We bet when you read the heading of this post you thought of common makeup no-nos, such as wearing the wrong colour concealer, applying too much makeup or not blending your blusher properly. While all of these are things you definitely want to avoid, they’re not what we’d consider the worst makeup faux pas.
Here’s a clue…
We all know that different seasons require different clothing, and most of us are very good at swapping our seasonal clothes. Though there are a few transitional items (think cardigans) and a couple of pieces that work year-round (like dresses that can be worn as is or with stockings and jackets), most clothes are very distinctly considered to be either summer or winter items. This is particularly true in a country like South Africa, where we have extremely contrastring seasonal weather – very hot summers and very cold winters. Are you beginning to see where we’re going with this?
So what’s the biggest mistake?
The biggest beauty mistakes we tend to make is not changing our makeup according to the season. Why, you might wonder, is this even necessary? Well, in winter our skin tends to be drier and a little lighter than in summer, and this changes the way makeup looks and feels. So if you want to avoid looking too orangey in winter, or having cakey foundation or chapped lips and flaky skin, add these to your list of summer-to-winter makeup swaps:
- switch from powder to cream blush, as skin tends to be drier in cold weather
- swap your concealer for a lighter shade, as you’re likely to be less tanned in winter
- swap lip gloss (which tends to make lips dry) for more hydrating lip-colour products
- skip the bright, summery colours in your eye-shadow palette and start using the warmer, darker tones
- put away your pink blush and opt for shades with more brown undertones
- use a more nourishing waterproof mascara to help protect lashes in cold, rainy weather
GH TIP: Feel free to extend your seasonal makeup change to your hair and nails by opting for warmer, richer shades.
Photo: iStock/AniDimi
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