The Makeup Box

The Summer Wing: Easy Gold, Coral and Neon-Pink Winged Eyes

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This is an easy gradient winged eye and actually more flattering than you might think neon pink shadow would be.

The 3 main shades are yellow, coral, and fuchsia, but the key to the look is that I used 2 shimmers in the 88 Shimmer palette for the yellow and coral, then switched to a matte neon pink (BH Cosmetics WM20) at the outer corners. 

This creates more strength to the look, although you can also use one of the fuchsias in the shimmer palette if you want to save the trouble. A matte is just more flattering when you’re wearing a neon pink on the lids, in my opinion.

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Midnight Electro-Violet: Sculpted Intense-Purple Eye

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The problem with violets and purples for a lot of people is the fact that when you choose something that isn’t vibrant enough, it can look muddy and unflattering on the lids. 

If you’re one of those who feels purple never works on you, it’s an idea to go for a color that is true purple or leaning slightly towards the blue-toned side.

For this look, I wanted a bright grape color, followed by a dark purple along the socket line for definition. This is an alternative to a typical smoky eye when you’re going out at night.

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The Most FABULOUS Glitter Liner In The World (Glitter Foil Liner Tutorial)

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When you need a whole party on your eyelids, nothing but the most intense glitter liner will do. And what can be more intense than transfer foil?

This is much simpler than the foiled-lid look I did previously, and you can also simplify it further by using a single foil color rather than two like I did. The main item you need to pull this off is a good eyelash glue, like Eye Charm or DUO. (I prefer Eye Charm just because it’s cheaper and comes with a convenient eyeliner brush.)

When choosing the foil, I would pick glitter or plain patterns because larger patterns aren’t going to show up well in a thin strip along your lash line.

Tip: If you’re not sure about drying times or general application, test on the back of your hand first!

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[Requested] Hothouse Flower: Dramatic Tropical Floral Colors for a Dance Recital (inspired by Make Up Store)

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I was thinking about 2 separate requests; one for a “Hawaiian-inspired” look and one for an orchid color with a bright highlight. Both were for dance recitals, which require strong makeup that will show up and can convey expression under harsh lights.

Then I walked by Make Up Store and saw their Blossom campaign, which featured dramatic contrasting colors of navy yellow, and a peony pink, and thought “ah-ha!” 

I decided to do a cut-crease look with the same color scheme. Cut-crease looks place a strong defined line along the socket and a contrasting lighter/brighter shade on the lid so you emphasize every blink and expression (which is why it is so popular for stage performers).

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Majolica Majorca Chapter 37: Getting Reunited with a Cult-Favorite Fiber Mascara (in Brown this time!) plus a Pencil that looks like a Swan Feather

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From this month, Shiseido will release a limited edition collection called “Moonlight Virgin” in 2 parts. The first includes a multipurpose “quill pencil” and a brown version of the Lash Expander Edge Meister mascara (with the dual-sided comb tip). Now me and Lash Expander mascara go way back. I used it exclusively for 3-4 years when it was just released across Asia, because it created these long, fine, waterproof doll-lashes. After a 5-year breakup (I’m never monogamous with makeup), I was quite glad to get reacquainted and grabbed the chance to find out 2 things:

• whether the mascara was as good at building length as I remembered
• whether the brown shade would show up (and look alright) with my dark hair and eyes

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The Purple “V-liner” Look: Simple Work/School-friendly Makeup (Wearable for Girls with Glasses!)

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When you wear glasses, it tends to hide most of your eye makeup but the bonus is that you get to wear stronger colors than most people do.

This is a fun and straightforward liner look that works for most eye shapes, because it extends into the socket-line. It’s not going to look like too much straight-on if you wear glasses but from the side and every time you blink, there’s a surprising stroke of color that will show up.

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