Eyebrows

There is nothing that frames the eyes like well done eyebrows. We have earned that you can use different things to cover the eyebrows to make them less bushy.

What I want to show you is how to enhance the eyebrow to make it look natural and give it more color. Most of you ladies have been taught to use a eyebrow pencil. I find that a pencil is too harsh and unnatural looking. To make a great eyebrow you will need an eyebrow brush which is a make-up brush with an angled edge.

Also you will need an eyebrow comb or brush to comb out and smooth the brow. Use eyeshadow instead of a pencil. Some make-up companies are now making eyebrow powder which is the same as eyeshadow only in a different container and a different name.

Use two shades, one that is the preferred eyebrow color, the second a blue-grey color. Mix the colors on your brush before applying. The blue-grey color simulates hair growth which helps with the natural appearance. I would go heavier with the brow color than the grey in the mix.

Apply the shadow in a sweeping like motion following the shape of the brow. This will then be combed with the eyebrow comb or brush to smooth out the effect. The result is a natural looking brow rather than something that looks painted on.

Eyeshadow

Before applying eyeshadow, it would be a good idea to first powder the temple and cheek area working it into the eye area with a translucent powder. Use a thick makeup brush to do this and apply generously, similar to the way football players apply the black lines around their eyes to reflect sunlight. This will collect flying eyeshadow, especially the darker shadows and act as a barrier for the skin so no discoloring will occur. When you are done, use a large, clean blush brush to wipe away the powder and the shadow will go with it leaving the skin clean of eyeshadows.

When applying eye-makeup it is a good idea to brush the entire lid area with a neutral colored shadow. Go over the lid at least 3 times reapplying each time. This will make a smoother surface to work with. I also recommend you using your translucent powder around the under eye area onto the cheekbone to protect the skin underneath from makeup smudges. When you are finished your shadowing, use a clean blush brush to sweep away the translucent powder.

With a eyeshadow brush use the darkest color you are using and create a crease following the natural crease in your eye. Starting from the outer corner of the eye, sweep the shadow inward to half of your lid using the same darker color. Do not go over the crease you made. The inner lid (closest to the eye) should be colorless at this time. Make sure the crease that you made and the sweeping over the lid are connected and blended well together. You can also wrap the color around your eye to go under the eye lid. The edges should be rounded but some people like to pull the color out into a point. ( Hard to explain without a diagram)

The area by the inner eye that is colorless can now be colored with a contrast color to your dark color. Make sure the contrast is there as the colors may mesh together and become "muddy". Be sure to blend these colors starting from the outside in. So in effect the darker color should be brushed to slightly overlap the contrast lighter color.

Now you can apply a very light color on the brow bone to right under the brow to highlight that area.

Not all makeup application is the same. We all have different bodies, faces, eye shapes and colors. This makeup tip will be ways to apply makeup to different eye shapes.

If you have deep set eyes, use pastels or tints only (a tint is white added to a color). Avoid contouring eye sockets and use a soft smudged liner to soften the effect.

For Oriental eyes, use a dark color to draw in a crease just below the brow bone. The shadow must grade upward over the socket bone or fold of skin. This will give a pushing back of the heavy lid lifting the eye.

If your eyes are too far apart, concentrate the makeup at the inner corner of the eye with the darker colors toward the bridge of the nose and lighter colors at the outer corners of the eye.

If your eyes are too close together,the opposite will apply. The darker color will be at the outside corners of the eye and make sure it is blended lightly to the inner corner area.

If you have prominent eyes, use a dark shadow to cover the upper lid extending it above the natural crease. Highlight only under the eyebrow arch.

Eye Liner

Time to line the eyes. After the shadow has been applied to your liking, an eyeliner may be applied. The method that I am using here is a pencil liner for the top lid. In a day look you will want to pull your eye taut to get a smoother line. Draw a line with your pencil liner as close to the eyelash growth as possible. Do not worry about making it too thin.

When you have done that, use your slanted eyebrow makeup brush to smudge the line following the shape of your eye. This will thicken the actual line and thicken the look when the eye is relaxed. This will also soften the line and make it less dramatic. For a more dramatic look or evening look, do the same as before though putting the line on thicker. When smudging, this will also thicken once the eye has been relaxed. Of course a darker color may be used for a more dramatic look too!

To do the bottom, use the method in the eye shadowing tip previously printed. This is the shadow being wrapped around the eye to under the eye. You can use the slanted brush aforementioned to perfect the look using an eyeshadow. A pencil in my opinion tends to smudge too much under the eye. I usually will put a different color on the very inner eye area with a pencil for effect.

If you have small eyes, you may be surprised how a white line in that area will highlight it bringing out your eyes, making them bigger in appearance. Otherwise I will use a similar color to that of your eyes to bring that out.

Here are a few ideas and "looks" you can achieve with eyeliners.

Cat's Eyes. Thick black eyeliner is applied on the top lash line, thinner on the inside edge and wider toward the outside. This will give the illusion that the eyes turn upward. Use a light eyeshadow over entire lid to enhance this look. A white or light colored shadow can be used under the eye lid but a dark color will take away from the look.

Doe-eyed. Use an iridescent (colorful) powder around the eye followed by a dark pencil liner on the top and inside edge on the bottom. Wrap the shadow around eye bottom lid under the edge and use the pencil on inside edge. Blend the eyeliner into the shadow with a clean brush all around to soften the look. This will give a real innocent look.

Lashing out Place individual false lashes on the outer top and bottom corners of the eye. The key to creating density and hiding the glue is adding liquid eyeliner where the lashes adhere to the skin.

Wings With emphasis under the eye, create an almond shape with bronze and brown eyeshadows that continue into a wing at the outer corner of the eye. Eyeliner adds intensity. The wing should go upward toward the end of your eyebrow and not go past it. The colors should fade out as you get to the end of the wing. The top lid will blend into the outer corners melding into the wing.

A point to remember for tired or bloodshot eyes is to avoid using colors such as grays, taupes, warm browns, and purples. To alleviate tiredness, you can use 'cool' colors. You may also wish to try a blue, silver-blue, or white liner (previously mentioned) inside the ledge of the eye to 'bring the eye out'.

Applying Mascara

1. First, curl lashes with one firm squeeze of a lash curler.

2. Dip the mascara wand into the tube just once for both upper and lower lashes. More, and you'll load too much mascara onto the wand. Note: If your lashes always look gloppy, use a tissue to wipe excess mascara from the brush before applying.

3. Working from the outer corner inward, place the brush at the lash base and sweep upward to the tips. To minimize clumping, use as few strokes as possible (It's unnecessary to do the topside of lashes).

4. For lower lashes, hold the wand vertically and sweep lashes from side to side with the tip of the brush. Or for a face-brightening look, skip lower lashes altogether.

You can create an eye-widening effect by applying a second coat of mascara to upper lashes' outer corners.