Beauty Fails and Fixes

Whether it be a blue eye shadow phase in middle school, a horrendous haircut, an eyebrow incident, or anything in between, beauty fails can happen to the best of us. A few FCHS students recently reflected on their most embarrassing beauty fail experiences.

Eyebrows are often involved in beauty fails, especially their maintenance. “I tried to clean up my eyebrows by trimming them with cosmetic scissors, but I ended up cutting off a large chunk of my eyebrow the day before spring break,” said Rylie Henderson ‘21. Another student faced a similar scenario. “It took me a while to figure out how to correctly do my eyebrows. So throughout all of middle school, I would wear a ton of eyeliner without eyebrows [because they were naturally too light] to help balance my face out,” said Joey Hagan ‘22.

I recently fell victim to the eyebrow craze myself.  For an entire semester, I filled in my brows with a shade of makeup much darker than my hair color. My brows looked like black rectangles. Looking back at pictures is certainly embarrassing now.

I have been the victim of several beauty failures, some painful as well as humiliating. The worst of these affairs occurred the evening before school began in 2015. I decided after my appointment at Hair Cuttery to get my eyebrows waxed for the first time. Instead of leaving with properly-groomed brows, I left with painful, red scabs. The stylist missed my eyebrows altogether and instead, waxed my skin, ripping it off. Afterward, another stylist took a look at me and said, “Oh. You are going to need to put some aloe on that.” The wounds took three weeks to fully heal.

Although eyebrows account for most fails, hair is another common culprit. Senior Jackie Foster knows this to be true, giving her own scenario as proof. “One time, I completely shaved my widow’s peak off because I thought I would look better without it. Well, it grew back and stuck straight up in the air. All of my friends called it the bird wing,” she said. Students aren’t the only victims of beauty fails; even parents know the pain of beauty gone wrong. “My dad tried to dye his hair with a drugstore product, but his hair ended up turning orange,” said Junior Lex Harris. Luckily, there are easy fixes for the most common beauty mishaps.

1. Eyebrows

All too often, eyebrows are a trouble area when it comes to makeup. Finding the right balance of product to use can be complicated. For starters, the color of your eyebrow pencil or powder should be lighter, not darker than your hair color. Begin by lightly lining the bottom line of your brow, then blend the product and fill in where necessary. Brow gel is a great choice if you’re looking for sharp lines and precision. For more information on how to achieve the perfect brow, click here.

2. Foundation

Using the wrong foundation color is often a source of beauty fails. There’s nothing worse than having your foundation so off your skin color that it looks like your head belongs to another body. So make sure you color match the product to your neck, not your hand or face. It is important to change foundation shades with the seasons. In the winter when skin tends to be more pale, switch to a lighter shade. In the summer, when you’re more likely to be tanned, switch to a darker shade. These tips will ensure that your foundation is always the proper shade.

3. Tanning/Tanners

Fake tanners are another source of beauty fails, as you can easily find yourself with streaks or a distinct orange tone. Instead of going all-in and getting a whole-body spray tan, consider using products such as Jergens Natural Glow. This is a tinted lotion that is applied each day, creating a natural, tanned look. This product is a great way to manage your tan, because you can stop using it whenever your skin has reached the desired tint. In addition, such lotions will prevent wrinkles and fine lines and protect against skin damage and skin cancers. Using a daily moisturizer that contains sunscreen is a quick way to ensure your skin is protected from the sun’s rays.

4. Hair Care

Heat damage to hair is another potential disaster that is easy to identify. Split, choppy ends and an unhealthy, dull look are signs of this. Using heat-protecting hair products is the key to prevention, and many brands create these products. Whether it be a spray, mask or cream, these products will help protect hair from the daily wear-and-tear of drying and styling.

Also, using a styling tool with adjustable heat settings will help prevent damage. (Fine hair should stick to around 350 degrees F, while thick or curly hair can endure up to 375 degrees F).

5. Dry Skin

Heat does not only cause damage to hair, but also skin. Although it can be tempting to take long, boiling hot showers during the cold winter months, this is incredibly damaging to skin. Showers that are too hot ultimately lead to moisture loss, which leads to pesky dry winter skin. To prevent this, showers should last no longer than 15 minutes. Jergens creates an in-shower product that is a perfect solution to this problem. It should be applied immediately following a shower, before drying off. This way, all moisture from the shower is captured and preserved, resulting in perfectly moisturized skin. Also, you won’t have to worry about waiting for lotion to dry before getting dressed.

Although this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to beauty fails, these incidents can more often than not be avoided with the right tricks. Take these tips into consideration to prevent potential mishaps.