Beauty Influencer Makeup Tips I Ignore
As you already know, or can tell, I am a makeup lover. I didn’t become a makeup enthusiast until I was in my mid 30’s. And the way that I learned was twofold: watching YouTube makeup videos and practice. As I have become more confident in my abilities and more aware of my own preferences, a lot of the tips I took to heart way back when seem rather unrealistic or outdated to me. What often works on camera simply doesn’t translate well to real life. Below are popular tips and tricks that beauty influencers recommend or do that I skip.
Baking
This is a trend that is thankfully slowly dying out. If you’ve never heard of this technique it is the process of applying layers of powder to the under eye (and sometimes other areas of the face) and letting the powder sit and “bake”. The purpose of this is to “set” the foundation underneath and create a barrier and a flawless finish to the skin. It’s usually done by people with oily skin to help combat oils from breaking up makeup throughout the day. So what’s the issue with this? Well it’s twofold. One: it’s terrible for your skin and dries it out and over time will make your skin dry. Second: it doesn’t actually look good. Beauty influencers have the luxury of great lighting, photo editing and filters to hide a multitude of issues. On camera baking can make the skin look amazing. But in real life? It make your makeup look cakey and it ages you. It can actually enhance any fine lines you may have. Thankfully fewer beauty influencers are doing this or recommending it.
Contouring
Another dinosaur technique that only looks good on camera and in pictures. I’m sure you have seen someone in real life with tell tale greige lines on their face that just look...strange. Good contour is hard to do and does take a certain amount of skill and technique which the average makeup lover/wearer simply doesn’t have. And the contouring is not a NECESSARY step. Not everyone needs to contour. If you have well defined cheek bones or a fabulous jawline naturally, then contour isn’t for you. Contour is meant to create the ILLUSION of defined cheekbones, jawline, etc. I personally prefer to use bronzer to add dimension and warmth to my face. And I find it much more forgiving technique. Just make sure you pick the right shade of bronzer and don’t go HAM with it.
Applying layers of foundation
Have you ever watched a YT beauty video and was in utter awe/shock at how much foundation an influencer applied? Again, this looks fine on camera. But in real life layers of foundation looks cakey and strange. I opt for one pump of foundation for my entire face. And if I have blemishes or redness I apply a little more to those areas ONLY.
Piling on concealer
The above applies here as well. Influencers use a shit ton of concealer. Usually in a shade too light for their skintone. Which looks good where? On camera! You don’t need to use half a tube of concealer. I use 2-3 dots of a hydrating or natural finish concealer under my eyes, and blend them in with either my ring finger or a small brush (makeup sponges don’t work well for me under the eyes). And if I need to spot conceal I apply a tiny amount, and tap it into the skin with my finger.
All Matte E’erthang
Matte used to be the trend. Matte primer, matte foundation, matte powder, mattifying setting spray. The skin was dry and flat as the Sahara. And it looked it. I was very into this trend back in the day. I had super oily skin and thought applying tons of matte products would keep my oils at bay. Instead it had the opposite effect. Ive talked about this before on TMW. When you apply drying or mattifying products to the skin it will OVER produce sebum (oil) to make up for the deficit. So you are essentially making the problem you’re trying to solve worse. I stopped doing this not only in my skincare but also my makeup. I will use one matte product (usually a powder or setting spray) but my other products will be hydrating and/or natural finish. This has done wonders not only for my skin but also the look and longevity of my makeup
Dewy E’erthang
There is a flip side to the matte thing. And it’s dewy. Now I love to look glowy . That has been my jam lately. A healthy glow. But I have no interest in looking sweaty and greasy. If you have dry skin dewy makeup may be your jam. Personally, I find the look just as unnatural as an all matte look. Neither look particularly good in real life. Whether you are oily or dry, the best way to handle these issues is with proper skincare. If you are properly hydrating and moisturizing you won’t need to rely on either of these extremes in your makeup.
Adding fake lashes to every look
They always look great to finish of a look. On camera. In real life they can look extreme and unnatural. You can ALWAYS tell when someone is wearing fake lashes. And if you are wearing minimal or no makeup with lashes it’s even more noticeable. And not in a flattering way. Applying lashes takes time and patience I simply don’t have most of the time. Last year I wore fake lashes a total of TWO times. Both were for special occasions. And both took me about 10-15 minutes to apply. Who has time for that?! Not me! Also wearing lashes on a regular basis wrecks havoc on your natural lashes. My grandmother wore fake lashes everyday of her life. Which left her with ZERO lashes of her own. No thanks.
