The Makeup Box

[Requested] Olivia Palermo Eye makeup: Tips for women with thick lids and/or deep sockets

Olivia has got to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, in my opinion. She reminds me of Penelope Cruz, Heather Graham and Shania Twain all rolled into one.

I didn’t want to do this post initially, because Olivia’s makeup looks the way it does largely due to her natural eye shape (more common among Indian and Mediterranean women).

• Very deep and defined sockets
• Huge, rounded eyes, slightly down-turned at the outer corners
• Very thick double-lids
• Medium lid space (probably the only thing I have in common with her, in that her brows are not very far or very low and close to her eyes)

The makeup is quite straightforward and there are no restrictions for skintone. But if your eye shape is very different, it will NOT look like hers, The good news is, everyone with a double lid can wear this makeup.

Not recommended if you have mono-lids or very hooded lids, because this is a shape that emphasizes the visible fold and lash line.

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Simple Neutral Lids, Barely-there Cheeks, and Dramatic Red Glitter Lips!

Night out on the town and not in the mood to mess with complicated makeup? Jazz up a soft eye look in 5 minutes with a dramatic, long-wearing scarlet glitter lip. 

The entire look is actually just classic-glamour, with neutral lids and a blue-based red lip, but they won’t notice until you come closer (or the camera flashes) that your crimson pout is COATED with a layer of glitter.

Good for all skin tones and eye shapes.

P.S. Nail color shown: Butter London “Knees Up”

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Camo and Color: Simple Khaki Neutral Eyes with Fuchsia Lips

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I wanted to do a strong lip look, but instead of the usual neutrals on the lids, I thought it might be nice to do a little subtle color.

Works great for:

• Most eye shapes, including hooded and mono-lids
• All skin tones
• All eye colors, but especially hazel or green eyes

You will need (if you can’t get hold of the Sephora Jungle Chic palette):

• A dark brown gel liner or cream shadow (I used Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in 02 Brown)
• A medium olive/khaki green with a shimmery finish
• A deep steel-grey or charcoal; this shade can be slightly blue or green based as long as it’s quite dark and smoky
• A medium matte beige
• A bright pink blush (I used MAC Peony Petal)
• A fuchsia lip pencil (like NYX Fuchsia)
• A fuchsia lipstick (like Revlon Colorburst in Fuchsia, NYX’s Addis Ababa, or MAC Girl About Town)

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The Big, Brown Cat Eye (plus Cat-eye Liner tutorial)

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There were a couple of requests for a sexy look that was based around neutral shades. Instead of the usual smoky eye or cut-crease eye, I decided to do one that was more sultry and evening-appropriate, and centered around a very strong liner.

This look is good for:

• Regular double lids, mono-lids
• All skin tones (if you are very dark skinned, switch the grey to a darker charcoal)
• Any eye color since it’s neutral, but especially brings out blue/grey and lighter-brown eyes
• Eyes that are not close-set

Special note: If you have hooded eyes, this still works. Just don’t wing the liner out too far. The transition of brown to grey shadow will be the main focus for you.

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You will need:

• A rich brown shadow (all shadows I used were from the 88 Warm palette but feel free to substitute with any similar brown)
• A smoky grey (also from the 88 palette; this can be matte or swapped for a deeper shade)
• A brown gel liner (I used my staple Maybelline Lasting Drama #02)
• [Optional] A lighter peach/bronze shadow
• Mascara

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Step 1: First apply the rich brown all over your lid. Avoid winging the color out at the outer corners.

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Step 2: Choose a grey that is about the same depth and intensity as the brown, and then sweep it along the socket line (the hollow above your eye ball). Don’t bring the grey all the way to the inner corners. It should stop and fade away about 2/3 of the way in. 

IF YOU HAVE HOODED EYES, you can extend the grey a little at the outer corners and buff it out so it creates a slight wing. 

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STEP 3: THE CAT-EYE LINER!

A) First run the brown liner along the lower lash line. I actually ran it along the waterline to hide that strip of bare skin. This creates a more cat-like effect.

B) Along the upper lash line, apply a very thick strip of liner. IF YOU HAVE MONOLIDS, you can actually go ahead and apply a much thicker strip than I did. 

C) One of the problems with winged liner is that it’s hard to get the angle the same on both sides of the eye. To make it easier, simply follow the angle of your lower lash line and extend it up slightly. 

D) To complete the wing, go from the outside in this time, and connect the outer tip of the wing with the center of your upper lid. After this, you can go back in to neaten and straighten the line as you need.

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Step 4: [Optional] Use your ring finger to tap a tiny bit of a lighter bronze shade onto the center of your lid for extra dimension. This is only recommended for double-lidded eyes. If you have mono-lids or hooded lids, skip this.

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Finish with mascara!

Simple “Tarnished Taupe”: Matte Brown shadow with a touch of olive pearl

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Back to a simple, neutral look that anyone can do. This should work with most skin tones and eye colors, and is something you can dust on quickly for work or school.

You will need:

1. A soft taupe brown shadow in a matte texture: I used I Nuovi Bark; MAC Concrete is a slightly darker alternative, and Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe is almost exactly the same.

2. A soft metallic olive: I used I Nuovi Moss but the green shade in Maybelline’s Olive Martini quad would work. You also don’t need to stick with the exact same green. Most brands have a bronze-y green that would work just as well.

3. Any very-dark charcoal or brown shadow.

4. Mascara

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Electric Pink Glitter-Lips with Brown Eyes

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This is a fun look that’s flattering and dramatic. As with all glitter-lip looks, it is not going to be a good idea to eat a whole lot while you’re wearing it.

Recommended for clubbing and cocktail parties where you’ll mostly just be drinking through straws. 

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Step 1: Apply a soft warm brown (I used MAC Sable) to the entire lid area, and then blend the color gently along the hollow of the socket line, pulling up slightly in a wing once you reach the other corners.

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Step 2: Using a brown gel liner, draw on a flick at the outer corners following the angle of the lower lash line.

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Step 3: Thicken the flick from the outer tip inwards, and then connect all along the upper lash line. Don’t try to draw it all in a single stroke. Do short strokes and just connect and smooth it out.

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Step 4: Finish the eye look by curling your lashes and then applying a strip of wispy false lashes. If you don’t want to apply falsies, just curl your lashes and apply black mascara!

P.S. Have I said before that I love the shape of the Ardell 120 Demis and Demi Wispies? The weave is irregular so they look more natural, and the shape is slightly longer and flared at the outer ends, so they give you a slight cat-like effect while being lush and girly at the same time.

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Step 5: I applied a rich fuchsia to the lips (Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Fuchsia), blotted, and then reapply. This gets a good stain on your lips so the color will be very saturated.

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Step 6: With your finger or a flat synthetic brush, gently press a translucent duochrome blue glitter to the surface of the lips. Try any fine-grained glitter that reflects blue, such as MAC Reflects Blue pigment or Reflects Very Pink. 

On the cheeks, just keep it soft with a light pink. You’ve already got a dramatic lip going, so you don’t want to have your cheeks be too bright at the same time.