Breaking old makeup routines

Have you fallen into a makeup rut? You know you want a new look, yet return to the same old routines? Change can be challenging. But switching gears and emphasizing your best features in new ways can be positively thrilling. Not to mention gorgeous.

• Covering up freckles—Freckles are fantastic! Let them show. A lot of models and actresses I work on have freckles and love them. They keep you looking young and fresh.
• The matte look—Using powder to matte down your face is as dated as the beehive. To control shine, use oil-control lotion, blotting papers, or sheer blotting powders. Or just powder the T-zone area. Look clean, not cakey.
• Over-lining the lips—Lip liner abuse is the biggest sin I see. Never use liner to draw on big lips unless you’re in a stage show. And don't use liners darker than your lipstick or gloss shade.
• Concealer gone wrong—Don't apply concealer before the foundation; you’ll just wipe it off when you apply foundation. And don't use a shade much lighter than your foundation; that highlights rather than conceals.
• Finding your foundation shade—Never use the back of the wrist to test foundation shades. Always use the chest area.
• Heavy eyeliner—Using heavy liner is only okay if you're trying to create a look for the evening (like the cat eye), otherwise it is better to gently smudge liner only into the lash line for a more natural effect.
• Matching eye shadow to eye color—Get greater impact by choosing colors opposite your eye color. The contrast brings out your eyes. Using the same shade as your eye color will only make you look like you're wearing too much eye shadow.
• Bland blush—Using dull blush colors makes you look muddy. Instead choose bright shades and apply them on the cheekbones with a big blush brush for a flushed effect.
• Contouring—Again, unless you are in the theatre, use highlights instead. Contouring is almost always noticeable and it is time we embrace the different shapes and lines of our faces and focus on using makeup to enhance, not recreate.
• Plucking gone wrong—We used to think that a thin arch was best, and the butchering began. Put the tweezers down. Modern brows are groomed, natural and soft.