5 Makeup Mistakes You’re Probably Making (and How to Fix Them Like a Pro)
Hey girl heyyy!
I know your makeup has been giving you grief so let’s get you together ASAP! Makeup is supposed to enhance your look and not stress you out but we both know, small mistakes can throw everything off. Once your makeup has started down a wrong path, it’s hard to get it back on track without ending up in tears and frustration. Been there, done that, hated it! So this post isn’t about shaming, it’s about quick, easy fixes that make your routine smoother and your results more polished. Now let’s get into it!
Mistake #1: Skipping Skin Prep
I think for a lot of people, having uneven skin tone or dark marks are why we want to use makeup in the first place. So in order to ensure that we are giving, “your skin but better” with our makeup, we must make sure our skin is well hydrated. If your skin is dry, your makeup could look cakey, flakey and dry as well making your makeup look unnatural and not appealing at all. We don’t want that chile. Well hydrated skin allows for your makeup to look natural, last longer and not look patchy/uneven.
Why it matters: Makeup clings differently to dry vs. hydrated skin.
Fix: Adjust your skin prep routine to include a moisturizer targeted to your specific skin type.
Pro Tip: Well moisturized skin allows your skin to not interfere with your makeup products in a negative way.
Mistake #2: Skipping Primer
Look, I am the QUEEN of forgetting this one when I’m in a rush so if anyone is guilty of this, it’s me. Not putting on any primer prior to putting on a face full of makeup can seriously affect the length and look of your makeup. All primers aren’t created to do the same thing either so you’ll need to be sure of what you’re trying to convey with your “lewk”. For my oily girls, you’ll want a mattifying primer to ensure your naturally oily skin does not cause you to look dewy. Using a mattifying primer along with a mattifying foundation and concealer ensure that the length of time before you get dewy is long and strong. For my dry skin girls, you’ll want to avoid mattifying primers completely and focus on hydrating and illuminating primers to help ensure your makeup goes on smoothly and doesn’t cause a dry and flakey look.
Why it matters: Primer is a barrier between your skin and the makeup ensuring longer wear.
Fix: Find your prep routine to include a moisturizer targeted to your specific skin type.
Pro Tip: “Think of it like painting a wall—you need primer before color.”
Mistake #3: Using the Wrong Foundation Shade or Undertone
I’ve noticed that a lot of women of color tend to get their colors wrong when it comes to foundation and concealer purchases. I need you to go and get color matched by a professional babe. Stop following behind influencers and content creators who are NOT your skin tone for what color makeup you need to be buying. Now that makeup has expanded to sooo many colors thanks to brands like Fenty Beauty, to ensure that everyone is able to find their shade match (or at least something close), you don’t have to hope to find your match. You more than likely will find it if you venture out and get color matched in stores like Sephora or Ulta. Once you’re matched, you can also take online quizzes from brands to find color matches that may be priced lower. (We’re always here for saving some coin, boo!)
Why it happens: Lighting in stores, oxidation, or not knowing undertones.
Fix: Go into an actual store to get color matched. Match foundation to your chest/jawline, NOT the back of your hand.
Pro Tip: If you’re in between shades, mix — don’t settle.
Mistake #4: Not using any Contour/Bronzer to bring warmth back to your face
Skipping the process of contouring and/or bronzer can leave your makeup looking flat. No one has skin that looks exactly the same shade over their entire face. We need a contour and/or bronzer to help bring the warmth back to our face. I personally am a fan on bronzing because it is very quick and effective for creating a good look of warmth without having to be precise in what you’re applying. Contouring needs a little more detail as you’re looking for the areas of your face where shadows live. Bronzing is about adding warmth to the places the sun would naturally hit your face. Using either one or both of these will help ensure you don’t look flat and one color all over as it’s very unnatural and gives casket sharp. We don’t want that at all.
Why it happens: You think foundation/concealer by itself is enough to get the job done.
Fix: Choose a bronzer to “warm” your skin where the sun naturally hits or a contour to emphasize your face’s natural shadows.
Pro Tip: Use cream products for a softer, more natural look before you use powder to set for good.
Mistake #5: RUSHING
I hate to tell you but this is the BIGGEST makeup mistake I see people making: your makeup is NOT hittin’ because you are RUSHING through the process. You’re starting your makeup with 7 minutes to spare, you aren’t giving your primer enough time to dry down, you’re trying to do new techniques and use new products before you’ve even looked at em good and then you’re mad your makeup isn’t coming out like the girls on TikTok and Instagram. You have to master your makeup techniques FIRST in order to do them quickly. While I am the queen of saying, “makeup isn’t hard” (because it ain’t), I can’t lie and tell you that makeup only takes 5 minutes from jump. You have to take your time if you are trying to get yourself to the level where you can get it down to 15 min or less. You have to experiment with things to see what works best for your face. And these things take TIME. So to fix this, you must add more time to your “get ready” system. My personal system gives me 15 minutes MINIMUM to get my makeup done and I plan out the rest of my get ready plan calculating time backwards from when I need to be leaving the house. If you need an hour, ok! Give yourself an hour! Do what you need to do to ensure you can look and feel your best. Doing so will ensure your confidence is on point so you can stand out for good reasons! Not because people are like, “ooh chile, her makeup looks crazy”.
Why it matters: Knowing how to do your own makeup takes time and knowing how much time to take will ensure you always EAT on that beat!
Fix: Add more time to your “get ready” system instead of trying to throw your makeup in as a last minute thing. Give it it’s own time frame.
Pro Tip: Start with giving yourself an extra 30-45 to leisurely do your makeup. If you finish early, you’ve got more time for selfies before you head out the door!
At the end of the day, makeup should feel fun, empowering, and like a boost of confidence. NOT a source of stress. Now that you know the makeup mistakes to avoid and have some fixes up your sleeve, your overall look will start working for you instead of against you. Because remember: the goal isn’t perfection, it’s confidence. When your makeup routines are solid, your prep is right, and you give yourself enough time to actually enjoy the process, your makeup becomes a reflection of the best version of you.
And look, if you need to take this even deeper, there might just be a makeup masterclass coming in 2026 that will walk you through how to create a flawless routine with no overwhelm and definitely no endless YouTube rabbit holes. You’ll leave with techniques you can use every day to feel polished, radiant, and confident in your own skin.
Because real life > curated life, every time. And confidence? That’s always the best part of the look.
P.S. Want to see these fixes in action? I walk through my go-to techniques in the full video on YouTube; watch it here.
xo,
Keri
