Eye Make-Up Questions!
[ 10 December 2007 ]
I recently received this email…
“Currently, I use a black pencil eyeliner on my bottom lash, and use mascara. I’d like to create a smoky effect but I don’t want to buy heaps. Is there some sort of special brush I can use to smudge it in?
Ever since going to my friend’s house and we had a makeover, my friend did my make-up and she made me look like a clown. Ever since I’ve been worried about trying new make-up but I guess I should move on, because I like to try new things. I have blue eyes, and colours like green eye shadow are meant to suit me. I’ve tried green but it looks awful. I’d like to wear eye shadow because I’d like to buy all the colours and experiment in the mornings. I’d like to try pink, but do you think it would look wrong?
Also, I’ve read in some fashion magazines about glittery eyeliners. I went into Boots today and saw a very nice glittery pink eyeliner. But surely just wearing that, it won’t be noticeable? Is there anything you’re meant to wear with it as well?”
When I do a smoky eye, I use a teeny little brush to blend my kohl eyeliner pencil. I can’t find my brush online, but I think it’s worth your time to get your hands on the MAC Cosmetics 211 Fine Point Pencil Brush. It should do the trick. Just smudge smudge smudge. Also, when I do a smoky eye, I usually use a dark brown instead of black. (I like Teddy by MAC.) It’s not as harsh as black & I think it’s actually better at bringing out the subtle tones in blue or green eyes.
I have blue eyes too, as you may have noticed, & I use green eye shadow quite regularly. The one thing you need to be aware is that not all greens will suit you — just as not all purples, pinks, reds or blues will suit you. I can wear some shades of yellow, for example, but mustard yellow is a major no-no. If you have no idea what colours suit you, read Fashion Help For Recovering Goths. Then get your booty to a make-up counter where a trained professional can help you. Tell someone that you’d like to be able to wear green, but you’re not sure which shades suit you. They will show you an array of colours & help you find one that works with your eyes.
I regularly use eye shadows in various shades of pink. Again, it’s all about knowing which tones work with your skin & your eyes. I love deep pink as well as raspberry, but frosted baby pink makes me look like I’m Dynasty. Go to a make-up counter, have a play, ask some questions.
It’s hard to say what the glittery pink eyeliner will look like on you without seeing it. Is it a liquid, a pencil, a loose dust? Some glittery pink eyeliner is fine & light, whereas some is thick & vibrant. The way it looks will also depend on whether you are from Sudan or Sweden! I advise trying it on your skin before you buy it. If you’re applying something with a powder base to your face, a bit of water can help bind it to the skin, whereas if you’re using a kohl eyeliner, using some concealer & a neutral base eye shadow underneath will allow the eyeliner to make much more impact.
If you want to learn about make-up, my best advice is this:
Buy a set of brushes. MAC Cosmetics do starter sets of them every Christmas, & they are absolutely worth the money.
Make friends with the girls at your favourite make-up counter.
Ask questions.
Read about it. Kevyn Aucoin’s books (Face Forward & Making Faces) are like bibles — worship them!
Take a short make-up course if you can, or attend the classes held by make-up companies.
Play, play, play.
Really, you are going to learn the most from standing in the front of the mirror & making mistakes. Don’t be afraid to try new things — even the most theoretically incorrect technique can yield great results, & of course, wearing anything with a bit of confidence & sass goes a long way.
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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I’ve never tried the 211, but the 219 pencil brush is great for blending harsh lines.
joining online communities is great!
I love mac_cosmetics on livejournal, people post their makeup for the day and all the girls are so nice and will help anyone with a problem. I’ve learned heaps in just a few short months! :)
for a great variety of BOLD eyeshadows that aren’t just Mac (though they are the best), Urban Decay does some really fab shades especially for people with warm brown eyes. Also Urban Decay’s ‘eyeshadow primer’ is AMAZING. you just dab it on like a foundation on your eyelid and any eyeshadow you put on becomes instantly brighter and more intense and stays on without creasing, until you decide to take it off =)
Also the thing with MAC brushes, they are amazing but oh-so expensive. Shop around for the manufacturer, I can’t remember who does their brushes, but the same mac brush manufacturer has made brushes for the super cheap ‘kirkland’ makeup company in Costco. Normally I steer clear of ‘wholesale makeup’ however my cousin whose a makeup artist, picked them up and found no difference between those brushes and her mac brushes…all for a measly 10 pound!!
I totally recommend fruitybeauty’s site for awesome makeup tips (thanks to a Carousel link a while back).
http://www.fruitybeauty.com.au/
If your eyes are blue you should look great in blues and browns, and if you are the right skintone, warm rusty colours should look amazing too.
Zainab – I wish they sold Urban Decay here, you’ve totally got me craving it.
I finally got to some Jordana makeup the other day, & was mighty impressed!! The eyeliner is AWESOMELY good. Will have to go back there tomorrow in my lunch-break and buy some eyeshadows. I really need to start playing around with my make up..
