- DON'T use a concealer that is too light or too dark. Using the wrong color concealer will make your eye area look absolutely ridiculous. Use a flesh-tone concealer (that means absolutely no yellow, orange, or lavender tones) that is just a shade or two lighter than your foundation.
- DON'T overdo mascara. Clumped mascara is distracting and messy looking. And ugly. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. If you simply apply too much, use a disposable mascara wand (I always have a bunch on hand) and run it through your lashes to get rid of clumps.
- DON'T stripe on blush. Use a good quality blush brush, a soft color, and apply it using light, sweeping strokes. You should see absolutely no lines where the blush stops and begins. Blending a little powder on over your blush can soften any lines you might have already made.
- DON'T overdo your eyebrows. Oh God, I have seen this done way too frequently. Brows that are drawn-on, pencil-thin, overly sparse, strongly arched, or too heavy or thick can make you look older than you really are. Plus they can look just plain ugly. If you have no idea how to go about doing your brows, make an appointment with a brow specialist, who can guide you to the right brow shape and show you effective grooming techniques.
- DON'T get carried away with glitter. I've been guilty of this myself, so I understand how tempting it can be to wear tons of the glitzy stuff. That said, a little extra shine or glitter can spice up an evening look. But during the day? It's really just distracting--kind of like wearing a sequined gown to the office. Stick with a little bit of a simple shimmer shadow on the inner corners of your eyes and/or above your cheekbones for daytime and leave it at that...unless looking like a disco ball is your goal.
If I see anyone sporting any of these looks, I will personally give them a "makeover" that involves me slapping them repeatedly. You have been warned.