The Smoky Eye Look

Of all the makeup trends and looks out there, none other is more famed than the smoky eye. I'm sure many of you out there would love to know how to achieve it. It's simple yet dramatic.

Color choice, amazingly enough, is an important factor in the smoky eye. Stay away from blue...unless you want to look like you have undereye circles. Black, gray, brown, or dark green all work well.

Black looks good on everyone. Gray looks best on fair-skinned blondes and pale-skinned brunettes. Green and blue eyes look great with brown shadow. Brown eyes look good with dark green and gray. Brown shadow brings out the green in hazel eyes, and vice versa.

1. Apply an eyeshadow base over your eyelid to create a smooth canvas for your eyeshadow and to prevent creasing. Eye primer, foundation, and concealer all work.

2. Use either a black or gray pencil liner to trace your top lashline from the inner corner to the outer. Then, use the same pencil to line your lower lashes. Don't line close to the tear duct; otherwise your peepers will look smaller. Smudge both lashlines with a cotton swab or an eyeliner brush.

3. Sweep powder shadow (brown, gray and dark green all work with black or gray liner) over your lid and into your crease, blending the color up and outward. You can also pat a cream shadow over the concealer on your lid first, wait five minutes, then top with a matching powder shadow. This will help the shadow stay longer and look more dramatic.

4. Dust a lighter, neutral eyeshadow (such as ivory) over your browbone and the inner corners of your eyes.

5. Curl your lashes and finish with two coats of black mascara.

Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. Feel free to add comments, questions, complaints, praises (please, a lot of praises), requests, or any ol' thought that comes to your mind.

Thanks to any readers out there who are willing to waste some time and listen to my babbling. =]

Everyday Eye Looks

I am currently signed up with Carmindy's (a makeup artist) newsletters. She gives great makeup tips in each volume. Check it out at http://carmindy.com/. Here are the everyday eye looks she suggests for each age group:

"TEENS AND TWENTIES: Sparkle and color is key for a fun and flirty look. Try sweeping on a color intense loose eye shadow that really shimmers in a bold shade like aqua or purple. Apply sparingly across the lid from the lash line to the crease and smudge under the lower lash line. Skip liner and finish off with a lash building mascara. Keep cheeks and lips neutral so they won’t compete.

THIRTIES: Highlighting your eyes and intensifying your lash line will create the drama your looking for. Sweep liquid eyeliner across the upper lash line starting where the lashes begin and finishing at the outer corners in a little wing. Apply a shimmering highlight eye shadow under the brow, on the center of the eyelid and at the inner corners of the eyes. You can choose cream eye shadows for a really natural look or a loose formula for more intensity. Apply a midtone pressed eye shadow in the crease and under the lower lash line to bring your eye shape to life and polish it all off with volumizing mascara.

FORTIES AND FIFTIES: Define brows and eyes that may seem to be fading with time. Choose waterproof formulas that won’t disappear and choose pressed formula eye shadows instead of creams or loose powders that may settle into fine lines. Apply brow color in featherlike strokes with a stiff angle brush to deepen fading eyebrows. This technique will look more like your real eyebrows and less drawn on. Highlight under the brows with a pearly shadow and apply a midtone shade across the lid. A touch of darker contour eye shadow in the same color family as the lid shade can be subtly blended into the crease. Smudge the upper lash line with waterproof pencil eyeliner and coat the lashes with waterproof mascara.

SIXTIES AND ABOVE: Create a polished and effortless looking eye with ease. First you want to keep eye shadow in place and even out any discoloration by applying eye shadow base across the entire lid area. Next, use an eye shadow brush to dust a subtle amount of face powder across the lid to set the stage for a longwearing look. Line the eyes with waterproof liquid or pencil eyeliner in a shade like lead grey. Sweep on a pressed midtone matte eye shadow across the lid and apply a pressed vanilla matte eye shadow under the brow bone. Top off this look with smear resistant tube technology mascara."

Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. Feel free to add comments, questions, complaints, praises (please, a lot of praises), requests, or any ol' thought that comes to your mind.

Thanks to any readers out there who are willing to waste some time and listen to my babbling. =]

Bat Those Lashes (continued)

Now since a girl has to have mascara, she also has to have the right techniques to apply it. From what I've read and researched, there is one common way that is simply fool-proof:
1. Take out the mascara-coated wand.
2. Place the wand at the very base of the lashes.
3. Wiggle with a zig-zag motion, going up.
4. Finish the ends with an up-and-out.

The wiggling deposits more mascara and covers more lashes, therefore, building volume and lush lashes.

Check out this application video: http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#page=top{navmedia:_blankoverlay:videopage//id+LOP_VID_015//diagnosticmain:beautyfilter//category+F1_Cosmetics_Eyes_Mascara//userdata//d+d//}

A few more tips:

• Never, ever, EVER pump the wand in your mascara. Never. Why? Well, if you want your mascara to dry out more quickly and harbor more bacteria, then be my guest...


• Instead of pumping, gently twist and roll the wand inside the tube. It will evenly coat the wand with mascara.


• If your wand is clumpy, roll the excess onto a facial tissue. There will be no clumps and you'll have a clean look.


• Curl your lashes to open up your eyes and make them appear bigger. You can also heat the lash curler with a blow dryer to make the curl stay extra long.


• If you want to apply mascara to your lower lashes, roll the wand on a facial tissue to avoid clumps, hold the wand vertically (up and down), and move it back and forth across the lower lashes.


• Dust powder on the tops of your lashes to add volume and staying power.


• Separate your lashes with a lash comb if needed.

A good lash curler: Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

Any constructive feedback is greatly appreciated. Feel free to add comments, questions, complaints, praises (please, a lot of praises), requests, or any ol' thought that comes to your mind.

Thanks to any readers out there who are willing to waste some time and listen to my babbling. =]