Your Public Best - Lillian Brown [24]
Eyeliner and shadow should be blended so that there are no harsh lines anywhere. Look critically at yourself to be sure that nothing overpowers the eye color, and that the makeup is flattering.
Put your eye makeup on using a magnifying mirror and a bright light so that you can see what you are doing.
Avoid using an eyebrow pencil on the brow, and never use a black, harsh line that looks fake. Instead, using a sponge-tipped applicator, try applying gray or brown eyeshadow to your eyebrow hairs. Start at the outer edge, and brush a little powder under the hairs, then smooth them down. This will give you a natural-looking color.
As mentioned above, the choice of eyeshadow and liner color is very important. Your first consideration should be what colors will enhance your eyes without drawing attention to the eye makeup itself. Your second consideration is choosing colors that look well with your eye’s natural iris color. Trying to match eyeshadow to the color of your clothes should be your last consideration. If you choose the right daytime eyeshadow colors, you may even be able to wear them most days, no matter what color your clothes are that particular day.
Although every makeup artist and every magazine article or book on the subject seems to have a conflicting opinion on what eye colors go best with what eye makeup colors, you can’t go wrong with the following general advice. (Note that the colors recommended are especially attractive on television.) On the chart given below, eye colors are followed by suggested eyeshadow colors:
• Brown eyes, white skin—Most browns, especially gray-browns and medium browns; taupe; slate gray.
• Brown eyes, black skin—Darker browns; charcoal gray (smudged and not too dark, however); grayed purples, if used subtly.
• Blue eyes and blue-gray eyes—Muted blue-grays; slate gray; steel gray; dove gray; taupe; never use bright blue, green, or turquoise.
• Gray eyes—Muted grays one to two shades darker than eye color; grayed taupe; blue-gray; avoid grays that are lighter gray than eye color or the exact gray as eye color; avoid any bright colors.
• Hazel eyes—Medium browns; taupe; medium grays; blue-grays or other muted blues; avoid most greens.
• Green eyes—Any gray, from pale dove gray through a smudged, subtle charcoal gray; smoky taupe; peachy brown; never use bright green.
Eyeliner colors should be chosen after you have selected your eyeshadow colors. Many women do not look good with black eyeliner but look wonderful using a navy blue, chocolate brown, or dark charcoal gray liner, especially if they use a soft eyeliner pencil. Thus, if you have chosen a blue-gray shadow, try experimenting with a subtle application of a navy blue or charcoal-gray liner pencil. Or if you chose a brown or a taupe shadow, try a dark brown liner.
If you are all thumbs, in a hurry, or “blind as a bat,” forgo eyeliner completely—it’s just not worth it.
One final eyeliner trick that many models use—try drawing a very thin line in navy or royal blue with a soft eyeliner pencil as close to your lower lashes as possible. Many women are able to carefully draw such a line just above the lower lashes, nearly inside the lower lid. (This is done by gently pulling down on the lower lid with several fingers while applying the liner.) The theory is that this dark-blue line opens up the eyes and makes the whites of the eyes look whiter. Try it yourself and see. (Note that this does not work with a gray or black or lighter blue eyeliner.)
Mascara. Mascara comes with two different bases: water and oil. The water-based mascara can be washed off with water and therefore dissolves and flakes when the eye is moist. The other, “waterproof ” formula can only be easily removed by using cold cream or a special oil-based remover often called “eye makeup remover.” However, no mascara is completely waterproof through a shower or swim. All mascaras eventually flake, and when you use a tissue under the eye after a few hours of wear, you can see how much of the color