I have very heavily deep set, hooded eyes, so for anyone with a similarity to that, I’ll relate what I know. I look absolutely awful without lining both lids and have discovered that pretty much anything but pale washes of color on my top lid just disappear or make my eyes look bad (in the case of dark smoky colors). However, I can get away well with a very heavy black (somewhat smudgy) liner under my eyes and just mascara on the top, which normally looks patently ridiculous. Cats eyes round out the eye and take the impact of the weight of the eye away.
A note for anyone with wide, high cheekbones (again, just from personal experience— hazards of diamond face shapes)— very wide winged cats eyes will pull your eyes apart and make them look the proper size when compared to your cheekbones.
I also have gray-green eyes, and rose as well as green and purple shadows look mint on me. Blue looks atrocious (this may have more to do with my skin tone than anything else, because ALL blue looks horrid on me), and browns disappear. Black looks great, but only when worn with dark clothing, because I have ivory skin and pale yellow-white locks.
I would definitely suggest going to the Sephora counter and consulting the girls that work there. Be super-sweet and dress snappy and you’re sure to make out well with tips (and samples)!
I must say that I am a major fan of the smoky eye. I use Prestige Kohly eyeliner which is quite soft and comes with a little smudgy device attached to the opposite end of the brush. I have been using it for years and it is excellent! Also if MAC cosmetics were a man,he would be my lover!
Brown eyeliner? I’ve actually never thought to try contrasting brown with black and see if it works better! (I’ve got blue eyes)
I’ll certainly give it a try now, thanks, Gala!
And to the person asking the questions — you may feel like a bit of a tool going into shops and playing about, then not buying anything but DON’T BUY ANYTHING if you won’t actually use it or if it’s out of your price range. Save your hard-earned money for something you’ll USE and LOVE!
I’m a bit of a starter in make-up techniques. These two books by Aucoin are the Bible of most of the fashion students here in Lausanne. You have convinced me to buy them for I love my eyes and would like to show them to the entire world!! And en plus, I will order these two books for my fashion section in the English part of the bookshop I work in. The Little Black book of style is already there!! And the book about being a godess too…
By the way your web site is wonderful and it gives me the sentiment of being living Sex and the City!!!
Bisous tout plein!
I really rate this MAC brush for creating smoky eye with eyeshadow, http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY15083&PRODUCT_ID=PROD1394 it blends any colour beautifully and is amazing for shading in the socket for deep, dramatic eyes.
Aww thank you so much for your help. It makes me feel so happy that there are people out there which are happy to help :) Made my day :D
A great way to find eyeshadows that suit you is to look at a colour wheel… if you don’t know what I mean, google it! Whatever colour on the wheel that is opposite to your eye colour, will make your eye colour really stand out. For green eyes its purple (scary!) but for us blue eyed babes its shades of orange and yellow. Try bronzey or champagney shades that aren’t so bright, to start off with.
Like Gala pointed out, brown can often seem less scary than black smokey eyes. It also suits fair skin/fair haired people a lot better. I LOVE the look of huge big smokey black The Veronicas-esque eyes… but as I am so fair skinned with platinum blonde hair, it doesn’t suit me at all =(
Its always fantastic to book to get your makeup done at a cosmetics counter, then they show you what works best on you and how to do it yourself. Benefit and MAC are the most friendly and fun!!
remember shading is very important darl, usually most eye shapes suit lighter inside corners of the eyes and darker creases and outer corners, this means a light or even white eyeshadow and a black or dark eyeshadow to mix in with the colours you would like to use is very important.
it you are experimenting with colours and are a little shy about going all out try lining your eyes with a cats eye, like what gala does, and then applying your makeup above that. all you do is line your eye with liquid liner as close to your lashline as possible and then ‘flick’ on the outer corner to create a winged effect. gala wrote an article for cosmo on the cats eye.
xx katrina
a smoky eye effect suits very little people during the day and is a little impractical in case of smudging and reapplication, try a cats eye for the day, it looks stylish ,classy and clean. defineately try the mac fulidlines and macs liquid last liners, they will both withstand til the end of the day. plus the liquidlast liners have so equisite colours.
my thoughts on glitter: less is more. proceed with caution!
reason?
just the tiniest accent of glitter is fabulous. using it over liner adds some extra interest without making you look “clown like” as was your concern.
i say proceed with caution purely because plastic or metallic based glitters can mean dangerous when the particles (accidentally) meet your eye when you wipe it by accident.
irreparable damage to your eye is not good.
however, pop and mac make some great glitters!
I have no idea what is supose to suit me, but I always get those variety pallets from Rimmel or Australis with loads of different colors and try absolutly everything!
I think the only way to know what is good for you is to try. I have pale skin, green eyes and rosey cheeks so most make up rules don’t work. Make-up should be fun and something to play with
I also have trouble with perfecting my own eye makeup. See, my eyes are a little strange…they’re very round, prominent (not at all deep-set..in fact, rather googly!), and somewhat droopy. Therefore, most of the tips available are not actually applicable to my eyes. I have lots and lots of bushy dark lashes that are kind of straight and poke my eyebals all the time too so putting on mascara can be a drama.
Eyeliner looks positively awful on me and i’m not entirely sure why….perhaps because it accentuates the odd shape of my eyes or maybe becasue my upper and lower lashes are already quite dark.
