kevin Murphy France

#6: Matchy-matchy eyebrow pencil

When the pencil is the same colour as the eyebrows, you won’t be looking at a natural result. Instead, the brows will appear smeared like an illustration. Instead opt for grey, brown or taupe colours that will complement your brows.

Sabrina Eléonore of beauty salon Un jour Un regard

#7: Coloured mascara

Choose a black or brown mascara and nothing else. No electric blue, no neon yellow. Go for the darker colours to intensify the look.

Cindy Berteault, national make up stylist for Nars Cosmetics

Morgane Klein Forest