10 Makeup Myths

Below are 10 common makeup myths. There are more beauty related myths out there but I thought I'd share the 10 myths that really get my goat. 

A couple of people were questioning the myths on my video so I'd like to say a couple of things, one, I'm a professional makeup artist and know exactly what I'm talking about, if I didn't I wouldn't bother making these kind of posts/videos as I'd be making a fool of myself and two, I have a degree in Food and Nutrition therefore I know the ins and outs of foods, nutrition and the body (including skin). Now I've just had to justify myself, let's crack on with the myths.

Myth: Chocolate causes spots.

Reality: Chocolate doesn’t cause you to develop spots (or should I say 'blemishes' as that's the proper terminology) and it never would; the same goes for other foods. Foods don’t cause under the skin spots, spots or mild/major breakouts, it's the ingredients within the foods that do. If you notice a rash of any sort (including a rash that could resemble a breakout) the chances are that you are allergic to a certain ingredient within a food, e.g. lactose, lactose is found in dairy products. We cannot say that chocolate, and other foods, cause spots because they don't, it's certain ingredients that do. Now you all know that chocolate isn't the reason you get spots, feel free to eat as many kinder eggs as you like!

Myth: Makeup causes acne.

Reality: There is no scientific proof that makeup causes acne. Again like with foods, it's certain ingredients within makeup that can irritate the skin and can cause allergic reactions, breakouts and acne. An example would be if you have oily skin and use a product that contains oil, there would be a small chance that this would irritate the skin and cause a reaction. We cannot say a product causes reactions, breakouts or acne, it's all down to one or more ingredients within the product. So next time you think your favourite foundation is causing you to break out, have a re-think as the likelihood is that your skin isn't agreeing with a certain ingredient. One common ingredient that causes reactions is 'Bismuth Oxychloride' so if you notice that your skin isn't agreeing with a product, check the ingredients as you'll probably find it contains this little beast. The only other ways to prevent spots, breakouts or acne are cleansing your face properly and cleaning/sanitising your makeup brushes and products frequently. 

Myth: Refresher sprays set your makeup in place.

Reality: Refresher/Binding sprays do not set your makeup, an example of a refresher spray is MAC Fix +. Refresher sprays are purely intended to make your skin look and feel fresher, and they're also used to help powder blend into the skin. Refresher sprays can be applied underneath or on top of makeup. Refresher sprays can be applied after makeup application and they can also be applied to bare skin before makeup application, they can also be used on their own. Refresher sprays are generally used as a quick fix to freshen up makeup hence why they are commonly used on flights. If you’re looking for something to set your makeup in place, you need to buy a setting spray, examples of setting sprays include, Skindinavia, Urban Decay and Model In a Bottle. Refresher sprays are water based, which freshen the face whereas setting sprays are alcohol based, which set the face.

Myth: You should match foundation to your hand or jawline.

Reality: Wrong, you should never match your foundation to your hand or cheek. One, your hand is the place that receives the least sunlight and two, your jawline may contain pigmentation so if your match to the colour of the pigmentation within your cheeks, the likelihood is that you’re going to choose the wrong foundation. The place where you should actually match your foundation is on your chest, as you want your chest and face to match. It’s also important to mention that if your body is cool toned but your face is warm toned, you need to go for a pink toned foundation. And if your body is warm toned but your face is cool toned, you need to go for a yellow-based foundation.

Myth: You should use a lighter concealer underneath your eye.
Reality: A lot of people believe that you should use a lighter concealer underneath your eye to conceal under-eye circles but you really shouldn't do this as you won't conceal the circles, you'll actually emphasise (accentuate) them. If you apply a lighter concealer to under-eye circles, blemishes or any other flaws all you're going to do is make them more obvious. If you're wanting to make your face appear brighter, you need to correct your under-eye circles with either a corrector or a concealer that matches your foundation and then you need to apply a brightening concealer on top. So to recap, for banishing under-eye circles you need to use a corrector or a concealer that matches your foundation. And to banish circles and brighten the face you need to use a corrector or a concealer that matches your foundation and then you need to apply a brightening concealer.

Myth: You can use a bronzer to contour with.
Reality: Bronzers should only ever be used for bronzing the face/body and nothing else. If you contour with a bronzer it isn't going to look right, it'll look like you've either not washed your face for a year or you'll resemble an oomp loompa. The reason why we shouldn't contour with a bronzer is because they tend to be orange toned, a lot of them usually have a shimmer/satin finish too. When contouring you need to use products that are grey toned, you can use anything to contour with (e.g. sculpting powders, sculpting creams, foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, paint pots) just as long it's a mid-toned brown with grey tones. You also need to be aware that you should use matte finishes as opposed to satin finishes as satin finishes will not look natural.

Myth: If you want to look tanned, use a darker foundation.
Reality: If you use a darker foundation to make yourself look more 'tanned' your makeup isn't going to look right, there'll be an obvious line around your hairline, ears and jawline. Instead of using a darker foundation, you need to use a bronzing powder or cream. The only time I would ever recommend using a darker foundation is if you've had a spray tan as you're usual foundation would be too light.

Myth: You should clean your makeup brushes once a month.
Reality: You should actually give your brushes a deep clean every single week. During the week you should clean your brushes with a brush cleaner (I use IPA) and at the end of the week you should thoroughly wash your brushes with washing up liquid and water. Brushes are a breeding ground for bacteria therefore you need to keep them clean as dirty brushes could cause breakouts or infections. I'm going to be writing a 'how to wash makeup brushes' post very soon.

Myth: You shouldn't pluck hairs from the top of your eyebrows.
Reality: This is a myth I have never understood, if your eyebrows need plucking, they need plucking! There's no way I'd leave a straggler on my face! Plucking hairs from the top of the eyebrow creates a crisper finish, it also creates a guide for future plucking and it also helps to make both eyebrows look symmetrical, not only that but you can remove those rogue hairs too. The only time you shouldn't pluck hairs from the top of your eyebrows is if you're creating an eyebrow shape for the first time, you like to have low maintenance eyebrows or you're a man.

Myth: Neutral makeup is for daytime, bold makeup is for night-time.
Reality: Again, this is a myth I simply do not understand. There are no rules when it comes to makeup, you can wear what you like, when you like. If you want to wear vampy lips during the day then go for it and if you want to wear bright yellow eyeshadow to ASDA, do it!

Video Version

I hope you liked my makeup myths and if you'd like me to do another one of these posts then do let me know. 

Thanks for reading!

Cole

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