Truth is Beauty – Makeup Myths Exposed

Beauty may be painful, but the worst pain comes from all those beauty lies we’ve been given over the years. To take some of the pain out of your beauty routine, we are here to give you the truth about those longstanding beauty myths!

Lie: Concealer is for blemishes.
Truth: Concealer is for lightening dark, under-eye circles and is not meant for blemishes. Since it is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone, it will draw attention to the blemish. The best way to hide blemishes is to spot-apply a foundation stick or cover-up that matches your skin tone exactly. If you are a dual action kind of gal, grab a bottle of tinted spot treatment, like Oxy-10; it will blast that zit while hiding it from the world.

Lie: Translucent powder is transparent and works for all skin tones.
Truth: Translucent powder is actually a pale, grayish-pink tone that can make skin look pasty. Warm yellow tones of powder are the most flattering because they add warmth and light to your face. If you want a really healthy glow without the shine, go for a bronzing powder. Just remember to apply it lightly with a big powder brush!

Lie: Apply blush on the hollows of cheeks to create the look of cheekbones.
Truth: Blush is designed to add healthy color to your face, not definition. For the most flattering look, smile, and brush it on the apples of your cheeks, moving back toward the hairline, then down to blend. If you are going for dramatic cheekbones, try using a little definition powder (a shade or two darker than your regular powder) applied lightly, just under the cheekbones. You can also use definition powder just under the jaw line to create a stronger jaw. Remember to use it sparingly and blend well, or you will look over-made-up.

Fiction: Use foundation on eyelids so makeup lasts.
Fact: Foundation makes eye makeup cake and crease. Pale yellow powder dusted onto bare lids is the best bet for making eye shadow adhere.

Fiction: Line inside eyelids to make eyes look bigger.
Fact: Any ophthalmologist will tell you not to do this because you run the risk of infection or accidentally poking yourself in the eye. The best way to make eyes look bigger is to line as close as possible along the upper and lower lash lines, making sure the lines meet at the outer corner.

Fiction: Always apply lip pencil before lipstick.
Fact: For the most natural look, line lips after applying lipstick and blend if needed with a lip brush. The exception is when you need to create really long-lasting color. In this case, line and fill in lips with pencil first, then layer lipstick over it.

Fiction: You can make your lips look bigger by lining outside your natural lip line.
Fact: It looks unnatural when you try to create features you don't have. To make small lips look fuller, wear medium to light lip colors, or use lip gloss. Shades that are too dark make small lips look even smaller.

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