8 things makeup artists wish you'd stop doing to your face. Right now.

Image: iStock.

Makeup artists and beauticians are full of great advice for working with, and enhancing, what you’ve got.

However, they also have a lot of thoughts on what you shouldn’t do to your face. Now, we’re all for doing what you want and making your own choices in life — but if you want a little ‘tough love’ from the experts, here are eight common beauty behaviours they consider major no-nos:

1. Seriously, take off your chipped polish.

So your nails aren’t on your face, exactly, but Simple Skincare expert Craig Beaglehole says a worn-off manicure can immediately undermine whatever it is you’ve got going on up there.

“No matter how well dressed you are and how fabulous your hair and makeup is, chipped red or black nails are like chalk on a blackboard for me. It’s easy, just take it off and go nude,” he argues.

2. Sleeping in your makeup.

Don’t act surprised; you knew this one was coming. We’re all guilty of sleeping in our makeup, and worse, simply ‘topping it up’ the next day (hey, Kim Kardashian does it too…), but two wrongs don’t make a right. In fact, two wrongs can sabotage your future makeup efforts.

"Please, please, please stop doing this. Not only is it super unsanitary, it can lead to problems like clogged pores, acne and conjunctivitis. I can promise you are not getting the most out of your makeup doing it this way," explains celebrity makeup artist Stephanie Williams.

3. Not paying attention when trying out new skincare.

Whether it's because you want a change, you've read about a cool new product or there was a flash sale at Priceline, we've all switched up our skincare go-tos — often on a whim. Variety is the spice of life and all, but Craig Beaglehole says you need to pay close attention to how your skin is responding to your new arsenal.

"It's all too common for those with breakouts or irritated skin to be using the wrong products for their skin, yet the signs have been there since they changed," he explains.

"So only change one product at a time, keep an eye on your skin for the first week, and if any irritation occurs discontinue use. It's that simple."

4. Getting too contour-happy.

Once upon a time, the word 'contour' was associated with map-reading. Now? It's a makeup phenomenon that's becoming increasingly complex (hello, henna/clown/Star Wars contouring) — and according to Jacqui Arnold, it can easily get out of hand.

"Contouring and highlighting too heavily makes your face look 'cakey' with way too much makeup on. It's so unnatural, I know it's all the rage but this is one of my pet hates,” she says. (Post continues after gallery.)

5. Not using fake tan properly.

Hands up if you've ever fake tanned to the point of resembling a cast extra from Willy Wonka? Yep, been there.

Arnold isn't a huge fan of excessive tanning, whether it be on the body or face. “Leaving it on for too long and not exfoliating before re-tanning literally looks dirty and people need to stop doing this to their face," she implores.

"Apparently the new thing is ‘tontouring’, which is contouring on your face with fake tan. I can't imagine what it looks like when that starts to wear off!”

6. Overdrawn eyebrows.

Cara Delevingne-esque eyebrows are definitely 'A Thing', but if you're naturally lacking in the brow department Craig Beaglehole says it's crucial not to overdo it.

"While a fuller brow has become a fashion must-have, it's essential there's a translucent quality to it, rather than a harsh, overdrawn eyebrow that takes over the entire face. Remember, the eyebrow helps to bring out your eyes, not the other way round," he says.

Stephanie Williams advises you learn the dimensions of your face and don't over arch your brows into a completely different shape.

"Just don't over think it, chances are you already have a natural brow shape that complements your face. Nature is cool like that," she says.

"My hot tip is don't get stuck in the mirror for an hour trying to make your brows even... brows are supposed to be sisters, not twins."

7. And too-dark, heavily squared brows.

Yep, brow mishaps seem to be a major bugbear for beauty pros. “I love a strong brow, but it's so unnatural when they are made really square and dark," says Jacqui Arnold, Head Beauty Therapist at Esstudio Galleria.

Stephanie Williams agrees, adding: "I see a beautiful, full, perfectly combed brow and it just does something to me, but I am sick to death of seeing stencilled on, over-pencilled block brows."

Arnold says it's possible to draw in your brows without creating a drastic appearance. "Draw your brows with a pencil in hair like strokes, brush them out and then add shadow with an angled brush to soften and set," she recommends. (Post continues after gallery.)

 8. 'Instagramming' your face

Yes, you read that correctly — but we're not telling you to stop with the selfies. Stephanie Williams is sick of seeing "airbrushed, fully-retouched" photos of "mega-smokey eyes with super high-arched brows" on Instagram and YouTube, and wants us all to realise this isn't necessarily going to work in reality.

"While this can look stunning in retouched pictures it simply isn't realistic. I see so many young girls on YouTube covering their face in 50 shades of concealer covering every trace of natural skin... let us see you! Truly beautiful makeup, in my opinion, is dewy, fresh and natural," she says.  (Post continues after this video — an example of MUA-approved makeup!)

"Anyone can plaster full coverage concealer over their face, but it isn't going to make you look like Kim Kardashian. Do yourself a favour and invest in a great quality lightweight BB cream and watch some videos from backstage at fashion week, instead of taking makeup tips from Instagram and YouTube gurus."

Do you have any tips of your own to add? And do you agree with these?