The best way to do anything is to do it right, and this is especially true for cosmetics.
If your foundation is caking, maybe it’s not the product, but how you applied it. The same goes with premium fragrances that smell funny (cue: “But I paid so much for this!”), lipstick that fades away easily, or undereye concealer that looks ash white—it’s not them, it’s you.
Maybe you spread it out too thinly, maybe you put too much, or maybe you wiped it against your skin instead of gently pressing it.
I sat down with experts from the beauty industry and they gave a lowdown on the most common beauty mistakes women make, and how to correct them.
1. Skipping moisturizer before makeup if you have oily skin
Janice Daoud, lead makeup stylist for Nars, emphasized that it is wrong for women to skip the moisturizer if they have oily skin.
“Women automatically assume they need to skip hydration and use matte foundation or other mattifying products,” Daoud observed. Skipping moisturizer dehydrates the skin, and applying matte coverage will make the skin look dry and gray, and this makes you look old and dull, especially in photos.
“You still need some hydration even if your skin is oily—like an oil-free, light moisturizer—for a naturally glowing finish.”
For a healthy summer glow that’ll look great amid the tropical heat, opt for products that are on the matte side but have infused hydration, like the Nars Matte Multiple.
How to use
Dry application (high-impact finish):
Apply directly from the stick to cheeks or lips and blend with fingertips.
It may also be applied by tapping Matte Multiple with fingertips and blending product onto cheeks or lips.
Wet application (sheer finish):
Dampen fingertips, then tap Matte Multiple and blend product onto cheeks or lips for an ultra smooth, second-skin effect.
2. Forgetting to put sunblock
MAC senior makeup artist Gregory Arlt commented on the country’s hot, dry season: “You should never ever skip the SPF here!” Sun exposure is the major cause of wrinkles, fine lines and all the other signs of aging you can think of. And this is very important to note: SPF doesn’t protect you from just the sun, but also from indoor lighting that can be harmful on your skin. Always wear sunblock, or products that have SPF in them, like MAC Prep + Prime Colour Correcting, that comes with SPF 30.
It’s a primer, but it can also be a great alternative to foundation because, seriously, you don’t need to wear foundation every day. Use different shades accordingly: Peachy Beige to adjust; Yellow to neutralize; Lavender to illuminate; and Apricot to recharge.
3. Looking too closely in a mirror when testing foundation
“When testing the product in a store, you should always stand farther back, or look for a larger mirror,” said Felix Nguyen, international makeup artist for Bobbi Brown. Putting your face too close to a mirror gives it false shadows and highlights, especially under indoor fluorescent bulbs. Make sure to apply the foundation not only on your cheek and jawline, but also on your neck to get an accurate measure of your shade.
The Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation has been everyone’s favorite coverage for years, and makeup lovers were thrilled to find out it now comes in a portable stick. The new Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick instantly blends itself for seamless coverage, adjusts itself to be moisturizing to dry skin or mattifying to oily skin, and is formulated to reduce shine even in sweat, water and humidity.
To use, apply with a brush (Nguyen said to apply in a criss-cross direction to blend properly and avoid streaks) or swipe on skin directly when you’re on the go and blend with fingertips.
4. Spraying fragrance on just your pulse points
When L’Occitane’s head perfumer Karine Dubreuil visited Manila to present the complete array of La Collection de Grasse, she taught me this interesting French word, sillage, a term used by perfumers to describe a trail of scent left by the fragrance wearer. It comes from the French word for “wake,” like the trail left in the sky by a jet, or on the water by a boat.
Only good quality perfumes produce sillage, for it has nothing to do with the density of the product, but the diffusive nature of the fragrance’s ingredients. Dubreuil is a famed scent designer who grew up in Grasse, and her latest collection carries brilliantly concocted must-have scents.
Dubreuil says that if you want an accurate diffusion of the notes in its original form, spray it all around your clothes and hair, like a cloud above your head and around your body.
5. Excessive use of over-the-counter skin-whitening products
“This leads to rebound pigmentation without proper guidance by a doctor,” said Dr. Cecilia Ramos Bernad, doctor and founder of Dr. CRB Aesthetic & Laser clinic, a full-service face, body and anti-aging center that first caught attention in Cebu.
“The same goes for exfoliating and peeling, like getting too many diamond peels for example,” she added.
At Dr. CRB, the goal is to provide customized services in the most effective and affordable way. The reason why it’s so popular in Cebu is because its clients talk about how people can never tell they had anything done, because their cosmetic surgeries are so flawlessly done.
Dr. CRB is now in Manila.
Dr. CRB Laser and Aesthetic Clinic is at 1608 The Trade & Financial Tower, 7th Avenue corner 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Call 9552375.