‘Makeup Opinions’ You’re Not Going To Like, According To A MUA

A professional makeup artist has gone viral after dividing the internet with seven controversial beauty opinions.

Claire Bridgett, a 27-year-old influencer and makeup artist from Melbourne, Australia, has picked up a lot of tips and tricks over her seven years in the industry, and the MUA is speaking out again against the beauty opinions she doesn’t agree with.

Bridgett’s opinions divided the reel’s 1.3 million viewers, who took to the comments to share their thoughts on why she’s wrong, but she stood by her words as she explained her reasoning exclusively to Newsweek.

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1. Baking Ages You

We’re not talking about whipping up a batch of cookies. Here, “baking” refers to using a loose powder to set the under eye area.

While the technique is a great way to smooth out your under eyes, Bridgett believes this step should be skipped in the name of looking younger.

Explaining herself, she said: “Using powder makeup is usually always used to absorb shine and oils. When you use a large amount of powder under your eyes to bake, it will take away all the moisture and hydration. Unfortunately for anyone over the age of 21 we have fine lines under our eyes so when we use an excessive amount of powder it will dry out the under eyes and emphasize the fine lines.”

For those wanting to avoid this look, the MUA said: “Hydration is best when wanting to avoid dry, caky and aged-looking under eyes. To avoid I highly recommend people try to use concealer and not set it at all. It sounds scary, but for most people, it will work better.”

If you’re not willing to ditch the product completely, she added: “If you really need to powder, use a small brush, grab a little bit of powder and lightly tap the under eyes to set. The main goal is to avoid overdoing the powder.”

2. Makeup Dupes Don’t Perform

‘Dupe’ (short for duplicate) is often used to describe drugstore products that mimic the results of luxury brands. Many go on record to admit that some dupes may be better than the real deal.

Bridgett doesn’t share this sentiment, as she believes there’s no beating the real thing. “There’s a few brands out there purposely making products to dupe viral high end brands,” she said. “Those brands usually fall short on quality in comparison but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other affordable makeup options that can provide an alternative.

“One example could be the e.l.f. Poreless Putty Face Primer. Some say it’s a dupe for the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer, but I believe they are similar but not the same. Nevertheless, e.l.f. does still have its advantages, being a lot cheaper and still achieving the same results of smoothing pores and fine lines before makeup application.”

3. You’re Dehydrated, Not Oily

Many people with oily skin believe the imbalance means they can skip out on moisturizing products, but Bridgette shared how the opposite is true.

She said: “It’s such a misconception that oily skin people don’t need to moisturize. The issue with that is so many people think they have oily skin when in reality it’s just dehydrated.

“Dehydrated skin can overproduce oils when not hydrated, making your skin look oily. This can easily be fixed by balancing your skin out by giving it some moisture through skin care.”

If it’s not just dehydration, you should still be using some type of moisturizing product to balance the skin. She continued: “Even if you’re truly an oily skin type, a light water-based moisturizer will help take care of your skin and its barrier and ensure it’s healthy.

“Hydrating the skin is easy, and a moisturizer is a great first step but personally I love to do multiple steps. This usually includes a milky toner and then a hyaluronic acid serumfollowed by a lightweight moisturizer!”

4. Lazy Skincare=Bad Makeup

While makeup can certainly help your skin appear better, some things can’t be fixed by coverage alone and require time spent on a skin care routine. Bridgett said: “Makeup doesn’t fix skin texture. You can’t hide dry skin by putting foundation on top”

Not all hope is lost, as good skin prep before makeup application could be your saving grace. She continued: “If you hydrate your skin before makeup application it will have a glow and you will find your makeup just glides on and sits on the skin so much better. The reality is your makeup is only as good as the skin underneath. Also, it can stop your makeup sinking into your pores and looking textured and caky and also make your makeup last longer!”

5. More is More

While a “less is more” minimal approach has long been celebrated, Bridgett feels makeup lovers’ light touches could be the reason their look isn’t turning out as they envisioned.

“Working as a makeup artist at a beauty retailer showed me that people don’t understand why their makeup looks completely different when they get it professionally done,” said Bridgett.

“The difference is not only the skill level but the technique of layering product and knowing that to provide the best results it sometimes means using three different blushes to achieve the look and get it to last all day and night.”

Using more product doesn’t mean you have to go full glam, she continued: “I’ll also personally get so many compliments on a ‘natural’ makeup look and questions on why it looks so good and lasts, but they don’t realize that, although it looks natural, I’ve used 50 products to achieve it.

“Overall if you’re not using enough product it will come off quicker and not look as seamless and perfect as it could.”

6. Bright Concealer Won’t Cover Dark Circles

It may seem like the obvious reaction to waking up with dark circlesbut the makeup artist warned that your brightening concealer could be making things look worse.

“I would never suggest going too bright underneath your eyes as it can actually make dark circles turn gray. Instead, use a color close to your skin tone.”

When it comes to dark circles, use color theory for full coverage, as neutralizing the undertones is going to make all the difference. She continued: “It’s also very important for those with quite dark circles to use a color corrector, usually in a peachy shade to brighten and correct the darkness. It’s honestly a game changer.”

7. Clean Beauty Isn’t Real

One that’s been up for debate since its conception, Bridgett knew she would get “yelled at” for this controversial opinion. “Clean beauty” has long been subject to questions of what is actually means, although Bridgett simply thinks its ” a scam.”

She explained: “Well what does clean actually mean? There’s no standards on what makes something clean or not. One brand might think it means no preservatives, another might think no talc. As there’s no standard it really means nothing.”

She continued: “I also believe a lot of “clean” beauty brands use a lot of fear mongering in their marketing with very few claims backing it up. I like my foundation to have preservatives so it doesn’t expire in three months and grow mold thank you!”