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…
Pressed powder is one of the most convenient makeup products, but it can be frustrating in two ways. In the compact, it can crack, develop a hard, shiny surface or run out faster than expected. On the face, it can fade, turn patchy or disappear by midday on oily skin. To make pressed powder last…
Cream blushes, bronzers, contours and highlighters give a natural, skin-like finish, while powders set makeup and help it last. Using both can give the best of each, but only if they are layered in the right order. Get it wrong and cream products drag, lift foundation or turn patchy. The basic rule is cream before…
A round face has soft curves, full cheeks and a similar width and length, which many people find youthful and approachable. Blush placement can either enhance that softness or add a little lift and definition, depending on the look you want. To apply blush on a round face, place it slightly above the apples of…
Dark eyeshadows such as black, deep brown, navy and plum create dramatic smoky eyes, but they are also the worst for fallout. Tiny particles drop onto the under-eyes and cheeks, leaving grey smudges that are hard to remove without ruining your concealer and foundation. You can avoid fallout from dark eyeshadow by giving the powder…
The T-zone, the forehead, nose and chin, has more oil glands than the rest of the face. For many people that means foundation that looks perfect in the morning is shiny, patchy or sliding off the nose by lunchtime, while the cheeks still look fine. The key to makeup on an oily T-zone is to…
Most people keep makeup in the bathroom, a bag or a car without thinking about temperature. Yet heat, cold and humidity can change how products look and feel, shorten their life and in some cases make them less safe to use. Makeup keeps best at a steady room temperature, roughly 15 to 25 degrees Celsius…
Look closely at almost any face and you will notice that the two sides are not identical. One brow sits a little higher, one eye looks slightly larger, the lips tilt a touch to one side or one cheekbone is more prominent. This is completely normal, and it is part of what makes a face…
You smooth on moisturiser, then sunscreen, and as you rub it in, tiny flakes or balls start rolling across your skin. Or your foundation goes on patchy and crumbles into little specks. This is pilling, and it is one of the most annoying problems in any routine because it wastes product and makes makeup look…
Contour is meant to look like a soft, natural shadow. When it goes wrong, it looks like a muddy stripe, a blotchy patch or a streak that sits on top of the foundation rather than melting into it. Patchy contour is one of the most common makeup frustrations, and it can happen with both cream…
Makeup tools touch your skin every day, then sit in a warm bathroom or bag between uses. Brushes collect oil, dead skin and old product; sponges stay damp; lash curlers and tweezers touch the delicate eye area. Without regular cleaning, they can harbour bacteria and fungi and spread them back to your face. To sanitize…
On a hot day, makeup that looked perfect in the morning can slide, streak and fade within an hour. Foundation separates around the nose, eyeliner transfers to the lids, mascara smudges under the eyes and lipstick bleeds into the fine lines around the lips. Makeup melts and bleeds in the heat because warmth softens oils…
Your foundation looks smooth at eight in the morning. By lunchtime it has broken up on your nose, chin and forehead, with patches of bare skin showing through and pigment gathered around your pores. Separation is one of the most common foundation complaints, and it rarely means the foundation itself is bad. Foundation usually separates…
If you have hooded eyes, you have probably followed an eyeshadow tutorial step by step, opened your eyes and watched most of the work disappear. The crease colour vanishes under the fold of skin, shimmer transfers onto the brow bone, and winged liner looks bent or broken. To blend eyeshadow on hooded lids, apply it…
Walking up to a wall of eyeshadow can be overwhelming. Dozens of palettes, hundreds of shades, and every finish from matte to glitter. It is easy to buy a color that looks beautiful in the pan but somehow does nothing for your eyes, or makes them look tired. A few simple principles make it much…
Most makeup problems start before the first product touches your face. Makeup that pills, looks patchy, clogs pores, or irritates skin is often the result of rushed or skipped preparation rather than the makeup itself. A few minutes of preparation can change the result completely. Before applying any cosmetics, you should wash your hands, cleanse…
Highlighter can make skin look fresh, healthy, and lit from within, or it can look like a stripe of glitter sitting on top of the skin. The difference usually comes down to choosing the right shade, texture, and finish for your skin, and applying it in the right places. Getting it right is easier than…