8 Make-up Mistakes You Need To Avoid

Ajoy Sengupta, national make-up artist for Givenchy India, gives us the hard-hitting truths on the beauty mistakes we’ve been making. And lopsided cat eyes should be the least of your concerns.

Mistake 1: Oily skin doesn’t need moisturising

Hydration is water, it’s not oil. So people with oily skin who think they don’t need moisturisation are wrong. Use a gel-based one. A cream is basically oil and water. So, dry skin needs more cream, oily skin just needs hydration.

Mistake 2: Using a lighter-toned foundation

It’s like you have a bright sunny day, and then you have rain clouds that make everything gloomy — that’s your pigmentation. So if you take care of the pigmentation, the clouds go away and you come back to the bright, sunny face. Foundation is not meant to make you white, it is supposed to be the exact same colour of your skin.

Keep in mind: When you go for a foundation check, try it on your jawline first. Find the two that work best for you, then try it on your neck because your neck is your true colour. Out of the two that you picked select the one that is the most nude. The most sheer shade is the correct colour.

Mistake 3: Horizontal brush strokes when applying foundation

There is no hard and fast rule about how to apply foundation. But the best way is to apply it in a round and round motion. It works the foundation into your skin and into your pores, if you happen to have any open pores. It really gives you a nice seamless look. When you do it in lines you can see the streaks of the brush. You should always get into the crevices around your skin, because that’s where your oil is.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to contour

Contouring is done in the hollow of your cheeks. So you can suck your cheeks, and it’s under that cheek line that you should contour. It is supposed to be a little darker and all about playing with shadows. Remember to always follow your jawline. So when the light flashes, it gives you a much more defined jaw. If you have a broad face or if you have a double chin, contouring and making it darker, makes the face look smaller.

Mistake 5: Using a bronzer all over your face

Use a bronzer where the sun would naturally hit your face. So for a slightly tanned look, use it on your cheekbones and the temples.

Mistake 6: Skipping the liner

A lip liner is like a foundation. Everyone has a different shade of lip colour depending on your skin tone. Sometimes you pick a lipstick and you realise that when you put it on, it’s not the same colour. It’s because your base is wrong. If you are using a red or burgundy, use a lip liner of the same color. For any other color, use a basic nude lip liner.

Keep in mind: All lipsticks are made of wax and sometimes in the heat they start to melt and spread outside your mouth. The liner actually forms a barrier, it keeps everything in place, so that it doesn’t feather out.

Mistake 7: Using mascara only on the top of your lashes

Get into the base of your lashes, jiggle the wand and swipe up. Jiggling gives you the volume and sweeping helps you with extension.

Mistake 8: Using a liner as kohl

When something says liner, it’s meant to be a liner above your eye. It’s not meant to be used under your eye or inside it. It might not affect you now but eventually, those so-called smudge proof chemicals will affect your eyes. If it says kohl pencil, then you can use it inside your eye.

Ajoy Sengupta visits the Givenchy beauty counters at Shopper’s Stop in Malad and Juhu. You can drop in to get complementary beauty lessons and expert tips.