The Makeup Box

Neo Noir: Dramatic Metallic Look

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I wanted to revisit the classic dark-eyes-dark-lips noir look, but update it a little with muted, mysterious colors on the lids. It’s actually quite a simple look to recreate.

I’m using limited edition crushed metallic pigments from MAC, but you can easily find alternatives in the permanent range. You will need:

• Black pencil
• Bright teal-green (Rain Drop pigment; alternative: MAC Steamy shadow)
• Pale silver-green (Moss Garden pigment; alternative: MAC Reflects Transparent Teal)
• Mascara

Alternatively, you can choose any color as long as you pair a bright medium shade and a coordinating pale glittery shade. Just remember that because you are applying the shadow over a black base, the shades you choose need to be a shade lighter/brighter than you intend them to be. If you’re not sure, just test it over black pencil on the back of your hand first.

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Step 1: I began by applying a very thick coat of black kajal to the entire lid, up to the socket line. Then I ran it along the loewr lash line as well.

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Step 2: Using a finger, very lightly smoke out the edges of the liner so you don’t have any harsh lines. It should just look like a smoky eye.

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Step 3: Laying the first shade; apply the medium shade onto the entire lid, over the black, leaving only the center empty. I used my fingers because that controls crushed metal pigments better, but if you’re using regular pigment or pressed shadow, just use a shadow brush.

When you’re done, just brush or gently smudge the color out at the outer corners to create faint wings.

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Step 4: With a damp flat brush, I picked up the more glittery, pale shade and smoothed it onto the center of the lid. Blend slightly into the first shade, but not too much.

Next, apply the pale shade to the innermost corners of the eyes as well.

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Step 5: Finish by touching up black liner along the water line, and then applying mascara.

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For the lips, I applied a dark liver-brown (MAC Amplified Lipstick in Deepest Wish), then kept the cheeks soft with a very light pink (Bourjois Eye Shadow #15).

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.

Warm, Foiled Metal Look

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This is a look that can go from day to night with just one single change; your lip color.

Both are pretty dramatic looks; make no mistake about it. The eye shadow is foiled for a very dramatic, metallic finish. But the main shade (a beige gold) is still “neutral” enough that you can wear a dark lip with it without things looking too over the top.

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Step 1: Run some dark copper shadow (try something like MAC Antiqued) from the outer corners of your eyes inward, arcing along the hollow of your socket line, and the lower lash line as well.

Pack a bit more shadow into the outer corners and blend.

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Step 2: In the center of the lid, I recommend a very high-shine golden-beige shadow. Try applying Urban Decay’s Half-Baked shadow dampened for a high-shine finish. If you have very pink undertones and Half-Baked is a bit yellow on you, try MAC Woodwinked.

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Step 3: With a flat angled brush or a small detail brush, apply the first shadow (deep copper-brown) wet as a liner thickly along the lower lash line. If you own MAC’s Richground Fluidline, that would work as well.

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Step 4: I cut a strip of lashes into 2 to create half strips, and then applied each to the outer corners of the eye. (If you’re new to false lashes and find them hard to apply, try this method. Just make sure you get lashes that are longest at the center and equally short at both ends.)

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Step 5: Finish by applying black liquid liner over the lash strip to hide it completely, and applying a bit of mascara to bind your real lashes into the falsies.

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On the Lips and Cheeks:

• I wanted a really burnished, tawny look, so I swirled MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Dark with NYX Cinnamon blush (a bright vermillion coral) and dusted it high along the cheek bones.
• Natural/Nude lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip gloss in Nude Lustre
• Dramatic lips: MAC Deepest Wish Amplified lipstick