When a top celebrity hairdresser revealed the hair habits that make him wince, we were horrified to find out that we were guilty of a few. Could the same be said of our make-up routines? Were we also being secretly judged for our mistakes?
I needed to find out, so I spoke to professional make-up artist Hannah Martin, to discover the cardinal sins to avoid when it comes to your eyes…
Mistake 1: Lining your lower lashes
‘A common mistake I see is far too much liner on the lower lash line. Often this is because people haven’t mastered how to line the top lash line, usually because eyeliner pencils used to be so hard so you got minimal colour pay-off.
‘Thankfully there’s now a plethora of really soft kajal liners (I like the Silk to Set ones from Hildun) that make application really easy. All you have to do is dot along the top lash line then blend with a brush. Alternatively, it can be a lot softer and more flattering to line the lower lash line with a bit of powder shadow or even bronzer, though it’s even prettier when paired with liner along the top too.’
Professional make-up artist Hannah Martin reveals what not to do when applying eye make-up
Kajal liners make application ‘really easy’, according to Hannah, who uses the Silk to Set liner from Hildun
Mistake 2: Keeping your mascara for too long
‘Everyone believes their mascara lasts significantly longer than it actually does. Using old mascara looks dry and crumbly, falls onto the skin below the eyes and bleeds into your make-up leaving you with panda eyes. Ideally mascara is at its best for just three months, though tubing mascaras tend to crumble much less than your classic mascara. The new Kosas Soul Gazer Mascara is a fantastic tubing formula that gives a heavy hit of length and volume without any smudging, plus it comes off easily with warm water.’
Mistake 3: Wearing multiple eyeshadow shades
‘There’s this misconception that you need to blend multiple eyeshadow colours together to create a good eyeshadow look – and while I appreciate the beauty of a look like that it just isn’t necessary to make a top-notch look. It’s so much easier to create a monotone smoky eye using something like the Beauty Pie Wondercolour Cream Shadow Sticks. You just blend all over the lid, through the crease and along the lower lash line rather than spending hours trying to blend multiple tones together.’
Mascara is ‘at its best for three months’, according to Hannah, before it becomes crumbly
Hannah says when it comes to glitter, avoid anything chunky or heavy
Mistake 4: Not realising that your brushes make all the difference
‘Tools can really impact the efficacy of your eye make-up application. If your brush is either too big, too splayed or too dirty, it can really affect how well the product adheres to your eyelids. If your eyeshadow brush is too big, it will create a very sheer wash of colour. A smaller more densely – bound brush will help you achieve a fuller coverage. A dirty brush holds too much of the shadow in the bristles and not lay it on the skin. A simple solution is to clean your brushes regularly; a mild shampoo or hand soap can suffice, however there are plenty of brush cleansers available on the market.’
Mistake 5: Not removing every scrap of make-up before creating a smoky eye
‘For a smoky eye to be executed best you must have a really clean undereye. If there are dark shadows under the eye, the smoky eye itself loses its impact. Correctors are fantastic for brightening the undereye area and currently I’m using the Revealer Extra Bright Serum Powered Color Corrector by Kosas. Mine has a soft pink tone which neutralises the purple shadows under my eyes. But if the shadow under your eye is more brown, then a peach corrector is what you need. Once you have a brightener or colour corrector on your undereye you simply layer your skin tone correct concealer on top. Please note, to avoid accentuating fine lines around the eyes, always choose concealer that is hydrating.’
Mistake 6: The fear of glitter
‘I’m a firm believer that anyone of any age can wear glitter – though not all were created equal. Avoid glitters that are chunky or heavy, and instead lean towards formulas that have a combination of pearl and glitter, which won’t accentuate fine lines.’