The Common Makeup Fail Even Taylor Swift Was Caught Making

Taylor Swift's makeup is usually flawless, though she once made a super common makeup fail. By the way, flawless isn't an understatement. While a small selection of Swift's outfits have sometimes been inappropriate, her makeup artists have rarely ever led her astray — especially Gucci Westman, the woman responsible for pairing her with her famous red lip in 2009. "I remember I really wanted to do a red lip on her because I hadn't seen her in a red lip before," Westman dished on "Today With Hoda & Jenna." However, Swift's mom wasn't sold. "And her mom, if I'm allowed to say this, was like, 'Well, Taylor doesn't wear red,'" she continued. "And I was like, 'Please, can I just try?'"

While Swift obviously took the plunge, her makeup hasn't always been up to par. In October 2015, when Swift was still dating DJ Calvin Harris, photogs caught her emerging from her building looking not quite up to her normal standards. Instead of wowing the paparazzi with another one of her gorgeous makeup looks, she popped up wearing soft pink lip gloss, dark, heavy eyeliner, and a face of full of cakey white powder. As Glamour reported at the time, Swift was probably the victim of "baking," a then-popular trend that had people adding a layer of translucent powder on top of their foundation. When done right, the result is a seamless, do-it-yourself airbrushed look. When done wrong, well...

But fear not, as a makeup artist has already broken down how to avoid a similar sitch!

The best way to prevent recreating Taylor Swift's makeup disaster is to know what went wrong. Fortunately, makeup artist Benjamin Puckey spoke with Teen Vogue and broke down the crucial misstep that ruined this particular look. "This mistake is caused by white finishing powders that claim to be colorless and transparent," said Puckey. "The main ingredient is 'silica,' a light-reflecting substance that is great at absorbing shine and is used a lot in sunblock." Unfortunately for Swift, a celeb who's endlessly photographed, the powders don't pair well with flash photography. "But if you are, avoid these white silica-containing finishing powders at all costs. Always check the ingredient list."

Of course, the whole baked makeup trend looks best when the wearer already has healthy skin. And while Swift hasn't spent much time dishing on her beauty habits in recent years, she did share some of her beauty secrets with Allure in 2011. "I'll use whatever is around really," Swift said about her fave beauty products. "I'll go to the drugstore and just get makeup removal pads, facial scrubs (that I always forget to use)." She continued, "The one thing I do daily is put on night cream every morning before I put on my make up, and at night before I go to bed." As for her nighttime routine? "I take my contacts out, wash my face, put on night cream, and put on my glasses so I can watch Friends."