5 Beauty Rules You Should Break
I’ve been breaking rules all my life. It started in my teens when I announced to my family that I wanted to do makeup for a living (gasp!), rather than being a teacher, a doctor or a lawyer. In the eighties and early nineties, I did neutral, bronzy makeup looks while everyone else was working with DayGlo-bright shades of makeup. Rather than being constrained by rules, I believe in doing what makes sense and having options. Here are five beauty rules you can and should break.
Beauty Rule #1: Apply foundation all over the face.
How to Break It: Forget the notion that you’ve got to wear foundation all over your face in order to create a seamless look. You can achieve perfect looking skin just by spot-applying foundation on areas where skin is uneven or red. Dot foundation on the center of the face (around the nose and mouth, on the chin) and blend outwards towards the jaw and hairline.
Beauty Rule #2: To find your perfect everyday shade of lipstick, match it to the rest of your makeup.
How to Break It: To identify your best basic lip color, you should take off all your makeup. Apply lip colors in a neutral range—pinky brown, nude, beige pink, rosy brown, pink, chocolate, raspberry. The color that looks the best on your naked face is the right neutral, everyday, mistake-proof lip color. To select additional, more dramatic shades, refer back to your basic shade and choose shades that fall in the same family.
Beauty Rule #3: Always match your eye shadow to the color of your eyes.
How to Break It: Most women I know have at one point in their lives been told that they should coordinate their shadow color with their eye color. Doing this actually does nothing to enhance your eyes. Instead, choose shadow shades that contrast with your eye color. Shades of plum, like heather and lilac, look amazing on blue eyes. If you have green eyes, choose sandy, camel and golden brown shades. Brown eyes are the one exception to the rule. Rather than contrasting shades, stick to shades that are in the same color family as your eyes, e.g., beige, taupe and sable.
Beauty Rule #4: Shimmer is only for evening.
How to Break It: Shimmery makeup is appropriate 24/7 and it’s not just for teens. Shimmer reflects light from your face and makes you look like you’re glowing from within, which is always a plus for anyone their 30s, 40s or 50s! To make it work for you, choose colors that complement your skin tone rather than contrasting it. On eyes, try neutrals like bone, beige and taupe. On cheeks, go for shades of pink and rose. On lips, choose brown-based nudes, pinks and pinky browns. Moderation is key, so wear shimmer on no more than two places at a time, i.e. if you go for a shimmery eye and lip, keep your cheek matte.
Beauty Rule #5: Lipstick should always be worn with lip liner.
How to Break It: This the makeup equivalent of always pairing hose with heels—it’s dated and too fussy for everyday. Skip lip liner if you naturally have well defined lips or if you want a casual, less “done” look. To achieve a clean line, apply lipstick with a lip brush, then use that same brush to lightly trace your mouth.
Member Comments
by RawrDisco on December 21, 2008 at 10:46 AM
Kind of interesting, but I'd like to know what Bobbi recommends for women with acne scarring that covers a large portion of your face. There's only so much you can do without your makeup looking cakey.
by jlaydbak on December 27, 2008 at 7:30 PM
I don't wear makeup. There's the beauty rule more woman should break.
by abbyrudolph on January 25, 2009 at 2:45 PM
i totally agree once in a while i do if im bored but for the most part i only wear it if i have a pimple if something lol
by shelbystjean on February 1, 2009 at 11:13 PM
there's nothing wrong with makeup ;p
by duckegg on May 27, 2009 at 7:07 PM
With you on this one. I can't get it right anyway, so why waste time in the morning?
by skinnychic8 on January 8, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Liked this article. I wear my foundation over my whole face ( acne scarring) but blend it well. It doesn't get cakey at all.
by xxlikerawrrxx on January 8, 2009 at 9:12 PM
I loved this article ^^ it makes me achieve a more sophisticated look and brings out the tone of my skin and my eyes...making them look prettier...
...it's probably just the makeup... but the tips did help! :)
by jennincat on January 9, 2009 at 10:31 PM
Good article. This is one area that I totally fall short in. I'm surprised I'm still not wearing 3 colors of eye shadow and a stick on blue eyeliner.
by mari_bari_89 on January 20, 2009 at 5:37 PM
this is a great article but sometimes people look more beautiful when they are natural...when i dont wear makeup i get a ton of compliments...guys always tell me that they like me better when im looking myself and not like somone im not...but if you look better with it on..then more power to ya=) (just a suggestion)
by simplyjess54 on February 2, 2009 at 11:37 AM
people forget that makeup is supposed to accentuate facial features, rather than create new ones. There is nothing attractive about a fake-n-bake skin tone, with overly dramatic eye make up and dyed hair.
by bburroughs on February 11, 2009 at 2:14 PM
I firmly believe that whether or not you look good with makeup on depends upon the technique. If you go subtle, only enhancing the natural contours of your face, you will pretty much look great! I can't stand makeup that's too "done." I don't ever wear foundation, but I adore eye makeup...really opens them up. That's why I totally agree with this article. :) BTW, there is nothing wrong with going makeup-free! I do quite often. :)
by paxsten on February 19, 2009 at 8:27 PM
im a woman with horrible acne, acne scars and red skin. i don't wear foundation but i have noticed that a lose powder all over takes away the oily look and shine. if you have acne like me then no makeup will ever cover it up and you shouldn't try. beauty is only enhanced by makeup and no makeup will cover bad skin. i'm also an aloette beauty consultant so i kinda know what i'm talking about. also, if you have red skin or acne problems then you probably should not wear pinks or reds on your eyes as they will only bring out the red in your face.
by zoiefly on February 23, 2009 at 3:51 PM
I love make up for me its art and I am really awesome at making it look natural but sometimes not to go anywhere for the fun of it I put on a ton of it and strut my stuff like a drag queen. Most of the time I am natural but I do like make up and it kind of sounds like some of these post are the anti makeup brigade. My rule is to steer away from telling others what they should do the freedom to do what you want is what makes us unique individuals.
by amandajeanne22 on March 18, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Yay for Bobbi Brown! I've been reading her books since I started wearing make-up and her wonderful "look natural" approach is still amazing, especially as I get older. Love this article!