We can't all claim to be expert stylists when it comes to our daily makeup routine and I know I'm certianly still learning the ropes - even decades after I first 'borrowed' my mother's Mary Quant blusher.
But sometimes you do spot a crime against cosmetics so dire that it's hard not to go right up to the culprit and volunteer a bit of free styling advice. I wouldn't try it: it generally doesn't go down too well. But to get our pet hates out in the open I'm asking Kiss & Makeup readers to submit their worst beauty errors to the site today so we can all have a collective cringe.
If there's a beauty error you particularly hate, let me know in comments below or tweet them to @kissandmakeup on Twitter and read on for the errors we've already identified.
Gemma said: "eyeliner applied too high up, so there's a line of skin! Best tip I ever read was to squint and then scribble into lashes."
This is a common mistake, and one I have to confess to making from time to time. After all, pointy things near the eye are a little bit scary! But the "scribbling" tip is a sound one, and can help reach those bare areas where no pencil has been before, closing up unsightly gaps. Gemma added that "you don't have to press down hard. It just fills in all the gaps. Really works a treat!"
Terrie offered: "Missing the all important foundation blending and having a slightly different coloured neck"
Another classic, the 'foundation tidemark' is a lesson in remembering that your face doesn't exist in isolation: it's part of a whole body, with arms, legs and (crucially in this case) a neck! Focusing only on the face and failing to blend it in with the adjoining skin areas will make you look like you've got a mask on and completely defeats the object of foundation, which should even out all skin to one even tone. Tip: try standing at a full-length mirror while applying foundation.
Siany also hates "The foundation line." but also "spots caked in piles of foundation. And that bloody thing where girls stick their hair to their face."
I think the "spots" bit speaks for itself: there's nothing worse than caked-on, lumpy makeup on a zitty complexion. Remember that foundation is not intended to be used as concealer: it's simply a base to even out skin tone. If you do get an outbreak of spots, after cleansing thoroughly, use the closest concealer to your natural skin tone you can find then gently apply a light, oil-free foundation that won't aggravate your skin further.
As for the hair sticking to face thing - I'm intrigued. Is this a new trend for female facial hair I'm missing or an accidental hirsuteness? I personally hate it when lipgloss makes my hair stick to my lips, so am imagining a similar effect here.
Jess hates "sneezing after mascara application. I sneeze LOTS, particlarly when I put things near my eyes. horrid"
I'm sure we've all had this happen at some point in our eyelash-plumping lives! The results will look messy if you don't remedy the situation immediately, so the simple solution here is to always have makeup remover within easy reach!
What are your pet beauty hates? Answer below or tweet them to @kissandmakeup on Twitter
