The 5 Deadliest Beauty Sins We've All Committed And How To Fix Them

The only thing that can tarnish memories of a glitzy night out with friends is checking your pictures the next morning.

When you applied your makeup, you aimed for early 90s Gwen Stefani, but instead you looked more like Courtney Love.

Not only did you avoid noticing your face was a different color than your neck, you’re also embarrassed it’s taken you two decades to learn anything about applying makeup -- and you're still smearing on foundation with your fingers.

Of course, you did spend your middle school years layering clear lipgloss so thick your friends could practically see their reflections. Change takes time.

Rest assured, it's not too late to mend your erring ways.

We spoke to professional makeup artist Sarah Jane Beatty who gave us the lowdown on the most grievous crimes against concealer, mascara and more.

Know your face and flaunt your best features.

The best makeup will always be customized to fit your facial structure. With this in mind, trends like ultra-heavy Instagram brows and sharp contouring are likely to fade out of popularity in time. Instead of perfecting what's trendy, fit your own face.

Choose an area and master it: Learn the perfect nude lip or how to make your liquid eyeliner come to a razor-sharp edge.

Natural light is your new best friend.

According to Beatty, none of us seem to know our own skin color. (Oops.) Your foundation may be "sandy beach," but your concealer is "warm neutral." Combining multiple shades is a recipe for blotchy, uneven skin, kind of like Lindsay Lohan on any red carpet. (Love you though, LiLo.)

A concealer that's too light will actually accentuate any puffiness in your face instead of banishing it, while too much bronzer will turn your face a different color than your body. To avoid hue-based errors, invest in a lighted mirror or apply your makeup near a window.

Skip the Sahara desert and moisturize your face.

If there's only one step you take each morning, it should be to reach for the facial lotion after washing your face. Although makeup can act as a temporary fix for many problems, there's no foundation strong enough to hide dry or flaky skin.

To avoid a case of the peels, Beatty recommends exfoliating regularly and never skimping on moisturizer. A little SPF never hurt, either. By paying attention to your skin, you create a smooth canvas for your makeup to sit.

Stand out by blending in.

Makeup errors usually begin with small mistakes, like splotches or emphasis in the wrong place. Beatty recommends purchasing a Beautyblender to create the illusion of perfect skin: Dampen, then use the seamlessly-blended foundation and concealer. You'll be HDTV worthy.

And if you only remember one thing...

Remember eyeliner applied only on the bottom lashline is a recipe for disaster. Think: A "Real Housewife" when the cameras have just arrived.

Beatty adds, "it makes your eyes look smaller and droopy... just don't do it."

So finish your look, ladies; it's called "fashionably late" for a reason.