Clown cheeks? Crooked wings? Fix makeup fails without starting over
Image: Freepik
You're foundation is flawless and you're contoured to perfection, but when you go in to apply your eyeliner or blush, things can quickly take a turn for the worse.
We've all had those moments when we've gone a step too far with our blush or eyeliner looks more like a scribble than a sleek line.
To make matters worse, this disaster often strikes when you're in a hurry and there's no time to start all over again.
But before you reach for the makeup wipes, there are a few tricks you can use to quickly fix those annoying mishaps.
Blush overload
If you've gone overboard with the blush and are looking more like a clown than a glowing goddess, here's what to do.
The fix: Use a clean powder brush or a makeup sponge with a bit of leftover foundation on it to buff over the area.
This will tone down the intensity without removing the blush completely. You can also lightly dust a bit of translucent powder over it to soften the pigment.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Mascara disaster
Mascara mishaps are the absolute worst when you're rushing.
The fix: Resist the urge to wipe immediately. Let the smudge dry completely. Once dry, it's much easier to flick away with a clean earbud.
If it's clumpy, grab a clean, dry mascara brush and gently comb through your lashes to separate them and remove excess product.
Simply use a clean dry mascara brush to get rid of clumps.
Image: Meruyert Gonullu / Pexels
Eyeliner gone wrong
Your one eye is perfectly lined, but the other looks like it was applied by a five-year-old.
The fix: Dip an earbud into micellar water and carefully clean up any wobbly lines or smudges.
After you've cleaned up, use a small, flat brush to apply a touch of concealer right along the edge of your eyeliner.
Uneven brows
Yes, our eyebrows are not a perfect pair, but with one wrong move, they can quickly look like strangers.
The fix: Grab a clean mascara brush and blend out the product to diffuse harsh lines.
If you've gone overboard, use a cotton bud with a little micellar water or concealer on a flat brush to clean up the edges. Then fill in only where needed.
IOL Lifestyle
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
From Soweto to the sea: SA's first Black freediver makes waves
ZANDILE Ndhlovu is South Africa's pioneering Black freediver, widely known as the 'Black Mermaid.' Image: Supplied ZANDILE Ndhlovu holds her breath. She's 25 metres underwater, without oxygen, and face-to-face with a bull shark off Sodwana Bay on KwaZulu-Natal's north coast. Man and beast engage in a silent stare-off. Then the shark glides away. It's not a movie scene, but a regular moment in the life of Ndhlovu - South Africa's pioneering Black freediver, widely known as the 'Black Mermaid.' 'You can't leave until the bull shark stops the stare-down,' she says, because you have to establish dominance. 'And then it eventually leaves, and you just break for the surface because you realise that if you hold yourself and you calm yourself, the animal is calm. So if you just pause in the moment and not freak out, you're already on the winning side.' Ndhlovu, known for her blue braids and fearlessness in the ocean, is a research assistant for an award-winning team of scientists featured in Shark Week 2025, airing this week on Discovery Channel Africa (DStv 121). Throughout the week, a series of documentaries will spotlight African scientists, conservationists, and filmmakers helping to reshape shark science and ocean storytelling. Last year, the series drew over 25 million global viewers. ZANDILE Ndhlovu, known as the Black Mermaid, and her colleagues, marine biologist Ryan Johnson(left) and shark geneticist Gibbs Kuguru, appear in the documentary Great White Reign of Terror. Image: Supplied Ndhlovu and her colleagues; shark geneticist Gibbs Kuguru and marine biologist Ryan Johnson, appear in the documentary Great White Reign of Terror, which investigates a spate of shark encounters in the Eastern Cape. Her job is to dive in and retrieve whatever the science team needs. 'Whether it's to dive in and retrieve a receiver or help with tagging or understand what the problem is; is there a shortage of food for the sharks? Why are they not there? My assistant work is a question of what do the scientists need and how can I get into the water and be able to do that in the most streamlined way that allows us to get closer to wildlife.' The founder of the Black Mermaid Foundation, conservationist, and TEDx speaker, Ndhlovu believes sharks can 'read' your heartbeat. 'That's why you have to pause, make eye contact until it elects that you can go and then you go. The secret is not to act like prey because sharks will always chase,' she says. 'I often say our fear is often the danger. There's a possibility that we can do something to harm them. And so there's something in capturing and holding ourselves accountable to how we show up in wildlife spaces that allow the animals to also be calm.' Sharks, she says, are essential to ocean health. 