"A penciled eyebrow looks painted and weird (hello Joan Crawford)," Patel says. Nevertheless, many women still go this route to fill in brows. A better option: "Choose an eyeshadow color that matches your hair color and apply with a thin, stiff, angled brush using tiny strokes," Patel says.
We confess: "I used to use pencil to fill in my brows and I recently switched to a waxy powder," says Meghan. "I can't tell you the difference it makes! With the pencil, you could totally tell that I did some filling in work. This waxy powder is so much easier to use, easier to fix if I mess up, and looks way more natural."
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Mistake No. 9: Wearing black eyeliner in the daytime
"Here is a general rule: dark colors shrink and recede," Patel says. "Light colors advance and bring forward." That's why she recommends skipping black eyeliner (especially underneath eyes) during the day, so your eyes look more open and awake.
We confess: "Yikes, I do this almost every day," says Sarah. "I do like how the liner defines my eyes. I think I look tired without some liner on. But I will admit that black can be a bit harsh for daytime, so maybe a switch to brown liner is in order. Same effect without the goth undertones."
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Mistake No. 10: Wearing glitter
"The thing that bothers me the most about glitter in makeup, besides the fact that it shouldn't be worn by anyone over the age of 14 (fabulous club kids get an exception here), is that it travels on your face, leaving strange sparkly spots where they shouldn't be," Patel says. Instead of chunky glitter, she recommends shadows with finely milled shimmer -- used sparingly, of course.
We confess: "I got super into glitter in junior high when I discovered Tony & Tina, this fabulous line that specialized in glitter-packed makeup," says assistant editor Sharon. "While their products were amazing (sadly discontinued), I unfortunately used glitter on more than one area at a time. So ... glittery eyeshadow, glittery eyeliner, sparkly blush, and glitter-infused lip gloss. Yowza. In hindsight I probably looked like I got into a fight with a tub of glitter -- and lost."
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Mistake No. 11: Going nuts with "luminizing" products
"Luminous particles have been added to everything in the past few years, most notably foundations, powders, and highlighting products," Patel says. "One or two such products can make a woman look fresh and glowing. Too many can make her look very, very strange." Think glowing head on a matte body, or like you spent your morning leaning over an oil vat -- not exactly sexy. Patel suggests limiting your illuminating products to these areas: cheekbones, inner eye corners, and (if used sparingly) under the eye.
We confess: "I had this great Stila luminizing powder -- I wore it everywhere, every day," says Beth. "It was part of my uniform. Then I caught my reflection in really strong daylight one time, and I realized how it was highlighting every bump, scar, and wrinkle on my face. From then on, it was a nighttime thing only -- and even then, only when I was going to a darkly lit place."
In theory beauty editors shouldn't be making makeup mistakes. We interview expert makeup artists all the time, we try new makeup products daily, and we write about bad makeup on celebrities and vow never to do the same to ourselves. But in reality, even the most experienced makeup mavens can mess up now and then.
That's a lesson we learned the hard way when we talked to New York City makeup artist Susmta Patel. When she told us about 11 super-common makeup mistakes she sees almost daily, we were stunned. And more than a little embarrassed. Because all of us at some point or another had committed these blunders (and most of us thought we looked pretty good at the time to boot).
However, once we recovered from our shock and humiliation, we were glad she shared. We'd rather know (and fix!) our makeup mistakes than strut around looking like clowns. And now that we know, we can share these mistakes with you, so you never walk out of the house with bad makeup (again). Plus, in the spirit of sisterhood and community, we've each 'fessed up to the makeup mistakes we've committed. Join in and share which ones you're guilty of -- no judgment. After all, your confessions will make us feel a bit better about our own misguidedness.
