The Makeup Box

Jazzed-Up Classic: Charcoal and Gold Eye with Scarlet Lips

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If you’re looking at a few posh dinners or parties (as we enter the holiday season) and want something that will be noticeable but not too typical or outlandish either, it’s quite easy to just add a shot of gold to a more classic red lip look.

Instead of chunky glitter, which can look a little tacky, you want to go for something that is very fine-grained, and almost like large pigment particles. The alternatives are

• super fine micro-glitter (.04 micron and below)
• MAC Reflects pigment in Gold
• glittery gold liquid liner like Lime Crime Rhyme, which is made up of little gold flecks like MAC Reflects

Step 1: Just begin by applying the dark charcoal shade over your entire lid from lashes up to the socket line, right above your eye ball. Run a little along the outer halves of your lower lash line with a firm brush as well.

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Step 2: Apply the gold sparkle. If you’re using a loose pigment, you might want to mix a little with eye drops or some mixing medium (MAC Fix+, or liner sealant) before dabbing it on with your finger, over the inner half of the lids. 

It WILL dilute and make the charcoal shade you applied earlier a bit faded, but that’s fine since you’re creating a bit of a gradation from light to dark, inside-out anyway.

After everything sets, you might need to go back and apply a second layer of gold onto the inner corners and lower lash line just to intensify the color a bit.

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Step 3: For definition and contrast, run black liner along the inner rims of your eyes. This makes the gold really pop and look more vibrant.

Then finish by curling lashes and applying mascara or false lashes. I wouldn’t go for dramatic lashes since they’ll just detract from the whole eye look, but it’s no harm if you want to wear them.

Step 4: On the cheeks, I applied bronzer for warmth and contouring, and then topped my cheekbones and brow bones with shimmery gold. This gives a beautiful sheen when the light hits and it looks even better up close.

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Step 5: Finish by apply a scarlet lipstick. If you’re going to be eating and drinking, then make sure you blot and reapply to prolong the wear. For a super-detailed tutorial on how to apply a perfect red mouth, watch Lisa Eldridge’s video here!

Colorburst: Yellow-Gold and Sultry-Blue Eye Makeup

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This is bright eye makeup look with an intense twist of contrasting color. The star product of the show is Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #11, which is a gorgeous platinum-yellow gold shade that might be a good item to keep on your Xmas wish-list if you like this type of finishes!

Other than this, you will need:

• Black liner or kajal
• Shimmery brown shadow (I used MAC Sable)
• Deep blue shadow (try MAC Deep Truth)
• Pale blue or silvery shimmer (I used L’oreal 
• Mascara

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Step 1: Apply the Aqua Cream over the lid, going up close to the brow. If you have dryer lids or just more lines there, keep the color only within the socket line instead of going all the way up, or skip it all together. Bright metallic cream finishes can accentuate and CREATE a lot of “lines”.

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Step 2: This is a 2-step approach because I wanted a very intense metallic brown line. I lined my eyes with black pencil first, creating a short, thick flick at the end. Then using a flat brush, I coated that black pencil with a metallic brown pencil (MAC Sable). This gives you a more intense chocolate-brown than you’d get if you just used a regular metallic brown liner.

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Step 3: Using a soft blending brush, pick up the same brown and apply this gently along your socket line. Don’t over-apply as the color should be hazy and soft. If you have a small lid space or more lines on your lids (and skipped step 1), then the brown will not cut across the yellow like I did. It should be on top of the yellow.

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Step 4: Using a tiny brush and black kajal, I lined my lower waterline. Get it all thick and dark and don’t worry about it looking neat because you’ll be covering it up later.

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Step 5: Using a flat brush, I ran a navy blue along the lower lash line. NOTE! The blue doesn’t go on the waterline. It goes on the lash line, overlapping the black liner, but slightly below it. If you have a slightly dropping eye shape, don’t overdo this bit as it can drag your eye shape down further. Just trace a tiny bit of the blue along your lashes; enough that you can see the color intensity.

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Step 6: The fun step. I’m using L’oreal’s Infallible Shadow Marshmallow from the Miss Candy Collection earlier this year. (It’s still available in many places, but if you can’t get it anyore, just use any pale silver-blue.)

Using a fluffy blending brush, I just applied the shade a little under the darker blue earlier, going from a thin line and spreading into a bigger area at the cheekbones. This actually extends it into a highlighter, for that extra “shine” whenever the light catches it. 

“Sexy Bee”: Black-and-Yellow/Gold Banded Eye Makeup (Works for Mono-lids and Hooded Lids)

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This probably seems like the unlikeliest thing but I saw this cute honey-bee head-band and wanted to do a look for the funny, sassy girls who’d much rather be a bee than an Egyptian queen. Ironically, the color-scheme and look fits any sort of “gold-themed” Celestial or Royal outfit you might be wearing for Halloween.

You’d just need to adjust the yellow-gold shade to match your outfit. I used a matte black from BH Cosmetics and a warm yellow-gold from I Nuovi called Blonde.

Step 1: Along the hollow curve of your socket line, use a soft blending brush to sweep an arc of yellow-gold shadow.

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Step 2: Just under, and overlapping that yellow, use a smaller, firmer brush to apply an arch of matte black. 

Run the black along the outer halves of the lower lash line as well so the black makes a sort of asymmetrical “C” cupping the eye.

