Photos: Graeme Weatherston
The Eyes Have It
When it comes to applying make-up I think most of you would agree with me that the most satisfying and exciting part are making up the eyes. This is where you can experiment and let your creative side come out!
Eye make-up is designed to make eyes stand out. The secret of good eye make-up is simple. Enhance your eyes.
Eyebrows – perfectly arched brows can work all sorts of magic on your face. Miraculously, your eyes will look bigger and brighter, your cheekbones more defined, your face thinner. If you haven’t done so already I would suggest having them shaped professionally for the first time and if you wish then you can take matters into your own hands. Having had all methods done I would have to recommend threading, the finish is fantastic and is far kinder in the long run to your skin than waxing.
If your eyebrow hairs are sparse – or if you’ve been too enthusiastic with the tweezers – you’ll need to fill them in with an eyebrow pencil or powder. With short, fine strokes, use the pencil or a firm, angled brush to sweep on a brow powder in the direction of hair growth. For a natural finish, blend in the shade with a Q-tip, and seal with a clear brow gel.
 Eye shadow – preparation is important if you want your eye shadow to last. There are some eye primers on the market (Urban Decay do a good one) but you can also just put a thin layer of concealer on your lids and set with some translucent powder.
Powder eye shadow is better than cream as it lasts much longer and doesn’t crease on the lid. Start with a base colour, normally cream or maybe white depending on the look you are going for and apply from lashes to brows. Move onto the medium colour then from the lashes to the crease. Then use a dark colour to contour into the crease of the eye. If you are going for a smoky look you can build up the colour as much or as little as you like. Adding extra touches like gold or silver in the inner corners or in the centre of the lid can really make the eyes pop!
Eyeliner – if you haven’t been using eyeliner up until now, start practicing. The easiest and softest look is to use a dark eye shadow. For definition, go for a shadow that’s high in pigment and apply with a slanted brush. Start with a thin line at the inner corners, pressing into the lashes, and make it thicker towards the outer edges. For a more lasting finish, smudge an eyeliner pencil along the bottom lashes starting from three-quarters of the way across, joining up with the upper lash line. Go over the pencil with your eye shadow to set it as sometimes your body heat will warm it up and cause it to slip. Not a good look!
For a more dramatic look try liquid or gel eyeliner. My favourite would be gel; it looks like liquid on but doesn’t have to be applied in one fell swoop. When you’re applying it, sit with your elbows on a table. Look down into the mirror with your eyes, holding your head straight and don’t pull your skin taut.
 False Lashes – for some extra drama try some individual or strip lashes. Again practice makes perfect so try them out a few times to make sure you’re happy before the big night.
Then finish off with two coats of mascara and your eyes are gorgeous.
|
