Makeup ‘rules’ you probably need to ditch

Good ridance.

Gone are the days of cherry coke Lip Smackers and spongy triangle eyeshadow applicators. We’re in the big leagues now, and it’s getting kinda tough.

It’s no secret that the emergence of YouTube beauty tutorials and Insta vids have led the makeup world down a completely different trajectory. Once upon a time, it was industry artists who assumed all makeup authority, occasionally giving us a helpful book (an encyclo-beauty-a, if you will) of tricks for $39.99.

This ‘anyone can be a makeup artist’ mantra is great. I’m totally on board. While we should, of course, pay credit where credit is due –  to the still very relevant beauty professionals who make us look like a million bucks –  I’ll happily embrace these new waves of on-camera artists.

However, with this surge of social media influencers comes a new set of techniques that some are blindly following without reaaally understanding why.

Contrary to what might be plastered all over your Insta feed, there are some certain unspoken ‘rules’ that it might be time ditch.

Here’s a few of ’em:

Buh-bye under-eyes

You don’t need that much concealer. Not even for the direst late-to-bed, early-to-rise situations. If you’re using the right undertone to conceal the darkness (anything peachy to combat those nasty blue, purplish tones), it’ll work just right. Switch using 5,000 layers of your Tarte Shape Tape concealer for like two, tops.

Bake for 25 minutes at 180ºC

Powder isn’t the most necessary thing in the world. It’s great for oily skin, sure. But what about the drier souls searching for any type of moisture they can find? Dewy skin can’t be achieved if you’re baking your face away, people.

Hands are the tools of amateurs

Guess what, they’re attached to my body – so I always have them near. Nothing blends products like the warmth of your fingers. For people wanting that Blake Lively, I-didn’t-even-try-today look, it’s all about melting products into your skin. Or, for people that haven’t washed their makeup brushes since the dawn of time.  Hands are great – just keep ’em clean.

The shinier, the better

Raise your hands if you have texture! Texture sufferers rejoice! A piece of advice though: try to go a little easier on Becca’s Champagne Pop, ‘cos anything you highlight will be brought to the main stage.

Perhaps change it up for something less blinding for the daytime.  

Pick a feature to enhance, you only get one

If you had one shot, one opportunity… would you capture it, or just let it slip? (Yo’). Don’t fall into the trap of having to keep everything else neutral just because you’ve experimented with a pink smokey eye. There are so many options – contrasting tones, monochromatics, etc. If you’re really concerned with overdoing it, let me introduce to you the power of a light hand. Magic!

I like my foundation how I like my underwear, full-coverage

Foundation can do us wonders, but you don’t need to smooth it over your face like cement – you’re not laying down bricks. Here’s a concept: skipping foundation altogether, and instead opting for a light BB-cream or concealer to even out the skin tone. If you’re one of those really, really lucky beings with beautiful skin, you don’t have to shout it from the rooftops (though I would), but at least use it to your advantage. This means using less product than you think you need, and saving up those well-earned $$$.