7 Beauty Mistakes You Will Not Make Anymore

Oh, the number of mistakes one can make when applying beauty products! Being the beauty rookie that I am, I'll probably give make-up artists a heart attack. Luckily in our digital age help is always on hand - the countless YouTube tutorials and beauty blogs are here to save the day.

Chances are that you are making the same errors too so I scoured the web to help us get the most of our beauty products. Here's a list of the 7 most common mistakes and how to rectify them:

1. Applying foundation around your face. This is a big no-no. Always start at the centre of your face and work outwards. In this way you will avoid tide lines and product in your hairline.
2. Patting eye cream on before going to bed. Combining eye cream with sleep can cause puffiness. Therefore it is best to apply it in the morning when the congestion can drain away as you are more likely to be standing up for longer periods afterwards.
   
3. Finding the right B spot. Blushers are a tricky lot (hence my stern avoidance of the bunch). Yet they do make a huge difference to how we look. Apply blusher between two imaginary vertical lines - one from the centre of your pupil down to your cheek and another from the end of your eyebrow.
4. Going OTT with hair products. There's nothing worse than mastering a cool new look and then ruining it by using too much hair product. Use these size guidelines to avoid having to re-do your hair-do: shampoo & conditioner - strawberry; mousse - apricot; serum - grape; and oil - blueberry.
5. Not wiggling your mascara. If you really want to get those luscious lashes from the billboard ad then do as the make-up pros and wiggle your wand at the base of your eyelashes before combing through to create volume.
6. Overdoing the nail polish. Using too much of le vernis can cause it to chip so stick to three swipes per coat. Apply one sweep down the centre and then one on either side for an even effect. Oh and if you can invest in a good nail polish - my fav is Chanel Le Vernis which I blogged about earlier. 
   
7. Spraying perfume on your neck. I was really surprised to find out that the best place to apply your favourite fragrance is the collarbone and in the crook of the elbows rather than the neck and wrists. Well now we can smell fresher for longer.

There you go. 7 mistakes you and I will no longer make. 7 ways to get the most out of our beauty products. 7 tips to look good. Take a note and let me know how you get on.

Beauty Products and Toxicity

We're all aware that the beauty products we use are made up of a long list of ingredients, some of which we can hardly pronounce. And the fact that over the years there have been plenty of media panics about the various stuff that goes into cosmetics does not make things any easier.

So what do we do? Do we abandon all manufactured beauty products and go DIY/all natural? Or do we ignore the hype and keep on using what we know works best for us?

Well I've been digging around the internet and found some useful scientific information to help you make the right decision. Here are a few things which you should be wary of:

Photo by Aih.

• Eyelash serums: requiring application for up to four months to see results, these serums can permanently darken the skin around your eyes and turn your irises brown. A safer option would be using eyelash extensions.
• Tanning beds: frequent trips to the solarium have been scientifically proven to raise your risk of melanoma and cause premature ageing (i.e. wrinkles and brown spots). Avoid the UVA rays by using a spray tan instead.
• Parabens: the most common preservative in cosmetics, parabens are often blamed for breast tumours, however scientific research has not found any direct links between the two. If the p-word still bothers you, look for products which use vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate) as preservatives instead.

Photo by alli

A final word of caution, no matter how "chemical-free" and "natural" your beauty products may seem, they can become toxic beyond their expiry date. Make sure yo change your foundation and lipstick after a year, your blush powder after two years and your mascara every three to four months.

Stay safe

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