I Wore Makeup "Don'ts" For A Week And This Is What Happened

    I’m not really sure who decided blue eyeshadow was a no-no, but I think that person is wrong!

    Nina Mohan
    by Nina Mohan

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Charlotte Gomez for BuzzFeed

    Hey guys, Nina here. I love playing with makeup, but I'm certainly no Instagram beauty guru. In fact, I learn a lot by reading and watching stuff online.

    ninamohan / instagram.com

    Here's me, trying out green lipstick because I'm a rebel.

    But a lot of advice out there says certain things don't work for ANYONE and that no one should EVER commit these makeup sins.

    Nina Mohan for BuzzFeed / Via cosmopolitan.com / paulaschoice.com / totalbeauty.com

    Being the contrarian that I am, I decided to find out what it would be like to wear these makeup "don'ts" for a full week to see how people reacted and how I actually felt about them after trying them out.

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    The "dont's": Blue eyeshadow; clumpy mascara

    My thoughts: I didn't think this look was particularly offensive. I'm not really sure who decided blue eyeshadow was a no-no, but I think that person is wrong! My shadow is a bit more teal than true blue, but I'd probably rock this shade again. It's a fun shake-up from my normal neutral eyeshadow routine. However, the clumpy mascara was no friend to me. I was more disturbed by the feel of them than the look. I had to really glob it on to get them to be clumpy, and my lashes felt way too heavy.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The reactions: My boss called this look "very peacock." I chose to take it as a compliment. In fact, most of my co-workers were a fan of this look or didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I appeared in a different post with this look and the commenters were, um, divided as you can see below.

    People loved it. And hated it.

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    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The "dont's": Lining only under the eyes; milky lip color

    My thoughts: Oh this white lipstick. I freaked MYSELF out. This is a really bold look. I don't hate it as a still photo. I think it's the kind of thing you wear when you want to make your Instagram more edgy. For me, it's a little too weird in motion, especially because the lipstick I used was a little patchy. The under-eye liner is a bit strange, but once I got used to it, it made me feel sort of ~ fashion ~.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The reactions: With regards to my lipstick, one co-worker said it made him want powdered doughnuts and another said it was "out of control." But when someone finally straight-up said it didn't look good, I felt bad. I had been waiting for this reaction all day, but actually hearing it hurt, even though I secretly agreed. A part of me just wanted to think I could somehow pull this off, but that just brought me crashing back down to reality. I think the lips totally eclipsed the eye stuff, so I have no reactions for that.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The "don'ts": Glittery/metallics during the daytime; body glitter

    My thoughts: Despite my awkward smile, I actually kind of loved this look! I love glitter in general, but never really experiment with that kind of eccentric look. I used body glitter as a highlight, and it ended up getting EVERYWHERE, so be careful if you're going to try that. All in all, I'd be a glitter baby 'til the day I die.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The reactions: My boyfriend wasn't a huge fan of this look because I got so much glitter on him, but my co-workers were really into it. Someone mentioned my lipstick was a little light for my skin tone, which is true, but I couldn't bring myself to dislike it. I may look like a disco ball, but I'm a very pretty disco ball.

    Here's a closeup of my glitter highlighter, lightin' up the bathroom.

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    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The "don'ts": Red eyeshadow; matching eyeshadow and lipstick

    My thoughts: I fully expected to HATE the red eyeshadow. I thought it would make me look like I was sick and dying. But I think there's a slight pinkness to it that keeps it from being too costumey. Matching my lips also wasn't as strange-looking as magazines would lead me to believe. I actually felt a little fierce.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The reactions: People in the office seemed to like the red-on-red. One co-worker came up to me and said I looked like "a fiery dragon queen," which is not an aesthetic I've ever embodied in the past, but is definitely one I embraced on that day. I think the bold colors made me feel bold as a person that day. Just call me the Scarlet Bitch.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The "don'ts": Overdrawn lips; overextended liner; overdone eyebrows

    My thoughts: I don't touch my brows, so it was surreal seeing them so blocky. I wasn't a fan of the eyeliner, just because I had to make it fairly thin to get it to be that long. And my lips. My poor, poor lips. They're a decent size to begin with, so overdrawing them made me clown chic. But all together, I think it only looks a little bit insane. In fact, I was disturbed by how not crazy I thought I looked.

    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    The reactions: One co-worker noticed that my eyebrows were thicker than normal and asked if I'd filled them in. That was about it. I'm amazed the whole office didn't run screaming once they saw me. I think combining each of the exaggerated looks somehow gives my whole face context and lessens the craziness impact of each one.

    Here is a closeup of my Kylie Jenner-esque lips.

    Nina Mohan for BuzzFeed
    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed
    Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

    There were a lot of elements I loved about this week. It gave me a chance to experiment with things I never would have done otherwise, like wearing crimson on my lids or body glitter in a year other than 2002. Challenging myself to wear "don'ts" forced me to not give a fuck what people think. When you look like you dove lip-first into a pile of powdered sugar, you can't let what people think of your look ruin your whole day. That's no way to live your life. Don't be afraid to take a risk because someone else isn't OK with it. Do what works for you.

    A lot of people will act like they're an authority on makeup and make value judgments on shades and techniques. But your journey with makeup is YOURS and yours alone. For this week, my face was a canvas to play and create and try new things. I learned so much from that. Ultimately, nothing is a "don't" unless you say it is.

    Long live makeup "don'ts"!