Clogged pores are one of the most common skin frustrations. Blackheads on the nose, rough bumps on the chin and a greyish look across the cheeks can make skin feel dirty even when you wash it every day. It is tempting to scrub hard, squeeze or pull off a pore strip, but those approaches often…
Your skin usually looks its best as you walk out of a facial: clean, smooth and bright. What you do in the next day or two decides whether that glow lasts or turns into redness, breakouts or peeling. Many people unknowingly undo their results by heading straight to the gym, applying a full face of…
Facials are usually marketed as pure relaxation, so it can be a surprise when skin comes out red, stinging or broken out. Stories about burns from peels or infections after treatments at unlicensed spas add to the worry, and many people wonder whether facials do more harm than good. For most people, a facial from…
Glowing skin is one of the most common reasons people book a facial, and nearly every spa menu has at least one treatment that promises radiance. The trouble is that glow means different things for different skin. Dry skin looks dull because it lacks moisture, oily skin can look congested and uneven, and sensitive skin…
A facial is meant to leave your skin calm and refreshed, but a few everyday habits in the days before can make it sting, flake or break out instead. Using a retinoid the night before, waxing your brows that morning or arriving with a mild sunburn can all make treatments like peels, extractions and exfoliation…
Every few months a headline links an everyday chemical to heart disease, and cosmetics are often mentioned in the same breath. Phthalates, heavy metals and so-called hormone disruptors all turn up in articles about makeup safety, and it is easy to come away thinking that your foundation or perfume might be harming your heart. There…
Small eyes can look beautiful with eyeshadow, but some of the most popular looks work against them. A dark shadow packed across the whole lid, heavy liner all the way around the eye or a deep smoky lower lash line can make the eyes look smaller and more closed. On the other hand, a few…
Mascara often starts drying out long before the tube is empty. The formula gets thick and tacky, clumps on the lashes and flakes onto the cheeks during the day. Online tips suggest everything from adding water or eye drops to pumping the wand or even adding saliva, and it is hard to know which of…
You apply blush in the morning, look healthy and bright, and by lunchtime your cheeks look bare. It is one of the most common makeup complaints, especially for people with oily skin, warm skin tones or long days. Many people respond by applying more and more blush in the morning, only to find it looks…
Uneven skin tone can mean many things: red cheeks, a darker area around the mouth, brown spots left by old breakouts, patches of sun damage or simply skin that looks dull in some places and brighter in others. The instinct is often to cover everything with a thick layer of full-coverage foundation, but that usually…
Droopy lids change how eyeliner looks. A wing that points neatly upwards on a straight lid can sit flat, bend or even point downwards when the lid folds over it, and a thick line along the whole lash line can make the eyes look smaller and heavier. Liner that looked sharp when you applied it…
Enlarged pores are one of the most common reasons people reach for more foundation, and one of the most common reasons makeup ends up looking worse. Thick layers sink into pores, collect around the nose and cheeks and make them look more obvious by midday. Oil then breaks the base down further, leaving small dots…
Waterproof mascara, liner and long-wear foundation are made to survive tears, sweat and rain, which is exactly why they are so hard to take off at night. Many people end up rubbing their eyes with a cotton pad over and over, pulling at the lashes and leaving the skin red and sore. Some give up…
A smoky eye, a graphic liner or a deep, shimmery lid instantly makes a look feel dramatic. The usual advice is to pair it with a light lip so the face does not look overdone. That advice is sound, but it is also where many looks go wrong. A lip that is too pale can…
Concealer that looks smooth when you apply it can settle into fine lines under the eyes within an hour. By midday, the thin lines where your skin folds when you smile or squint have filled with product, and the area can look drier and older than it did before you started. It is one of…
Makeup that looks perfect in the mirror can look very different in photos, and it is often not obvious until you see the pictures afterwards. Cameras pick up shine, uneven patches and flashback, and long events such as weddings, parties or professional shoots give makeup plenty of time to fade or slide. To keep makeup…
Dry, flaky skin can make even the best foundation look patchy. Product clings to flakes around the nose, mouth and eyebrows, powder turns chalky and by midday the skin feels tight and looks dull. Makeup on dry, flaky skin looks best when you focus on hydration and gentle exfoliation first, then use creamy, flexible products…
Your skin tone can change noticeably between seasons, whether from sun exposure, self-tanner or simply less time indoors. Suddenly your usual foundation looks too light, a little grey or ashy, and there is a visible line at the jaw. You can adjust your makeup to match a tan without buying a whole new foundation. The…
Textured skin, such as enlarged pores, small bumps, rough patches, acne scars or fine lines, can make makeup look uneven. Foundation catches in dips and on raised areas, powder emphasises every bump and shimmer highlights exactly what you want to soften. Makeup on textured skin looks smoothest when you focus on prep and thin layers…
Skin changes with age. It usually becomes drier, thinner and less elastic, fine lines appear and colouring can become more uneven. The makeup habits that worked years ago may start to sit differently, and small changes in technique can make a surprisingly big difference to how fresh your face looks. The makeup mistakes most likely…
You start the day with a crisp line and by lunchtime there are grey shadows under your eyes or the liner has printed onto your upper lid. Smudged eyeliner is one of the most common midday makeup problems, especially for people with oily lids, hooded eyes or watery eyes. To fix smudged eyeliner midday, first…