The Makeup Box

Velvet Bloom (Wet n Wild Knock On Wood Trio, with MAC Rebel Lipstick)

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A rather straightforward look (which I believe will be flattering on most people) featuring soft eyes a rose-colored lips for those who want to play up their pout more than their eyes. 

It’s getting to the end of Summer, so I wanted to start getting into the duskier, more romantic colors like rose, cocoa brown, dusty pinks. This made me whip out Rebel lipstick from MAC and my Knock On Wood trio from Wet n Wild. 

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Step 1: I used the middle shade in the Knock on Wood trio (soft chocolate brown) and blended that lightly onto the inner and outer 1/3 of the lid. The color should go up to the hollow of your socket, so even if you have hooded or mono-lids, you can wear this look.

If you don’t have the Knock on Wood palette, this is a pretty easy shade to find. I just recommend shades that aren’t too metallic for this look. Go for something matte or semi-matte, to get that soft-focus finish.

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Step 2: In the center of the lid, I used the softest shade in the palette, the dusty beige-pink browbone shade at the top, and just blended it on, buffing into the brown earlier so there are no obvious lines.

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Step 3: To finish the eye, I simply used a pale beige/ivory shimmer pencil (Majolica Majorca #71, or ANY ivory eye shadow if you don’t have a pencil) to brighten just the inner corners. 

Then I finished with black mascara on top and bottom lashes.

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The finished eye should look satiny and subtly contoured, but not like a ton of eye makeup.

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On the cheeks, I dusted on a soft pink (Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow #15; use any soft pink you have that isn’t too strong or bright!) and then slicked on MAC Rebel over my lips, which looks really dark and vampy in the tube but goes on a lovely rose color.

Soft Glamor: Easy Evening/Party/Prom Neutral Eye

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For everyone who is relatively new to eye makeup and not sure how to add some flattering glamor for formal occasions, this is a look you can try.

It’s comprised of neutrals, so it goes with pretty much any outfit, although you can change the lid shade from a smoky brown to any other color and retain the shape and application.

I used a:

• Matte black
• Smoky taupe brown (semi-matte)
• Coppery-beige shimmer
• Silver-white shimmer

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Step 1: First use a firm smudge brush or angled brush to apply black to the lash line, like you would apply a thick swatch of liner. As always, draw in the outer flick first, parallel to the angle of your lower lash line, and then extend the line inwards to the inner corners.

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Step 2: The main lid shade for the smoky look. I used a deep taupe brown (BH Cosmetics MS17; use MAC Satin Taupe if you have it) above the black earlier, and gently filled in the entire lid EXCEPT the inner corners. Follow the line of the black and wing the brown out at the outer corners.

On the inner corners, run it along the socket line only.

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Step 3: On the inner 1/3 of the lids, apply a peach-tan shimmer. MAC Tan pigment or BH Cosmetics CS09). This doesn’t show up that well on camera but in real life both these shades are very intensely metallic.

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Step 4: [Recommended for the very pale to medium-fair skins; Optional for everyone else] Dab a bit of silvery-white shimmer right in the inner corners just to brighten things up a little. This is only needed if the tan shimmer is the same tone or darker than your natural skin tone. You’d need a little more brightness at the inner corners for a more flattering effect. 

If you have caramel to dark chocolate skin, the peach-tan shade should already pop against your skin.

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Step 5: The lashes. I cut a pair of wispies (fluttery, irregular, natural-looking) into 2 halves and then used one half on the outer lash line. This beefs up your lashes only on the outside, and emphasizes that sultry, catty effect. You want to curl your natural lashes before you apply falsies.

Let the glue dry at least 30 seconds or until you see a bit of the glue going grey or transparent. Then place the inner corner in the center of the lid, and then tuck the outer corner down.

(Half strips are a much easier way to apply false lashes for those who aren’t familiar with it, and cutting a single pair of lashes into 2 is cheaper than buying a single pair of half strips for the same price!)

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Last step: Finish by applying black pencil along the inner rim of the lower lids to just intensify the lash line further, and then you can apply some mascara just to weave your natural lashes into the false ones.

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Tips on cutting lashes:

1. Look for lashes that are symmetrical, with longest hairs in the center, and outer hairs equally short. 
2. The best lashes for cutting have short outer hairs and much longer hairs in the center. This helps if your natural lashes are short, because the short end of the false lashes should more or less blend in with your own instead of sticking out obviously in the center of your eye.

BACK TO BASICS: Dummies’ Guide to 2 Easy Shadow Applications

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It struck me during a conversation with some friends today that some people are liter!lly just getting started with makeup, and not necessarily comfortable with eye liner, contouring, crease-cutting, etc.

So I’m distilling this tutorial down to 2 EXTREMELY basic ways to get started with eye makeup. This can be done with different color combinations, but the general rule is;

1 pale shade: this is  your highlight, and should typically be as light or lighter than your skin tone. Easy-to-wear highlight shades have a shimmer that is beige, gold, peach, or pink, but a matte off-white or light beige like MAC Shroom would be great as well. 

1 medium/bright/smoky shade: this is your main lid shade and will be the color people notice about your look. You can go for anything but I always recommend something that is deeper and stronger than your skin tone, or your lids can look a bit puffy otherwise. If you have hooded eyes, mono-lids, puffy lids, then it’s better to stick with a matte shade.

1 dark shade - this is your definer color. It’s what is going to add darkness to your lash line and a little contour where needed. Typically, this shade will be a dark brown, charcoal or black regardless of what lid color and highlight you chose. If you want to avoid emphasizing lines, then go for a matte shade.

If you want something simple and neutral that can be worn anywhere without being too loud or dramatic, go for a trio or pick 3 shades that are similar to these:

 Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Palette, above

POP Beauty Park Avenue palette, above

@Violapunk: If you’re starting out with brushes and don’t want to buy anything fancy (actually the ones I used here are all cheap!), Coastal Scents is a good place to start. Coastal Scent’s Pro Blending Fluff is $4.95 and the large angled brush is $1.95.

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LOOK 1: The horizontal wash (using POP Beauty Park Avenue)

This look is softer overall and good if you are afraid of going too heavy on your eye shadow or not confident of blending.

 Step 1: Apply the palest shade all the way from the base of your lashes up to the brown bones. This pale shade should not be too shimmery or metallic if you don’t want an overly dramatic look.

This lays a powdery base which helps the darker shadows to go on softer.

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Step 2: Apply the main lid color just across the lids from inner to outer corners. The color can stay very close to the lash line or go up to the hollow of your socket line.

IMPORTANT: Make sure you apply the color into the roots of your lashes. Many people just haphazardly sweep on a color and don’t notice there’s a gap between their lash line and the shadow.

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Step 3: Finish by wiggling a flat brush along your lash line to deposit the darkest shade. This helps to add definition back to your lash line and serves as your liner, without having to use a separate product.

Finish with mascara.

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LOOK 2: Vertical Blocking (Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Trio)

This look emphasizes the outer corners and pulls the eyes apart sightly. The overall coloring is also stronger than Look 1.

Step 1: Instead of`the lightest shade, start with the medium and apply it generously to the center of the lids, leaving just the inner-most and outer-nost corners bare.

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Step 2: Contouring. In the outer ends of your eyes, pack the DARKEST shade on next. Just lay your shadow brush flat on the lid with the tips of the bristles tucked into the hollow point of your eye socket. Then wiggle it on the spot. 

Step 3: Then on the inner corners, do the same using the pale shade.

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Step 4: Finish with the same step as in the first look. Run the darkest shade along your upper lash line. Then finish with black mascara.