When you're learning professional makeup, it's completely normal for something to look different on your model than it did during your instructor's demonstration.
After years of teaching aspiring makeup artists, there are certain mistakes I see beginners make again and again. And interestingly, they're usually not caused by a lack of ability. They're often the result of not yet understanding why a technique works.
Here are three of the most common mistakes I see — and what I teach my students to do instead.
1. Taking Eyeshadow Too Far Out
One of the most common things I see with beginners is eyeshadow becoming larger and larger as they blend.
You start with a small amount of shadow, blend the edges, add a little more, blend again — and before you know it, the eyeshadow has travelled much further than you intended.
The result can make the eye look heavy or make the shadow appear too winged for that particular eye shape.
How to fix it
Before thinking about eyeshadow colours, look at the person's actual eye structure.
Identify where the eye socket sits and use the person's anatomy to help guide your placement. The important thing to understand is that this will be different on every client. Rather than memorising exactly where eyeshadow went on your previous model, learn to recognise the boundaries and proportions of the eye you're working on.
This is something we spend a lot of time on during professional training because once you understand where your makeup should sit, blending becomes much easier.
2. Foundation Looking Cakey or Patchy
A beginner may assume that cakey foundation means they've chosen the wrong foundation.
Sometimes that's true.
But very often, the problem started before the foundation was even applied.
If the skin is dehydrated, rough or hasn't been prepared appropriately, foundation may struggle to sit smoothly on top of it. Adding more foundation to try to cover the problem can make the texture even more noticeable.
How to fix it
Learn to assess the skin before you start applying makeup.
- Does it feel dry or rough?
- Is it oily but dehydrated underneath?
- Are there areas that need more hydration than others?
- Skin preparation shouldn't be identical for every client.
Choose your skincare and preparation according to the skin sitting in front of you, allow it to settle properly, and then apply your complexion products in thin layers.
One of the biggest changes I see in students is when they stop thinking:
“What foundation should I use?”
and start thinking:
“What does this skin need before I apply foundation?”
That's a much more useful question for a professional makeup artist.
3. Following the Technique Too Rigidly
This may actually be the most important one. When you're first learning makeup, structure is incredibly useful. You need steps, demonstrations, and you need someone to tell you where products go and why. But eventually, you have to learn when not to follow the exact same steps.
A technique that looks beautiful on one person may not suit the next person at all. Different clients have different eye shapes, face shapes, skin tones, skin textures, features and preferences. Professional makeup isn't about learning one beautiful look and reproducing it on everybody.
How to fix it
Before you start applying makeup, look at your client.
- What features would you like to emphasise?
- What needs to be adapted?
- Would this particular eye benefit from a winged liner, or would another shape be more flattering?
- Does the complexion need more hydration?
- Should the placement of blush or contour change for this face shape?
This is where you begin moving from simply following instructions to actually thinking like a makeup artist. And that transition takes practice.
Learn the Rules — Then Learn How to Adapt Them
When you're a beginner, mistakes aren't something you need to be afraid of. They're often how you begin understanding your technique. The goal of professional makeup training shouldn't simply be to teach you a collection of looks that you can copy.
It should teach you how to look at a new face, assess what you're seeing and decide what to do.
That's something I emphasise throughout the Bloom Pro Artist Course.
Students work hands-on with live models so they can experience different skin tones, textures, eye shapes and facial features — while receiving individual guidance in a class of no more than two students.
Over time, you stop asking:
“Am I doing exactly what Roseanne demonstrated?”
and start asking:
“What would look best on this person?”
That's the point where you're really beginning to develop as an artist.
Explore the 64-Hour Bloom Pro Artist Course →
Or, if you'd like to experience our teaching style before committing:
Love,
Roseanne
Bloom Pro Academy