If the black is over-applied, simple take the first brush and a tiny bit of gold shadow and just run  it along the upper edges of the black to soften it.

Note for Mono-lids/Hooded lids: Make sure you can see the black when your eyes are open. If not, you probably applied the color a little too low. If in doubt, work with smaller brushes. The black and yellow bands might need to be thinner if you have smaller lid space, and large brushes won’t allow you to do that. Just soften any harsh lines after you’re done by brushing over with a softer brush.

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Step 3: The last bit is simply to take the yellow-gold and apply it right in the inner portions of the lid. 

Make sure to apply a tiny bit to the inner corners of the lower lash line as well, as this brightens up the eye area.

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Step 4: All that’s left is to apply a little black liner to your lash line (I prefer the inner rims but you can just do it the regular way, “outside” the lash line, if you want) and finish with lots of mascara.

Navy and Gold Evening Look with “Frankenshadows”!

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I like blending and mixing my own shadows. I do this mostly with loose mica, glitter, and binders, and sometimes I crush up unwanted shadows, mix them with other shades, and then press them into something entirely new.

In the nail polish community, your own blends of varnishes are called Frankenpolishes. Well, these are my Frankenshadows.

What I used here was:

• Nightmoth: This is a black matte pigment mixed in with metallic navy shimmer, with a pinch of aqua glitter thrown in. I can’t think of an alternative in the stores for you, but any very dark navy shade would do. You can always pat a little glitter on top for a similar effect.
• Ambre: This is more of a generic warm metallic amber-gold that you can find easily I believe. 
• MAC Blooz pencil: A dark navy pencil

Step 1: First, lay the base. You want the shadow to always be most intense around the lash line, so I used a dark blue pencil (MAC Blooz is no longer available but they have alternatives) and ran it along the lash line, top and bottom. 

Along the top lid, make the lid very thick.

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Step 2: Using a firm brush, very gently smoke the edges of the pencil out. On the top lid, I smudged it much further out so it fades towards the socket line.

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Step 3: The navy shadow. I used a flat shadow brush to first gently pat shadow onto the outer halves of the lids, up to the socket line. I also packed it right on the lash line, to set the dark navy liner.

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Step 4: With the fine smudger brush once again, I pulled the blue shadow inwards along the socket line so it faded inwards. Don’t pick up any more shadow with your brush, because the line is supposed to be very soft rather than hard and precise.

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Step 5: Using a smaller shadow brush for precision, I packed the warm gold metal shadow right onto the inner half of the lids in a tear-drop shape. It should fade into the blue but not be over-blended where they meet. That would muddy up the entire look. The gold and the blue should still stay very intense and clean. 

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Step 6: With a fluffy blending brush, I started to soften the edges of the navy shadow, which can be quite hard against paler skins. You want to ONLY BLEND ALONG THE SOCKET LINE. If you bring your brush down any lower, you will muddy up the gold. The entire look could go from navy-and-gold to plain ol’ charcoal in a second.

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Step 7: Finish by curling lashes and applying black mascara! (If you need to touch up the gold or blue, go right ahead BEFORE you apply the mascara.)

Coastal Scents S36 Copper Pot, with MAC Hip N Happy Pencil and Revlon Crystal Lilac Lip Gloss

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I admit I steer clear of oranges on most occasions. All the makeup rule-books will tell you it works with people who have golden/yellow skin tones but a lot of times, wearing it wrong just makes you look sallow and jaudiced.

I usually never wear copper as a primary lid shade. I’ll pair it with plenty of black or navy to balance out the brassiness of the look, but decided to just give the color a shot this past week. Pairing it with a brown gives it some depth and definition but doesn’t detract from the coppery heat. 

Seems it can turn out ok if you pair it with a soft pink lip and cheeks!

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On eyes: 

• Coastal Scents S30 Cherry Chocolate Hot Pot in outer corners
• Coastal Scents S36 Copper Pot in center of lids
• Coastal Scents M14 Petal Peach Hot Pot in inner corners
• Maybelline Great Lash Big mascara in Blackest Black

Cheeks

• TheBalm Hot Mama

Lips

• MAC Liner in Hip N Happy
• Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Crystal Lilac 

Mermaid: Colored Smoky Eye (Navy, Teal, and Gold)

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I was inspired by my new nail polish (ZOYA Crystal, seen on my nails here) to create a more dramatic, colorful smoky eye using very oceanic colors like deep blue, green and pale gold. 

The central color for this look is blue.

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Step 1: I packed a dark navy blue (MAC Flashtrack) into the outer and inner corners using a soft blender brush, going up only to the socket line.

Run along the entire lower lash line as well.

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Step 2: Next, I applied a metallic teal (MAC Steamy) just inside the navy blue. Leave a strip of clear flesh right at the center.

On the lower lash line, dab the same shade right in the center (below).

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Step 3: The final shade is a pale blonde-gold right in the center. I used Vanilla from the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette, which is an exact dupe for MAC’s Vanilla pigment and Coastal Scents Elven Gold Hot Pot. 

I did not apply this shade along the lower lash line as that would make the eye look a little puffy and swollen there.

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Step 4: I applied black kajal along my upper and lower waterlines, and then finished with black mascara. 

Touch up the navy and teal if the color has faded by now.