We’ve all known the power of makeup.
Makeup instantly transforms your appearance and makes you look ultra-glam.
And it’s not hard to agree that discovering your perfect makeup routine takes some experience and skill.
If you adore cosmetics, you’ve probably joined the gang of makeup lovers — those who experiment with everything trendy, from the bold red lipstick to eye shadows and glitters.
But without acing the ground rules, you could commit theorist common makeup mistakes (i.e. makeup sins) of all time.
It’s true: there’s truly no end to the creativity one can use to achieve a flattering look. But discovering the best makeup routine that suits your skin and style also means that you’ll make plenty of mistakes in the process.
But fret not, my friend; you’re NOT alone.
Below are the most typical makeup blunders that we’ve all made at some point in our beauty journey (along with simple tips to help you avoid them).
Let’s dive right into it!
Table of Contents
Top 5 Common Makeup Mistakes That Age You to Avoid at All Costs
Skipping Moisturizer Before Makeup
Moisturizing your face before wearing makeup is an absolute MUST (and that’s why it remains as a #1 worst common makeup mistakes within this list).
It makes the skin surface smooth for an even application of the foundation or concealer and helps it stay on longer.

Plus, hydrating your face optimally will ensure that your base is just right for the foundation to blend well and give you a natural finish.
One of the common makeup mistakes that we frequently make before wearing makeup is skipping the moisturizer. This makes the skin look cakey, patchy, or simply uneven (oh my).
So, before you apply your foundation, focus on creating a great base and then move on to the next steps in your makeup routine.
It works like magic.
Choosing The Wrong Shade Of Foundation
Finding the correct foundation shade for your skin tone can be quite difficult.
Listen, I get it.
The wrong choice can make you look ashy, cakey or you might end up with blotchy skin that won’t do justice to even the best makeup products you’ll layer over it.
Your foundation should match the warmth and coolness of your skin and what’s important to note is that women of various tones may need to mix two shades or more to arrive at their perfect match.
Yes, it does take time to experiment and figure out the right shade of foundation for yourself, as a single shade may not meet your true skin color.
Also, match your foundation to your neck and the chest, as they should all be aligned to give you a flawless base.
Start with sheer coverage and then slowly build on it to achieve higher coverage.
If you need help, Byrdie wrote an excellent guide on how to pick the perfect foundation for your skin tone.
Video Resource. How to Choose the Right Foundation for You Skin
Sephora PRO artist, David, teaches you how to choose the right foundation for your skin tone in a few easy steps. Check out the video below.
Alternatively, if you don’t have time to watch the video, here is a quick recap of what was said to select the right foundation for you:
- Match your cheek to neck.
- Remove makeup with makeup remover. And every time you use makeup remover, follow by applying moisturizer.
- Apply product the way you normally do (i.e. fingers, brush, beauty blender…).
- Wait 5 – 10 minutes to see how product looks (some foundations can oxidise. Fenty, I’m looking you).
- Check color in natural sunlight.
Lining Outside The Natural Lip Line
Proper application of lipstick demands extra finesse. And patience is a virtue, so don’t stress here.
Bleeding lipsticks never look fantastic. Giving your lipstick something to adhere to is a good idea to prevent the encircling of the outside of your mouth with a ring of color and increase their staying power.
But be careful! An overdrawn liner is another one of those common makeup mistakes that women often do that can quickly make you look sloppy.
Therefore, a helpful lip lining tips is to first use a concealer on the outer edges of the lips and then, using a brush, blend it inwards.
Then, draw the lip lining slightly outside the natural lip to play up your pout.
If you want fuller lips, try dabbing some highlighting shadow in the center of the lower lips, and it will work magically to define them.
Video Resource. How to Line Your Lips so They Look as Full as Kylie Jenner’s (minus the injections).
Check out the below video made by the beautiful Sagonia Lazarof teaching us how to line your lips to perfection.
Forgetting To Groom Your Eyebrows
I hate tone then to admit this common makeup mistake, but untamed eyebrows can spoil your look.
Eyebrows play a HUGE role in framing your face and balancing out your features.
So, trim and tweeze them into shape without making them look stenciled.

This means, care for them regularly to ensure the most amazing brows that flatter your face shape.
Also, remember that sparse brows or overgrown eyebrows could make you look unpolished, no matter how well your makeup is done.
To prevent that, you can give your brows a good shape using various methods and remember that they need not be identical, just like your eyes and nostrils aren’t exactly the same.
Use a spoolie brush and brow pencil to define them well. And, if your brows still look unruly, use an eyebrow gel or powder to set them in place.
Video Resource. Eyebrows Dos and Don’s. Beginner Mistakes to Avoid When Drawing Your Eyebrows (with hacks)
Loved this video by Beautifymeeh on eyebrow common makeup mistakes to avoid.
Wrongly Sculpting The Face
Sculpting the face using the contouring technique can enhance the face shape and add more definition.
However, many tend to go dramatic instead of embracing the face’s natural shape.
The latter makes your face look more realistic instead of changing the whole appearance.
For a well-contoured face, always choose a matte contour product to create the illusion of a shadow along the natural angles on your face.
With contouring, you’re trying to create depth, so you need a product at least two shades darker than your natural skin color but in the same family of undertones.
To get the perfect contour, it is also essential to select the right formula of the product.
If you have dry skin, go for cream-based products and blend it really well so that you achieve a finer finish.
We all want to look our best.
And it’s normal to commit some beauty sins here and there. Let’s be honest here: beauty trends keep changing, and keeping up with those can be a struggle.
So, whether you are a pro or a newbie, staying abreast with these makeup sins can help you avoid them and ensure that you can achieve a flawless face, worthy of admiration.
Video Resource. InStyle made this awesome video teaching us how to contour your face in 5 easy steps.
Stop doing these common makeup mistakes!
If you’ve been lacking on any of these, don’t sweat. Most women are as well.
It’s so normal in life for us to oftentimes forget to care for our eyebrows. Or even how a dry skin can negatively impact our appearance, making our face seem dull and lifeless.
We hope these tips will help you avoid these common makeup mistakes.
About the Author

Sowjanya is an expert blogger and contributes in-depth articles about a range of different topics, such as beauty, health and wellness, and everything that may interest women. Her way of writing is easy to understand and informative at the same time. She is a regular contributor to StyleCraze.com and some other websites. You can reach me on LinkedIn.
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Arrest me now. I am basically guilty of ALL these makeup mistakes haha I’m such a makeup disaster. Def thankful to blogs like yours to teach us 50 years olds a thing or two about keeping up with makeup trends.
haha no worries, Delana. I’m a disaster myself. I learn about makeup everyday! Thanks for stopping by.