I’ve been a make-up lover for a really long time, which means I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes. I also learned how to take care of my skin and discovered some tricks that help my make-up look better. So here are my 8 steps for a perfect make-up!
DISCLAIMER: Take everything you read with a grain of salt. This is a personal opinion and, even though all tips are tried and tested by a variety of friends and make-up experts, it’s better to do your own research and see what works best for you.
1. Wash your face and hands!
I can’t even begin to tell you how important those steps are! Try having a skincare routine and stick to it! Always wash your face and moisturize it before you put on make-up and after you take it off. I know how tempting it is to take off your make-up using a wet wipe, but it’s ineffective and it’s going to give you acne and wrinkles. Don’t be lazy, for the love of god just wash your face.
Use a double cleansing system (or triple, if you wear heavy/high-coverage make-up): use an oil-based make-up remover, then a gentle face wash to take off all of the remaining make-up. After that, do your skincare routine, or at least put on a moisturizer so you won’t look like a crone when you’re older.
2. Try to avoid waterproof eye make-up because it can dry out your skin and lashes.
This was a sad realization for me, but the ingredients that make the formula waterproof are really damaging for the eye area in the long run. If you use waterproof mascara constantly (like I used to), you’ll realize that your eyelashes will become more fragile, shorter and will fall off more often than they should (yes, your eyelashes have a cycle too). Not to mention how hard it is to take off waterproof mascara. And, frankly, waterproof make-up is not that useful on your eye area (or your face, really), just be a grunge goddess (or god, who am I to judge).
Think of waterproof makeup like an overindulgent dessert. Just right on the perfect occasion, but not something you should have every day. If you just can’t help yourself, try water-resistant (which is more lightweight) instead of waterproof mascara.
3. Exfoliate your face once a week to avoid skin flakes and cakey make-up.
4. Less is sometimes more. (Yeah, I know, such a cliché, but it’s true.)
Use this philosophy to avoid cakey make-up by using fewer products. This will stop you from looking like a clown (no, I’m not talking about that time you called your ex, sadly I can’t help you with that).
Less is more also means to not wear make-up every day. Try at least once a week to let your skin breathe, maybe do some facemasks. I usually wear make-up maybe once a week.
5. Just because it’s DIY or has natural ingredients that doesn’t mean it’s good for your skin.
6. Stop following internet trends!
Own your face. Your nose and lips are just fine the way they are. You don’t need to overline your lips, it’s not a magical illusion. We can see your real lips, trust me. This trend makes you look like a deranged bimbo with bad eyesight. The only ones who can pull off this look are drag queens.
We all have different faces, try what’s best for YOUR face shape. That’s why your contour looks bad, even though you did exactly what that influencer told you to. Next time you want to do your eyebrows with concealer just because you saw someone do that, remember the disappointment in your mother’s eyes when she saw you dating the neighborhood’s bad boy and imagine it’s 10 times worse. This is me looking at your sad, dusty eyebrows.