5 BEAUTY RULES TO BREAK

Rules are made to be broken. This old adage is especially true when it comes to beauty. Makeup is about self-expression and creativity, and frankly, we don’t want anyone putting limitations on that! So throw caution to the wind and embrace your inner rebel. Go ahead, break these beauty rules with reckless abandon, you have our permission (not that you need it).

1. Powder only after foundation. For a flawless, airbrushed finish, throw the rulebook out the window and apply your powder before your foundation. A light dusting of your finest setting powder (try Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder or Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder) under liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer will actually grab the liquid resulting in more pigmented, fuller coverage. If the name of your face makeup game is all about matte, then you’ll love the powder-foundation-powder technique.

2. Foundation is for the entire face. True; you can apply it all over, but the goal of foundation is to perfect your complexion–not mask it. Take a modern approach, and use foundation to even out your skin tone only where you need it. Simply covering redness and unevenness at the center of your face (around the nose and chin are the spots we hit) can be all you need to achieve a fresh, natural look.

3. Curl your lashes only before mascara. Proper eyelash curling technique is a hotly debated topic among makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts alike. The idea behind the before-only rule is that if you crimp while eyelashes are still wet, you risk breaking or pulling out lashes when you remover the curler. But if you apply a light coat of mascara (try a lengthening formula, like Maybelline Define-A-lash Lengthening Mascara, first), allow it to dry completely, then curl, it will help actually help hold the curl in place.

4. Lip liner is for lining your lips. Perhaps lip liner was originally intended for this use, but over the years makeup savvy women have adopted a better use for lip pencils. Tracing the outer perimeter of lips becomes dangerous territory as the day wears on and your lipstick wears off. Avoid the dreaded darker outline and boost the staying power of your lipstick or lip gloss by filling in the entire lip.

5. Focus on one feature. Generally this isn’t bad advice, but if you have a steely gray smokey eye that is just begging for a berry-stained lip, we say go for it! Besides, often, focusing on only one feature can make the face appear unfinished. Yes, red lips and defined cat-eyes have a time and a place (i.e. not your typical Tuesday at the office, unless that office happens to be MDC Headquarters), but when the time is right, the look is impeccably polished.