'They are ecosystem regulators. Without the big sharks, we have larger fish species that bloom and grow unchecked… They can eat up smaller species that are key to coral health.' Ndhlovu can freedive to 35 metres and hold her breath for over five minutes. 'The thing that is most humbling about freediving is that not every day is going to be a strong breath hold day. Some days you wake up and your body's like, no, and then other days you wake up and it's like, okay, cool.' Ironically, the writer and filmmaker who is South Africa's first Black female freediving instructor, grew up in Soweto, a landlocked township in Gauteng. This week, she told the Independent on Saturday that it all started at the age of 28 in 2016 when she went snorkelling for the first time. 'It was so beautiful that I wanted to know what happens after snorkelling,' said Ndhlovu. Scuba diving followed, then freediving, and finally the founding of the Black Mermaid Foundation. 'I said to myself, I think this is what I'm looking for. And from the first moment when I held my breath I knew that that's where I wanted to be.' Before turning to the ocean, Ndhlovu worked in customer relations and ran her own agency. But the ocean tugged at her heart and she listened. 'The pull to this day is the ability to be with the water. And in the water, there's no one identifier — not the idea of being Black or a woman or anything in this world. She's a universal equalizer. To her, we're just all human. And there's something about not holding the burden off of identity. There's something about just being.' Her mission now includes bringing marine access to township children. Through the Black Mermaid Foundation, she's already introduced over 1 000 youngsters from Langa and Gugulethu to snorkelling and conservation. 'Who I am is a conservationist, but at heart, a storyteller. My grandmother's table is where I learned about stories. I think about using stories as a powerful tool for change, for narrative expansion, for conservation.' To this day Ndhlovu calls Sodwana Bay her underwater home because that's where she had her first open water dive. 'It's a very special place to me… It's the one place where you could come across anything; great white sharks, bull sharks, whale sharks, whales. It's such a magical part of the country.' However, she warns that Sodwana Bay is already showing signs of climate change because recently she went diving there and noticed coral bleaching. She believes that local coastal communities who are often wrongly blamed for what's happening in our waters have a crucial role in conservation. 'Local communities may not be the hardest hitters of impact on the ocean, but when we're catching small fish, that kills reefs, which means less fish… There is a powerful place for ocean literacy, education that allows communities to see how we can do better together.' As Shark Week hits local screens, and Ndhlovu starts a new six month course for children in Philippi, Cape Town she reflects on what her journey means. 'Just to see these shows come home is powerful because, again, it's just such a reminder that regardless of where you come from, you don't know where the world will take you. Even as a girl from Soweto, who only found the ocean at 28 years old, it's never too late. But also the world is open and what a time to be alive.'
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Witty, wild and weirdly relatable: why 'Single Parents' hits home
The cast of Disney+'s family-friends series, "Single Parents". Image: Instagram. If you thought raising kids was a walk in the park, then get ready for the rollercoaster ride that is "Single Parents" on Disney+. This series plunges viewers into the chaotic yet hilarious reality of modern parenthood, where laughter is the ultimate remedy for daily mayhem. With a cast that feels like your own quirky circle of friends, the show captures the relatable struggles of juggling child-rearing responsibilities while trying to keep your personal life from spiralling out of control. At the helm is Will Cooper, played by Taran Killam. Cooper's world turned upside down when his wife opted for a life on the road, leaving him in charge of their daughter, Sophie. And if you thought that was tough, just wait till you meet the rest of the single-parent ensemble. There's Angie (Leighton Meester), a stressed out paralegal trying her best to stay afloat with her son Graham; Poppy (Kimrie Lewis), a sommelier trying to sip her way through parenting with her son Rory; Douglas (Brad Garrett), a widowed dad navigating fatherhood while holding onto some rather dubious ideologies, and Miggy (Jake Choi), a fresh-faced, 20-year-old attempting to balance fatherhood with his DJ ambitions after being left high and dry by his baby mama. