The Makeup Box

Smoky Eyes with a Pastel Accent: Great with any pastel blues, greens, violets, gold, etc!

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I’ve gotten quite a few questions on how to work pastels, blues and greens into a smoky look because we always end up buying so many of those pale shimmery shades and they look so nice in the pan, but quite unflattering all over the lid.

Here’s a quick way to add a dash of “pretty” without ever losing your “sultry” or looking “like a harlot” (as i-remain-nameless so hilariously put it).

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Purple Pansy: Easy Spring/Summer Purple-and-Yellow-Gold Eye shadow Look

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According to Color Theory, yellow and purple are the 2 shades that lie right smack-dab between blue (cool) and red (warm), so technically, they are the 2 “true neutrals”.

They are also diametrically opposite each other in the Color Wheel, so wearing them together is a quick way to get contrast without a lot of work. 

Good for:

• Any eye shape
• Any eye color

You will need:

1. A brown cream shadow base or gel liner (I used Maybelline Gel Liner as usual)
2. A yellow eye pencil (NYX Yellow pencil)
3. A bright yellow gold shadow (I used Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Golden Buttercup)
4. A rich medium-toned purple (I used an old purple pigment from a Japanese drugstore brand called Michiko London; I don’t think the company is still around). You can choose any rich purple you have, or something similar to MAC Parfait Amour or Satellite Dreams.
5. Black mascara or false lashes

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Soft Spring Morning: Simple, Subtle Taupe Eye with a Blue Crease

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This is the simplest trick in the book for anyone who wants to incorporate a little pretty color into their neutral look without going over the top.

You can choose to do just Step 1-3 for the day and add a colored crease at night, OR you can easily wear this whole look out from day to night.

This look is good for:

• Brown, blue, grey eyes
• All eye shapes and skin colors

If you have green eyes, you can switch the crease shade to a bright violet or a green.

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Tips for wearing Green, Green, Green…

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Green can be a very sultry and flattering color. It’s one of those shades that work on both cool and warm skin tones, and here are just a few quick tips for choosing the right shades for your skin tone.

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Option 1 - Keep it simple

Foolproof option for everyone. Get an emerald green liner and just wear it along the inner rim of the lower lash line as an accent. You can keep your lids completely clean, and apply just mascara. 

Works for:

• All skin tones
• All eye shapes

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Rainbow Dreamsicle Eyeshadow Tutorial: Layering Cream Shadows!

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I wanted to try a look where I layered cream shadows over one another, instead of layering powders with them. This is more of a colorful look for fun occasions (or that fantasy themed party). 

Great for:

• Younger lids (most cream textures are shimmery and too much of it might emphasize lines around the eye corners and brow bone.
• All eye colors; any eye look that straddle a spectrum of both warm and cool shades will work on most eye colors
• All eye shapes (yes you can wear this if you have mono-lids too)
• Dry to slightly-oily lids
• Bonus: all skin tones. Cream shadows are translucent so whether you are pale or dark-skinned, they will show beautifully and not look chalky (unless you over-apply big-time)

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Twilight-Bloom: Intense Pink, Lavender and Cocoa Eyeshadow Tutorial (88 Shimmer Palette)

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This color combination just reminded me of some exotic, poisonous bloom surrounded by dark woods.

 Good for:

• All eye colors
• Medium-fair to Dark skintones
• Double-lids (it could still work for some mono-lids if you have quite a bit of lid space, but otherwise it might not be as flattering)
• Those with little lines/dryness around the eye area (those with more mature skin can swop to completely-matte shades in similar colors)

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