You know that feeling you get the minute you see the heroine slip down the dark staircase to check the noise in the basement and you silently scream at the telly, “Runnnnnnn!”. Below is a list of five beauty pitfalls that should elicit the exact same response.
First pitfall to avoid — shambolic heels. Every girl knows living in Galway is hell on high heels. The picturesque cobblestone pathways have a devastating effect on our shoes. Even if you feel as though you spend half of your life queuing up at the cobblers, that is better than walking around in ground down heels. Take heart though, as Kurt Geiger has a good range of super flat ballet style and slipper style shoes, all bang on trend at the minute. Now you can keep your high heels for indoors and still brave the pavement in style.
Second pitfall to avoid — an oily complexion. Just about every cosmetic house does a handy compact to powder down excess shine. I adore Chanel’s Teint Innocence for creamy coverage. I also toss Mac’s Studio Fix into my bag now as I have noticed all the girls using it in fashion shows and workshops. It truly gives a quick and easy polished finish.
Third pitfall to avoid — haphazardly whacking on mascara. Nothing looks worse (OK, some things look worse ) than clumpy mascara pulled through the lashes against the natural hair growth. The mascara wand should be slowly pushed right up to the lid then slowly dragged through the lashes. My favourite is Estée Lauder’s Double Wear, it is great if you are facing a long night and you can even swim in it.
Fourth pitfall to avoid — dry patches of skin on your face. If your foundation is sticking to certain patches of your face giving you a flaky appearance, no amount of moisturiser is going to help — you need to exfoliate. I am a huge fan of this process and I adore Elizabeth Arden’s Peel and Reveal Revitalising Treatment. You cover your face with it (you can actually feel your skin tingling ), leave on a few minutes, and then literally peel off like a mask. Voila! All flakiness disappears and the texture is amazing.
And finally fifth pitfall to avoid— unkempt fingernails. If you don’t have the time or budget for a professional manicure, it only takes 10 minutes to do the job yourself. File them down short to wear the new Paradoxal by Chanel, it’s an iridescent purple with flecks of grey.
