Uh Oh! Beauty Mistakes to Live and Learn About
4 Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve all done it. You know what I’m talking about: The Incident.
That time
when you tried something new and it didn’t work out.
Like the time when you
rushed out of the house wearing pantyhose under your open-toed shoes.
It’s great
to experiment when it comes to beauty, fashion, and style,
but some things are
better tried at home, where you can do a safe test run, or taken care of by an
expert.
Style and beauty are about personal choices.
That said, there are a number of
unwritten guidelines that dictate what is considered acceptable and what is
not.
Here are a few common beauty and style mistakes women often make,
sometimes without realizing the error of their ways.
Over-plucking: [Tweeze is the proper word]
Yes, shapely, contoured eyebrows are fabulous and can add a lot
of sophistication to your look.
Scraggly or invisible eyebrows, on the other
hand, are just that – scraggly or invisible.
For the $12 or less it can cost to
have your brows professionally waxed,
it’s worth the money to have someone else
shape your brows.
If you insist on doing it yourself, be careful not to remove
too much hair.
Selective plucking may be your best option.
Pluck just after
you’ve showered so hair pops out more easily.
Brush your brows into place, and
then using a good set of tweezers,
gently remove hair from under the arch of
your eyebrow and outside the natural brow line.
Do a little at a time, stepping
back periodically to inspect your work from a distance.
Unnatural tan:
A deep, sun-drenched tan looks great but too much time in the
sun can be bad for your skin and for your health.
Tanning beds have only
marginal benefits in terms of reducing our exposure to harmful UV rays,
so many
women turn to tanning lotions to achieve that sun-bronzed look.
Be aware!
Not all tanning and bronzing lotions are created equal.
Some will
give your skin a sickly orange tinge while others are difficult to apply and
end up streaky.
Do a small test patch in a normally covered area to find out
how the lotion will look on your skin.
This takes a little extra time, but the
effort is worth it.
You want a natural-looking tan, not an application of
finger paint.
In addition to choosing the wrong kind of tanning product, many women (and men)
forget to apply it all over.
The backs of the legs are difficult to reach,
but
it is essential to have even coverage over all visible parts of your body.
This
includes your hands.
You should wear gloves while applying bronzer to the rest
of your body to avoid over-colorization,
but when you’re finished, don’t forget
your hands or you’ll end up with a reverse farmer’s tan!
Unsightly feet:
Nasty-looking feet can absolutely ruin a great pair of sandals.
Don’t put a lot of effort into shaping and painting your toenails without
taking a good look and feel of your heels, too.
We can see our toes, so they
often hog the attention we give our feet,
but others can see our heels and bear
witness to the neglect we may inflict.
Avoid this beauty faux-pas by beginning
a daily regimen of care long before you intend to show off your lovely toes.
By
using a foot file or rough scrub brush every day in the shower, you will soon
see softer heels.
Dry your feet well to prevent any bacterial growth between
your toes (yuck!),
and apply a moisturizing AHA or BHA foot lotion.
Your feet
will thank you if you apply more lotion again before going to sleep.
If your heels or other rough spots like the often-calloused area by your little
toe are too out of control,
you should get a professional pedicure to smooth
away the imperfections.
Garish makeup:
Not all colors were meant to be worn by all people.
All those
lovely lipstick shades might look great in the store, but not so good on you.
Choose neutral colors for daytime use and slightly bolder colors for evening.
Remember that colors change under different light,
so what looks good in the
cosmetics section of the department store,
might not look the same under your
office lights.
Consult a cosmetician (it’s usually free) to find out what your
best colors are and build from there.
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