CAITLIN DIXON + The Top 3 Most Common Makeup Mistakes
Makeup has come a long way since the days of using strawberry flavoured lip smacker, and experimenting with pastel shades of eyeshadow.. or perhaps that was just me! Well, since taking on photography professionally it has become increasingly evident to me how important GOOD makeup is! I still have a long way to go in my journey, but thanks to my talented makeup artist friends, they always give me a tip or two on glaming up this ol' face of mine.
I recently asked my talented friend and makeup artist Caitlyn Dixon to help us out with 3 common makeup mistakes we make in our everyday lives. Caitlyn received her training at Blanche MacDonald in Vancouver and has served for companies including MAC, Make Up For Ever, and most notably won the national title of the L’Oreal Paris’ ‘The Brush Contest’! So without further adieu, here's what Caitlyn has noticed as common makeup mistakes and her solutions for them. Hopefully you'll find it helpful for your next photoshoot!
MODEL: Téa Scheske of Edge Agency
MAKEUP ARTIST: Caitlyn Dixon
PHOTO: Nicole Romanoff
1. WINGED LINER
WRONG ANGLE - Winged eyeliner should never be applied in a swooped motion, think the famous Nike symbol. This is bad and will give a very unnatural look. You'll need to start the liner at the outer corner of your eye, and make this line parallel to the front half of your brow and your cheekbone. If it follows these natural anchor points on your face, you should be good to go and it will appear proportioned and balanced to your face and features.
2. FOUNDATION - WRONG SHADE/UNDERTONE
Foundation might be the trickiest part of makeup, between finding the perfect shade to proper application, you can either look naturally glowy and beautiful or have an orange line dividing your face from you neck. Always, always test your foundation by a window.... Natural light is literally everything. Also, when swatching a new shade, pop a bit on the forhead, neck and chin. If it seems to work pretty well for all 3 areas you should be good to go! If you just test on your neck, you'll probably end up looking pale and washed out and if you just test on your forehead you will most likely look darker than your neck. This is general information and everyone is different but this is definitely a good place to start.
3. HIGHLIGHTER
TOO MUCH Makeup has always been loved by many but in the last few years we’ve seen the market reach new heights and popularity has increased. Along with the obvious growth in the industry, we are also seeing the trend of highlighters reaching every woman who has ever read or heard anything about makeup. I can’t deny it, I love it too but less is always more. Too much highlighter can make you look like a walking disco ball with a shiny “milk-like mustache” on your upper lip if you aren’t careful! However you apply it make sure to always blend it in seamlessly! Remember, highlighter is activated by light and if it isn’t blended correctly, it can look uneven.
A big thank you to Caitlyn for sharing her tips with us! For more on Caitlyn, check out her Instagram (@caitlynadixon), and her website (www.caitlyndixon.com). Thanks for reading!