Ten common beauty mistakes that you should know about and how to rectify them.
1.
Ditch! Lathering your cleansing foam on your face to remove make up.
Do! Stay by squeezing about 1.5cm worth of cleanser into your palm, add 2 to 3 drops of water and start lathering the mixture in your palm till you get the texture of whipped cream atop a cup of cappuccino. Using your middle and ring fingers, pick up the lather and start cleansing. The smooth and refined lather will be able to remove all impurities but won't drag on your skin, ensuring that your skin stays smooth and line-free.
2.
Ditch! Combing your hair through from roots to ends just to get rid of those pesky knots.
Do! The best way to get rid of knots is to try to comb out the knots from the ends first, then working your way up to the roots. Dragging your comb from the roots to the ends will only result in breaking the hair strands, especially true when you're trying to comb your hair after a wash as damp hair is even more fragile.
3. Ditch! Concealing oil and grease on your face by patting on more powder foundation or pressed powder.
Do! Keep blotting papers handy in your makeup kit, and use these to soak excess sebum before touching up with your powder. While it's tempting to just load up more powder to soak up the sebum on the face, it will only result in a cakey look, instead of a smooth and flawless finish you so desire.
4.
Ditch! Using a low heat setting on your hairdryer in hopes that it is less damaging to your locks.
Do! Using any form of styling tool that involves heat is damaging to your hair! So it is more important to use a serum or lotion that protects against thermal damage on your tresses first. Set your dryer on high heat and dry your hair using your fingers to separate the strands. Once it is almost 70% dry, use a brush and pointing the nozzle of the dryer downwards, dry the hair in sections. This helps create a sleek and smooth finish.
5.
Ditch! Shaving with a dull blade.
Do! If you're unsure when you should change your blade, we advise replacing the blade at the first sign of dullness or discomfort, or after 5 to 10 shaves. Shaving with a dull blade can not only lead to nicks and cuts, but it can also lead to razor burn, which is especially true when shaving sensitive areas like the underarms or bikini line. In addition, a dull blade can also result in red and blotchy skin.
6.
Ditch! Wearing chipped nail polish.
Do! Having nicks and chips in your perfectly done manicure is never nice looking, but walking around parading these chips is even worse. So clean them off once it starts looking unsightly and unprofessional. It is much better to have clean, polish-free nails.
7.
Ditch! Heavily rimmed eyes
Do! For perfectly defined eyes, line the eyes on the top lash line with a thinner line in the inner corners and ending with a thicker line as you move outwards. Lining the eyes gives more depth, giving the illusion of bigger eyes. And never encase your eyes with a thick black line on the bottom. Instead, using a dark brown or grey eyeliner to lightly line the lower lash line. Then dab a silver or white eyeliner on the liner corners of the eyes to complete.
8. Ditch! Wearing too-light a shade of concealer around the eyes.
Do! A good guide to see if you are using a concealer that is too light, is when you notice an ashy grey hue on the undereye area, and you should move on to the next shade down. If you have redness on the eye area, use a yellow based concealer while a blue tinge needs a warm peach based concealer. And if you have a purple hue under the eyes, mix both yellow and peach tones concealers to conceal.
9. Ditch! Loading pimple cream onto your spots.
Do! Just a pea-sized amount on each spot is good enough. do keep in mind that many of these spots treatments have high concentrations of acids that can leave the area around the offending spot dry and flaky. The area can also end up looking raw, red and irritated.
10.
Ditch! Applying conditioner from roots to ends.
Do! The hair closest to your roots is healthy new growth while the ends are where more damage is, so concentrate conditioner application to the ends rather than at the roots. Besides, condiioning the roots can weigh your hair down, and result in greasy-looking and stringy hair. your best bet? Start applying the conditioner at where your ears are, then continue downwards for that healthy bounce. Besides applying conditioner to the roots can also clog the hair follicels, which might result in dandruff, or worse yet, cause hair loss in the future.
May 1, 2010 11:05:00 AM