Mistake #7: Using Liner and Mascara on Your Lower Lashes
Playing up your lower lashes can make your eyes look droopy and draw attention to dark circles. Instead, curl your upper lashes and wiggle a volumizing mascara into their roots and slowly through the ends for the most uplifting effect. (Try Rimmel ScandalEyes Curve Alert Mascara, $6.99; drugstores.)
Mistake #6: Going Overboard with Lip Liner
A lip liner can define your lips and prevent color from feathering into any lines around the mouth—but choose one very carefully. If you line your lips too heavily, or with a color that’s too dark, they’ll look tight and pursed. For the most natural effect, your lip liner should match the color of your lips, not the color of your lipstick. Choose a creamy formula that won’t adhere to any dry patches, and use it to fill in your lips entirely, so it wears evenly.
Mistake #5: Wearing Black Eyeliner
Don’t skip eyeliner altogether—it’s a great way to make your eyes look more open—but choose brown over black, which can be harsh. And keep the color diffuse. “You want to define the eyes with softness and blending, not strict lines,” says makeup artist Troy Surratt. “A thick liner can leave the upper lids looking heavier than they are.” The best technique: Trace a brown pencil liner along the upper lash line (into the roots of the lashes), focusing on the outer corners; smudge it with a Q-tip.
Mistake #4: Finishing with Powder
Youthful skin reflects light. Powders prevent light reflection and tend to magnify lines in the skin. If powder has been the final step of your makeup routine since high school, it can be difficult to quit cold-turkey. Here’s a three-step program: First, switch to a very sheer translucent powder (like
Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder, $35; lauramercier.com). Then, start using it only on your nose and chin. Finally, trade the powder for a packet of blotting tissues—use one, only on the T-zone (nose, chin, and forehead), if you’re shiny midday.
December 5, 2014 
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