Eye do...
March 7, 2004 | 12:00am
Eyes never cease to fascinate me. They’re the first thing I notice when I look at photographs or glossy images. Their different shapes, sizes and expressions keep me guessing about what they are trying to tell me. The eyes say it all; they truly are the windows of our souls. They evoke real emotion, suggest sensation, mood and even mystery.
This is why makeup artists focus on the eyes. You can create endless looks depending on what feeling you want to convey. For everyday makeup, you can simply make your eyes open up more by applying brown eyeliner. Do a shade darker to create drama for the evening. Vary your techniques and you can make your eyes go from looking simple, soft, shy, fashionable, classic, to sultry, sexy, enigmatic or even seductive.
Gone are the days when Cleopatra and Jezebel had to grind kohl from a mix of burnt almonds and the ores of antimony, manganese and lead. The options today are far simpler than even a decade ago. If you want a strong defining line, use creamy pencils. Powder pencils give an eyeshadow finish whether you’re using them to line or to fade into a shadow. Felt-tip eyeliners don’t smudge and last a long time, but their precise line can look severe on older eyes. They also offer the best of both worlds: The sharp definition of conventional liquid liner with the control of a pencil. Fat crayons with their creamy-powdered texture double as shadow or liner for a soft, often shimmery effect. Liquid eyeliners provide a more precise line, but applying them takes a sure and steady hand. They let you brush on those Marilyn Monroe eyes. Pencils can give either soft or sharp lines. They’re the easiest to handle, which makes them perfect for beginners. Powder is yet another option. When teamed with an angled brush, it can create a soft, smoky line. Just make sure that any liner you use is not so hard that it tugs at your skin when you apply it. The choice is yours; whatever works for you is best. Just remember that in applying eyeliners, you’ll need steady hands so it is very important that you practice, practice and practice.
Yes, there are colors to choose from. They range from the brightest blues, green, earth tones, cool tones to the blackest blacks. I suggest you use browns to start with especially for first timers. Brown is more forgiving, more mild. It is also versatile because you can use it for both day and night. You can make your eyes look brighter by curling your lashes and applying black mascara if you want a different look at night. When you have perfected the art of lining your eyes right, then you are ready to experiment with other colors. I would suggest using "safe" colors like blacks, smokes and browns. They look good with most eye colors.
• If you have steady hands and want to try to use cake eyeliner, you will need an eyeliner brush.
• If you want to play it safe first, then you’ll need an eyeliner pencil.
2. White liner is one of the oldest yet newest makeup tricks in the book. Applied to the rim of the eye, it gives the appearance of wider, whiter eyes. This technique was a fave of film goddesses from Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe to Gena Rowlands and Gwyneth Paltrow.
3. Apply eyeliner as close as possible to – and even into – the lashes to avoid the white line you get when liner and lashes don’t connect.
4. Aim to have a perfect line in no more than two strokes.
5. Practice. Practice. Practice.
6. Apply in front of magnified mirror to make sure no spaces are left.
7. When using an eyeliner pencil, sharpen it first. To avoid hurting your eye, write on the back of your hand first before applying directly to your eye.
8. If you would like to use cake eyeliner, wet the eyeliner brush with water and roll it into the cake eyeliner. Consistency is important in achieving an even application. Too wet and the product is not solid in color and is likely to run on the eyelid. Too dry and product will skip, leaving gaps in the application so test on the back of your hand first before applying. This takes a lot of practice to perfect and get that line in two strokes.
1. Tree custom color eyeliner pencils. They are soft and glide on easily. Sharpening is needed
2. I nuovi automatic pencils. They are also soft and easily glide on. No sharpening necessary.
3. Stila automatic pencils are also soft and fairly easy to handle. Sharpening is not needed.
2. Groom eyebrows.
3. Apply concealer. Even out skin tone.
4. Set with loose powder.
5. Fill in eyebrows.
6. Apply loose powder under eye area to "catch" pigments.
7. Apply eyeshadow.
8. Keep one eye open. Lightly stretch the other eye at the far corner toward your temple.
9. Using a dark brown pencil, start lining beginning at the tear duct. This is where the thinnest point should be. Remember to follow the curve of the eye hugging the lashes.
10. Apply mascara.
11. "Sweep" under eye clean.
12. Apply pink blush.
13. Mix different shades of pink lip color.
14. Final look.
After all your hard work, we all dread the final step – removing the eye makeup. If you used cake eyeliners, then water-soluble cleansers can easily remove all of your makeup. The same goes with other products you used. First wash them off with your cleansers then remove any residual eye makeup with a cotton swab dipped in an eye makeup remover. If you are used to cosmetic wipes, then make sure you don’t tug or pull on your skin too much. Do this very gently. Repeated pulling of the skin can be problematic because it stretches skin and damages the elastin fibers, leading to wrinkles and sagging.
Products I recommend and have been using as eye makeup removers are Origins and Mac. Cleansing products I currently use and have found most effective are Origins Mint Wash, Origins liquid clay and Shu Uemura cleansing oil. These formulations are like magic. Use small amounts, lather and presto! Makeup is gone. No raccoon eyes when you wake up the next morning. So buying them will be worth it. They will last for months. I assure you that a little will go a long long way.
Eyeliner is a basic part of an eye-makeup design because it shapes and defines the eyes. It makes the eyelashes look thicker. After eye treatments have been done (foundation, eyebrows and eye shadow) the eye liner brings the eye makeup together. And because of this, it brings attention to the eyes and forces eye contact. Even with deep set eyes, liners will make your eyes stand out, maximizing them. Makeup after all should be used to enhance and improve your features and not overpower them. With soulful eyes, you don’t even have to utter a word; say it all with a look, and let your eyes do the talking.
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