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Angie (Leighton Meester), a frazzled paralegal trying her best to stay afloat with her son Graham (Tyler Wladis). Image: Instagram. Together, this band of single parents forms a supergroup forged by their shared bonds of frustration and exhaustion. What makes "Single Parents" a breath of fresh air is its refreshing approach towards the digital age of family life. The show avoids the pitfalls of crude humour and excessive adult themes. Instead, it finds its charm within the laughter that comes from sheer absurdity and the sassiness of the couple envy every single parent feels. Yes, it gets cheesy at times, but isn't that what life, and parenthood, is all about? The writing is smart, funny and often heart-warming, showing that perhaps sometimes kids are the ones imparting life lessons while parents are just along for the laughs. Poppy (Kimrie Lewis) with her son Rory (Devin Trey Campbell). Image: Instagram. Whether it's the hilarity of a poorly executed school pick-up or the cringeworthy misadventures in the dating world, "Single Parents" embodies that age-old adage: it takes a village to raise a child. As you binge through the episodes, expect a hearty mix of genuine community support and the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being a single parent. The moments shared between the parents highlight the joys and trials of parenthood and remind viewers that people can band together, creating their own family out of friendship and shared experiences. Taran Killam and Brad Garrett as Will and Douglas in "Single Parents". Image: Instagram. So, grab your popcorn, settle in and prepare for a delightful escape with "Single Parents", a show that promises laughter alongside lessons of resilience and community. After all, in the whirlwind of parenting chaos, sometimes laughter truly is the best remedy.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Reality TV heats up: inside the drama-filled lives of 'Vaal Riviera' families
Showmax has just dropped the trailer for 'Vaal Riviera', a reality series following four families from the Vaal Triangle. Image: Supplied. Move over, "The Real Housewives" franchise - four new families are headed to Showmax next month. The streaming platform recently dropped the trailer for its upcoming reality series, "Vaal Riviera", set to premiere on Friday, August 22. Produced by POP24, the series follows the vibrant lives of these families hailing from the Vaal Triangle, denouncing any ideas that tiny communities aren't filled with drama. As the trailer suggests, the Vaal region offers a unique kind of glamour. Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, nestled along the banks of the Vaal River, may be smaller in scale, but the drama they host is as vast as the waters that surround them. The first episode promises to deliver an action-packed start, as families prepare for the much-anticipated opening of the Vaal River. Cooler boxes packed into flashy cars and boats, ready for launch, set the scene as friendships are forged amidst rising tensions. An exhilarating tube race serves as a precursor to the season's unfolding storylines, hinting at deeper currents beneath the festive façade. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The Arangies family. Image: Supplied. Meet the families of 'Vaal Riviera' The Arangies embody boldness and flair. Bernelee, a fierce office manager and micro-needling entrepreneur, never shies away from honest opinions or quick comebacks. Her husband, Charl, a race car driver, leads the family business while their daughter, Allegra, navigates the world as a savvy influencer. Little Aaliyah, with her fiery personality, adds a spark to their already dynamic household. The Deysels are effortlessly modern yet deeply conservative. Image: Supplied. The Deysels represent a blend of modernity and tradition. Riandi, a composed working mother, balances her career, childcare and the ambitious project of building a new home. Meanwhile, Jay Jay, the cool father figure, juggles multiple business ventures with ease. Their children, Zaya and Jax, have already made names for themselves as mini-social media moguls, determined to reach greater heights. The Snymans are figuring it out one day at a time. Image: Supplied. The Snymans navigate the complexities of life one step at a time. Rianza, an engaged stay-at-home mom with a creative flair, complements her husband Ruhann, an anaesthetist trying to balance demanding hospital hours with family commitments. Their lively brood, Mila, the ambitious creator; Sebastian, the contemplative thinker and Lika, the effervescent bundle of energy, adds colourful dimensions to their story. The Swarts. Image: Supplied. The Swarts epitomise an intriguing mix of elegance and eccentricity. Matriarch Lané manages their lives with finesse, while her husband, Corrie, a fitness-enthusiast "trophy husband", offers surprising depth. Their sons, Tristan and Louen, fit the ideal image of well-mannered perfection, yet secrets may linger just beneath their polished exteriors. "'Vaal Riviera' is must-watch family television because it's real, unscripted, unfiltered and deeply human. It has something for everyone in the family, from the grown-ups, the men, the women, to the little ones. "Whether it's the drama, the laughs or the heart, there's a piece of real life here that everyone can connect with," said executive producer Lea Knoesen. Watch the trailer below.
