The Makeup Box

[Requested] Reinterpretation of a Sparkly Gold Smoky Lid

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This is not an exact recreation because my eyes are shaped a little differently and I wanted to blend the edges out more, but I’ll run through the type of products you need tocreate this look.

I can’t be 100% sure with the yellow lighting and difference in skintones, but the item I find can create this type of sparkly effect is a loose golden-brown sparkle like MAC’s Reflects pigment in Antique Gold, used wet.

Reflects pigments are not glitter, and not regular shadows either. They are shiny mica particles larger than regular loose shadows so they sort of combine pigmentation with sparkle. Like glitters, they don’t “stick” to the skin well and will fall out all over your cheeks, so you might want to do your eye makeup first, then clean up and do your foundation and concealer after.

To get them to go on like dramatic foiled metal, you want to use either a good creamy base or apply them wet (do use eye drops or a liquid sealant instead of pure water as they will rub off easily once dry if there is no ingredient that provides some tackiness).

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Snow Fairy: Winter Sparkle Tutorial with a Dimensional Base

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[1st image above taken in flash, 2nd in daylight.]

What sort of holiday season would it be without at least one snow-inspired look? For those of us living in hot climates, there’s all the more reason to at least channel the look, even if we can’t get all wrapped up in Winter clothes. 

This is a look done using holographic white glitter, over 4 shades of shadow that create the illusion of depth and nuance that glitter would not be able to create.

You will need:

• soft blue shadow (I used MAC Tilt)
• a pearly white shadow (I used BH Cosmetics CS05)
• a soft grey shadow (BH Cosmetics MS17)
• a matte black (BH Cosmetics CM19)
• a white holographic glitter (Lime Crime Gemini; this is quite a common shade in craft stores, but you will be packing on a LOT so make sure that you are using very fine cosmetic-grade glitter)

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Subtle, Glitzy New Year Glitter Eye!

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Here’s a way to pack on the glitter and glamour but still have it remain quite clean and chic for the New Year. I also wanted to reverse the typical half-glitter eye, by applying dark glitter on the outer areas of the lid, instead of a light glitter on the inner half of the lid, which is the typical way to do it.

You’ll just need

• black eye pencil
• matte beige shadow or pressed powder
• matte black or charcoal shadow
• glitter (any opalescent, multi-colored shade would work well; I used Taurus, a black with green, gold and bronze highlights)
• clear glitter glue or clear brow mascara

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Simple Foiled Silver Eye (How to work with gritty shadows like MAC Lustres)

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I was going through my stash of shadows the other day and rediscovered a few MAC Lustre shadows, which I seldom use because the texture is SO hard to work with. These are some of the least popular shadows from MAC (with the exception of a few shades like Tempting) because they look so gorgeous in the pan but give you TONS of fall-out.

Lustres are made up of lots of large gritty chunks of reflective pigments, very much like glitter but not as shiny. This means the little bits tend to flake or dust off, instead of sticking to your skin as well as finely-milled pigments. (Some of the MAC Mineralize shadows are also very much like these.)

So since I was such a sucker back then and snapped up a few shades before I realised how difficult they were to work with, I figure there might be others who love how they look but don’t know how to work with them. 

You can use either a flat shadow brush or a regular blending brush, but the trick is to always apply them damp. If you are using water, you can just dampen your brush (damp, not soaked!) and dip directly into the pot to pick up shadow. If you’re using Fix+ or any sealant or mixing medium, then you HAVE to pick up the shadow on your brush first, and then spray or dampen your brush before applying.

(If you use anything other than water, do not re-dip your brush back into pot.)

Your shadow will go on a lot stronger and stay on a lot longer.

NOTE: In general, most shadows should work go back to normal when dry (except for some poorer formulas so be mindful). Also, make sure your brush is really clean. Any oils or residue on it might transfer and seal over your shadows when dampened.

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Step 1: I wanted a little dimension and depth to the eye look so I applied a little rich, plum cream shadow to my lids. (Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Stiletto). I picked purple because the shadow I’m using (MAC Idol Eyes) has a slight lavender tone which I wanted to bring out.

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Step 2: Using a brush dampened with water, I picked up a generous amount of MAC Idol Eyes (silvery-lavender flakes with a soft gold highlight), and smoothed that onto the lids. If you want to get a really foiled effect like I did here, firmly brush in a single direction, then go back and repeat. Don’t rub back and forth in multiple directions. This helps the little flakes of pigments to sit lay flat and really shine.

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Step 3: For definition and a twist on the typical grey/silver eye, I am using the same purple base to line. Just use a flat synthetic brush (you can get plenty at the art store for very little money btw) to pick up a little color and then gently rub it along the lash line section by section.

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Step 4: To finish, I merely curled lashes and applied black mascara. (NARS Larger Than Life, which I happen to have on hand. Any black mascara will work.)