The Makeup Box

Getting the Illusion of Fuller Lashes: Smoky Lash Line Trick

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Black smoky liner pictured above with NYX Angel Blush, NYX Tea Rose lipstick (with Angel blush dusted over)

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Yesterday was about big, thick false lashes. Today, we’re doing the version for lazy girls.

Mascara can lengthen and thicken lashes to some extent, but if you have sparse lashes, piling on more layers of mascara is not going to fool anyone into thinking you have lush lashes. 

One of the ways to make you look like you have a fuller lash line is adding dark smokiness to the base of your lashes. Reasons I love it?

• This trick uses few products, and can be done quickly with no need for smudging or special skills.
  
• It gives the same definition, but is not as dramatic or hard to apply as a super-thick swatch of liquid liner. In fact, it’s a perfect trick to get polished for work because it takes all of 5 minutes.
  
• It masks an unsteady hand if you are new to liquid liners. It just gives you super-dark lash roots.
  

You need black shadow (matte is best), a firm smudger brush (pictured below), black liquid or kohl liner, and mascara.

Sephora Smudge Brush

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Step 1: Use the smudger brush to gently press black shadow along the upper lash line. Don’t drag the brush left and right like a wind-shield wiper. If you want to keep it subtle, keep as close to the lash base as possible.

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Step 2:  For more drama, create a thicker line and extend horizontally outwards in a kitten flick. (For just this outer corner flick, you can run the brush sideways.)

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Step 3: This step may not be necessary, but if you want to Oomph up the base of the lashes even more, run a thin liquid or kohl liner along the top of your lashes for maximum sultriness. The liquid liner should look barely visible over the shadow, and just provide a jet black lash line once it dries.

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Step 4: Apply the remainder of the black shadow (left on the brush) lightly along the lower lash line as well, then apply black mascara generously. The smokiness near the base of the lashes mimics the shadowy darkness we see on people with incredibly full lashes.

TRAVEL HAUL! Revlon, No 7, Soap & Glory…

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Traveling for work can be tiring and stressful sometimes, but there are certain things along the way that can perk you up. One of those is, of course, getting the opportunity to grab some beauty products I can’t get readily, or at a better price.

I got my loot from 2 main places; Boots and Duty-Free.

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Duty-Free: This was exciting for me, because I’d been lemming these Revlon items for SOOOO long and never knew they were available exclusively in the local airport Duty-Free.

I’m a little slow on the bandwagon since these aren’t available in local drugstores, but here we are.

• Revlon Pink Pout Matte Lipstick
• Revlon Stormy Pink Matte Lipstick
• Revlon Pink Pop Super Lustrous Lipgloss

L-to-R: NYX Dolly Pink liner (for comparison), Revlon Pink Pout, Revlon Stormy Pink, Revlon Pink Pop

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Revlon Pink Pout over NYX Dolly Pink

Pink Pout is a lovely cool-toned nude mauve which has been listed as a dupe for MAC Snob. While I don’t think it’s as opaque, it’s still a really nice lipstick. If you’re looking for a cool-toned nude-pink instead of the usual “concealer” shades, GET THIS. (Color is softer and more beige when worn without liner.)

Not recommended if you have extremely pigmented lips that you want your lipsticks to cover completely.

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Revlon Stormy Pink over NYX Dolly Pink

Gorgeous in the tube, but extremely sheer going on. You will need to keep applying and re-applying to build up the color slowly, but even then, past a certain point, it just gets cakey and streaky. I got around it temporarily with a pale pink liner and balm smoothed over it.

Recommended only if you are extremely light-handed or shy of bright pinks. Otherwise, MAC Pink Nouveau will give you a much better payoff and texture. 

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Revlon Pink Pop

I’ve wanted this lipgloss for AGES, and I’m not disappointed. It’s a beautiful cool-toned fuchsia that sheers out into a softer candy-pink without shimmer. 

I liked it so much that I bought a backup for my backup on my return trip.

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Boots (Thailand)

It’s sad that a shopping haven like Singapore does not have a single Boots. 

I get my Soap & Glory from Sephora, where it is inevitably marked up beyond what it usually costs.

Things I got on this trip were:

• The Fab Pore: a gentle exfoliating cream which doubles as a mask for oily, clogged skin. Little pellets break open as you rub, releasing salicylic acid and other treatment extracts onto your skin. There are no scrub grains whatsoever.
• Extreme-Plump: “Super-strong” clear lip plumper. I don’t believe any lip plumpers actually plump lips. They sure feel like they do, but your actual lip size will not increase discernibly (no matter what you tell yourself) unless you’re reacting extremely badly to the product. I like this as a cushy treatment which feels very much like Clinique Superbalm. And it tingles without being minty (boring) or burning your lips off (Too Faced - you know I’m talking about you…)
• No7 Extreme Lengths & Extravagant Lashes mascaras: Ok, I admit it. I really only bought these because I was so fascinated by all those fabulous Keeley Hawes mascara commercials. I haven’t even tried them yet. Who cares?