I was in the supermarket queue the other day and there was a lady in front of me. As she turned to pack her bag, I could see that she was wearing bright neon pink clown-like blusher on her cheeks and forehead and had used a thick black eyeliner pencil to badly draw in eyebrows over her own.

I smiled politely at her and got on with my business, but secretly wished I could have taken out my make-up brush and blended away those Aunt Sally cheeks and reshaped those Ronald McDonald eyebrows.

So for this month’s column I want to talk about the top five make-up faux pas: and more importantly, how to avoid them.

1.Flawless Foundations

Donald Trump looks like he has been tangoed: has no one told him that when you match up a foundation, you always dab some of it onto your cheek so you can get the perfect colour match to your skin tone?

Never test foundation on your hands, because your hands and face are a different colour. The cheaper the foundation the more orange pigment it will have in it, so my advice is to get a well-known brand foundation that matches your skin tone perfectly.

Estée Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation RRP €34.50 is a favourite of mine for a good coverage, while for a lighter, more natural look, Elizabeth Arden’s Flawless Finish Foundations are super, with two options: the sponge-on cream make-up RRP €32 and the Perfectly Nude liquid make-up RRP €36.

2.Getting Lippy

We’ve all had that awkward situation where we have gotten a bit of lipstick on our teeth. To avoid such embarrassment, always use a lip liner before you apply your lippy. Fill your lips in with a sharpened lip pencil. This provides a base for your lipstick to stick on to. Avoid filling in your “inner lips”, where the teeth naturally hit the lip.

When applying your lipstick, preferably, use a lip brush so you have more control of where the lip colour goes. Be sure to apply your lipstick evenly and within the lip lines. You can apply lip gloss after this step.

Put your finger in your mouth. Form an “O” with your mouth around your finger, and gently slide your finger straight out of your mouth. Any lip colour that was on your inner lips is now on your finger. This step is crucial, as lip colour on the inner lips will rub off onto teeth after you’ve left the mirror. An excellent new long-lasting lipstick I use a lot is Rimmel Only 1 Matte, RRP €8.99: a non-drying, velvet matte lipstick in fabulous colours.

3.Keep It Fresh

Make-up should be worn to enhance one’s natural beauty, not to mask it. OTT, cakey, over-done make-up is not flattering and my advice is to apply your make-up in a good light when you’re not in a huge rush.

When applying make-up, the standard rule is to let one feature stand out. Not all of them. That means you don’t need bright-red lipstick and dark smoky glittery eyes with fake lashes and bright pink cheeks with shimmer highlighter. Choose one feature to stand out, and keep the others neutral or minimal. That’s the key to looking fresh and beautiful.

4.Beautiful Brows

Eyebrows should softly frame your eyes. Think of them as sisters, not twins: your brows are not supposed to be identical.

Never completely pluck out all of your own eyebrows thinking you can draw them in with a black eye brow pencil where you want them to be – it simply does not work. Natural and understated is the key.

An easy-to-apply brow pencil I like to use to darken my brows and make them more shapely is the Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long Wear Brow Pencil in rich brown. It has a handy little brow brush on one end.

When you comb through your brow hairs, always brush up and sweep out. Stockists include Arnotts and Brown Thomas, at €39.50.

5.Nail It

Chipped nail polish and/or dirty finger nails are not a pretty sight. Fake nails that are half on, half off, some long, some short, are not a good look. Nails should be all the same length and clean.

Nail polish remover is cheap as chips and the handy little remover pads are useful to remove the polish, even on the run.

Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Polish Remover will shift stubborn nail varnish and hydrates the nails, at €3.25, while Quickies Nail Varnish Remover Pads are handy and effective at €2.99, both available from McCabes Pharmacy and other stockists.

It’s sensible to keep a nail file and nail polish remover pads in the car and office. MAC manicure files are strong and great for filing and shaping the nail: stockists include Brown Thomas, €6.

Toenail polish that’s been clinging on for months will discolour your toenails and can cause a fungal infection on the nail bed. If you can’t tame your toe nails yourself, then treat yourself to a relaxing soothing pedicure, which will only set you back approximately €20. It’s money well spent.

In next month’s column I will be sharing with you this year’s wonderful summer make-ups and beauty trends. If you have any make-up and beauty questions, please do email me at dollybuckley1@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram @make-upbydolly.b