Walking makeup disasters are everywhere in our society. Yet, like people who slow down their vehicle to eyeball a car crash, you can’t help but stop and stare at makeup gone wrong.
Lipstick will be slapped on like a child with a crayon, foundation will be patchier than a disused football pitch put through a shredder, eyelashes will be long enough to be considered offensive weapons and there’ll enough mascara to put the wearer in the panda enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo.
These people wander the street, seemingly oblivious to the curious stares that greet them wherever they go.
Yet the sudden realisation that you look like a cast member from the Rocky Horror Picture Show can damage your confidence with cosmetics for life.
What makeup can you trust to stop a style faux pas from befalling you?
The right products can be difficult to come by – especially on the high street.
Minerals for the soul
Your local chemist or beauty shop is brimming with products that claim “Miraculous effects”, “astounding cures” and “unbelievable improvements”. But the majority of these claims amount to little more than a case of emperor’s new clothes.
Certain websites, however, offer cosmetic ranges containing a subtlety and style you’d usually find during the Paris Fashion Week.
One such makeup that will do wonders for your skin is mineral foundation.
Used on Hollywood film sets and by A-list celebs, this is a foundation with a proven track record, yet remains something of a hidden gem to the general public.
It’s the kind of foundation that won’t look “caked on” when applied, unlike the clumpy mess that cheaper foundations create.
Moreover, it’ll allow your skin to breathe. Most foundations, especially when liberally applied, will suffocate your pores, leading to spots, blackheads and an all-round pallid pallor.
Colour coordination
While injecting colour into your cheeks is one benefit of mineral foundation, you’ll need other skills if you want your cosmetics to be appreciated to their fullest extent.
Colour coordination can turn your makeup from trashy to tantalising in an instant.
If you’re wearing yellow eye makeup with ultraviolet red lipstick for instance, your colours are going to be louder than a megaphone.
Instead of straining to look garish or unique, use the tried-and-tested techniques of matching colours and understated elegance.
Think of the classics.
Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and the like were never in-your-face with their glamour.
They were understated without being conservative, striking without being obvious.
Becoming a makeup disaster is inevitable sometimes, especially when you’re experimenting with outré styles. But keep our golden rules in mind and you’ll be set.