MAKEUP S.O.S. – TIPS TO COME BACK FROM A MAKEUP DISASTER!

 It happens to all of us – myself, more times than I care to admit. But we all have a moment (or several!) where we find ourselves with smudged mascara or too much blush. So what do you do??
Well, we’re gonna go over that today! I’ve compiled a few less-than-gorgeous scenarios that have happened to me (some recently, some recurring) and thought I would share how I handle them!

Let’s get started!

---

MASCARA SMUDGES

I’d like to put all the blame on the variety of weird, curvy, massive wands that come in varying tubes of lash-magic, but sadly, there have been mornings where the caffeine hasn’t kicked in yet, or I’m just moving too quick, and end up smudging mascara on my freshly applied shadow or concealer – but there’s an easy fix!
Let it dry. I repeat – let it dry!! Once it’s completely dry, take a Q-tip, and roll it over the area and it literally lifts right off. Now the exception to the rule here is for waterproof mascara – do not let waterproof mascara dry! Instead, moving quickly, grab that same Q-tip and hold it on the edge of the smudge, and it should soak right into the cotton. You may have to retouch a bit with concealer or shadow, but you’ve avoided at least major disaster!

TOO-LIGHT FOUNDATION

You reach for your favorite foundation, of which you likely have a few seasonal shades. But you find that once it’s on, you look ghostly white. This may be the easiest fix of all!
Add some bronzer! A nice light layer of bronzer will bring the warmth back to your skin, and you’ll never notice! If you’re super pale like me, and it’s winter, regular bronzer can be a little obvious and make you orange – I love the NYX HD Blush in Nude’Tude, which adds just enough warmth back to my skin so I look healthy, not like I’m faking a tan.

MID-DAY OILY SKIN

My first instinct used to be to reach for my powder. But I noticed that the powder and the oil only left me a cakey, oxidized mess. So I kept blotting papers handy, until one day I ran out….NOOOOOO! Luckily, I was at work, and in every stall in the ladies room was toilet seat covers. YES! They’re made of nearly identical material, and work just as well, if not better! But if that grosses you out (which I understand) then some toilet paper or a tissue work just fine – just remember to press, not rub, to blot!

OVER-COLORED EYEBROWS

This has happened to me numerous times – I’m on a roll filling in my brows – #browsonfleek – and I get a little too fleeky. By the time I take a step back and look in the mirror, I look like freakin’ Groucho Marx! But all is not lost!!
Take a clean spoolie, and start combing through your brows to distribute product. Then take an angled brow brush with the world’s smallest amount of concealer, and gently flick it through the inner part of your brows but don’t go past the arch. Finally, some clear brow gel will help dilute everything and melt it together, and voila! You’ve got perfectly done brows!

TOO MUCH BLUSH, BRONZER, OR CONTOUR

We’ve all gotten a little heavy handed in the cheek area. It happens. If you find you’ve applied too much blush or bronzer, or your contour is a little on the dark side, grab a cotton round (the kind you apply your toner with) and gently swipe it backwards up toward the hairline. This will pick up just enough product so you’re not removing all of it, and moving it all around after the hard work of strategic placement and blending. If it’s still a little heavy for your liking, take your foundation brush or sponge, and use the leftover product (no additional product is needed) and just blend over and around the area to lighten things up!

SLOPPY CONTOUR

This still happens to me sometimes (and it happens a lot when you’re new to contouring) – sometimes the color tends to drop a little lower than where you need it. This can drag your face down and make you look round and even a little droopy – but fear not! You can apply a touch of foundation with a damp sponge or your foundation brush, or even ‘bake’ the area and you’re good to go!!

EYEWEAR DENTS IN YOUR FOUNDATION

I wear glasses. I know this issue all too well. When you take your glasses off, you have tell-tale dents where the nose piece was resting. You can prevent it most of the time (read my ‘Makeup For Glasses’ post here) with a good primer and setting powder, but let’s face it – sometimes it’s unavoidable. When you take your glasses off, you should be able to just tap around the area and blend in the surrounding foundation and/or concealer. The heat from your fingers will warm up the product around the area, and help to fill in the blanks. And you can always touch up with a little concealer and powder!

---

I’m sure some of you have experienced these issues at one point or another, so I hope that you were able to pick up some helpful tips from this post! If there’s a beauty conundrum that I didn’t address, please leave me a question or comment below!!

And please take a moment to go follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @dlynnesposito, and go give a like to the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook!

LOTS OF LOVE!!