Urban
legends. You know them -
they're the
tales people tell, swearing that they know someone whose friend they happened
to. Most of these stories are untrue but are repeated so many times that people
believe they really happened. Well, there's no area that has stranger myths and
beliefs than the beauty industry. Ideas like the one that heavier foundation
will cover lines better. Wrong. That using three times more of any product will
do three times more for your skin. Wrong again. That visible lip-liner will make
your lips look fuller. Wrong and ugly! I'm here to dispel some common make-up
myths and to make you look closer to see if you may be breaking rules that are
best left unbroken...
Myth
1:
Leaving on your mascara will make
your lashes look thicker
Okay,
I do agree that this will make your lashes look thicker, but it will also make
you look like you have dead creatures glued onto your eyelids. Continually
applying coat after coat of mascara without ever really removing yesterday's
will give you dry and brittle lashes that are prone to breaking and falling out.
I know a lot of women who only remove mascara once or twice a week - eventually,
they're going to end up with stubble instead of lashes. Please. Remember to take
your eye make-up off every night.
Myth
2:
Heavier foundation will cover lines
and wrinkles
This
common belief couldn't be farther from the truth. The more weight the foundation
has, the more likely it is to settle into lines. With every facial expression
you make, the foundation too, will 'get into the groove' - and this is not what
Madonna had in mind! As your skin ages and lines don't relax away as quickly,
opt for a lighter-weight, light-diffusing product. This sort of foundation will
still give you a smooth-looking complexion, while its light reflectors will sit
in the wrinkles, bouncing off light and making the lines less obvious to anyone
looking at you.
Myth
3:
Liquid liner suits
everyone
So
not true! If your eyes slant downward, liquid liner will make your eyes look
decidedly sleepy and droopy. If you have very little visible lid between your
lashes and the crease, liquid liner - and indeed any liner on the lid - will
make your eyes look smaller. Settle for a smudgy line underneath the outer half
of the lower eyelid and perhaps a thin line on the upper eye if you really feel
you will miss it. As an experiment, start by applying liner on only one eye;
cast an appraising glance at yourself - lined and unlined - and see if the liner
truly does what you thought it would do.
Myth
4:
Lining the inside of my eyes with
kohl will make them look bigger
If
you think about this logically, you will realise it isn't the case. You are
colouring in a little ridge of skin with a colour that resembles that of your
eyes. By darkening it, you are cutting down on the amount of visible white,
making your eyes look smaller. That is why lining the inside with a white pencil
or eye-shadow will make your eyes appear larger and brighter.
Myth
5:
Foundation should be darker for the
evening
Why
do people do this? In the evening, you normally bare more flesh - hiking up the
cleavage and allowing your neckline to plunge. If you then apply a darker
foundation, under the auspices of needing it for the artificial light, you will
end up with a completely different skin tone from face to neck. Match your
foundation to your jawline to avoid the telltale tidemark and a strangely
glowing orange complexion.
Myth
6
: You can never have too much
blusher
Oh
really? In my book, you should apply enough to be seen from about 1.5 metres
away. Most women apply blusher under the strongest light and five millimetres
away from the mirror - of course, you're going to look bleached out and in need
of colour. But once you step away and get into natural light, you will look like
a clown. Apply blusher from a distance and then add more once you've decided on
your lipstick, and then, only if you really need it.
Myth
7:
Visible lip pencil makes the lips
look larger
Do
you work in a drag revue? If so, go ahead and fool yourself with this one!
Lining with a dark line closes the lips in and makes them look harsh and
artificial.There are many ways to add volume to your lips; this is not one of
them. Your liner should match your lipstick, particularly if you want to extend
the natural line of your lips. If the liner matches, you can nudge the lipstick
out once the colour has been applied to give it more pout. With this trick, you
will not be left looking bizarre once the lipstick has faded away.
Myth
8:
You should never wear blue
eye-shadow if you have blue eyes and so on...
I
personally don't agree with this one. I think blues can look stunning with blue
eyes and earth tones can flatter brown eyes. My only word of caution is that you
shouldn't choose an eye-shadow colour that is more vivid than the shade of your
eyes. You want to complement the colour, not over-power it. You could also look
at contrasting your eye colour and then adding the blue or green as an accent.
If you feel beautiful in it, the battle is won.
Myth
9:
Pink is a natural colour for all
eyes and lips
Pink
is natural if you have a classic English rose skin tone, but can be very
dramatic on warmer, golden skin. Not any less attractive, just more contrasting.
Myth
10:
Women over the age of 30 should
only wear matte eye-shadow
Bo-ring!
Matte eye-shadow can make lids look dry. The rule should read that women with
crinkly eyelids should stay away from the old-fashioned frosted eye shadows of
the '60s and '70s. Shimmery shadows, soft metallics, and some of the new sparkly
shadows are all incredibly flattering to the eyes. The little light reflectors
bounce light away from the problem much the same way they do in a foundation.
Update your look with some of the newer shine products!