Basically, all I know about eyeshadow colours is that plums/pinks/purples accentuate the green in hazel eyes! Shimmery golds are nice for hazel too.
I’m also quite fond of the shimmery white on the inner corners of the eye Gala and I think yours loooks amazing – could you please tell me what brand/product you use for that?
Also – I saw the first episode of season 9 ANTM today – Don’t you guys think heather could be Joanna Newsom’s twin sister??
I don’t know if someone has already said this, but I have blue eyes and the best eyeshadow colors for blue eyes I believe are orange or brown. They really make blue eyes brighter because of the color contrast.
My one bit of eye make-up advice:
If you have brown eyes, do not use brown eyeshadow or brown eyeliner. It pretty much makes your eyes disappear. However, you can use black eyeliner, and every other colour with success, as long as you pick the right shade.
I am milk-bottle pale, and I have brown eyes and olive-green eyeshadow makes me look sickly, it’s too brown and too warm. Dark, almost-black green eyeshadow, however, like Bourjois’ Noir Emeraude, looks awesome.
The whole cool-colour warm-colour thing is not as simple as makeup companies like to make out! I have brown eyes and brown hair so I am supposed to have a “warm” complexion. I do not have a “warm” complexion. Trust me. Gala’s colour guide in ‘Fashion Help for Recovering Goths’ is far more reliable than those that the make-up stands offer!
YES! ‘Making Faces’ is such a wonderful book! I can’t put it down!
Hi Gala – thought you might like to know you’ve provided some inspiration in my life :) I’ve recently made the decision to try a make up course next year after reading about how much you’re enjoying your course. It’s something I’ve always found interesting and I use make up a lot to create looks for my photographs (I’m a photography student aiming to be a fashion photographer) but it never really occurred to me to do a make up artistry course! The decision has been very much approved by both my parents and boyfriend’s parents, who were all petrified I wouldn’t get back into study after I take a gap year next year – I had a super emotional wreck of a first year at uni, my parents split up, my mum came out – I’m so proud of her! But it meant I was a ROLLERCOASTER and couldn’t cope with uni with all that stuff – so after reading your very handy article about gap years and uni I made the decision that was best for ME, it’s just been reassuring all the parents that it’s the best that’s been near impossible). ANYWAY, I pitched the idea with the points that 1. It’s something I’m interested in doing, 2. It’s another skill to help with my photography, especially when I’m a poor wee Man Ray worshipper who can’t afford a make up artist even if I want one, and 3. It’ll keep me in the studying mindset – without being too much and sending me crashing out of my tree again! So they’re all happy. And I’m happy. So thank you for providing inspiration, your articles are fantastic and since I’ve discovered your website, I’ve definitely felt my life & views becoming more positive. I am now more eager to try new things, which is fantabulous. I’m even thinking about dying my hair an interesting colour! No idea what though. I love your hair, but blues and purples make me look like a zombie girl. Ew.
Ps. My skin thanks you too. I was always ultra lazy with my skin care – since watching your skincare video, I have gone and sorted myself a skincare routine. My skin doesn’t know what’s hit it, but it likes it!
Many thanks :)
Oh, and some on-topic make up contributions. Recently my eye make up consists of a little bit of Clinique High Impact eye shadow in Sugar Sugar to brighten the inside corners of my eyes, like Gala’s done. Then I sweep soft pink eyeshadow by Australis just over my eyelids, curl my lashes and apply black Chanel Inimitable mascara. That is fantastic mascara. I am finding the Australis eyeshadow has next to no staying power though, so I need to find something better. I’m thinking of investing in some MAC pigment sample pots.
hmmm…
can i just use paint brushes (like for watercolor paints) for makeup?
or is real make up brushes, REALLY worth the price?
Gemma — For the inner corners of my eyes, & also eyebrow highlights, I’m currently using MAC’s Pink Freeze eye shadow. I’ve owned it for years but have only just started using it!
Lani — That is awesome! Yeah, I am majorly loving my course. It’s the last one tomorrow night & I don’t want it to end! Most of the girls in my class are actually training to be make-up artists & so they are going on & doing the advanced course after this. I’d kind of like to do that too but I don’t know if I neeeed to at this stage… so, we’ll see!
another cool product is revlon’s ‘bedroom eyes’ (http://www.revlon.com/ProductCatalog/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=49). i use that and then smudge it with a q-tip.
kevyn aucoin is a genius. taught me everything i know, haha!
I’m going to do it when my partner & I move to Auckland next year. Just need to find a course there. Does anyone know of/can reccommend any?
I don’t know if I trust the makeup counter girls. They just want to make a sale. How much training do they actually get? Aren’t they on commission? I dislike feeling pressured to buy something.
I wouldn’t mind some actual, professional advice, though.
Ruth — They are trained make-up artists. If you ask them how to do something, they will tell you. If they put a colour on you, use your own judgement. It’s not that dastardly!
for Ruth, Gala, and all of Miss Darling’s lovely readers:
“Makeup Counter” girls do usually work on commission. Sephora employees do not.
Depending on who helps you out, these collective ladies (and gents!) have a range of education from a full 2-year training including prosthetics, movie makeup, weddings, etc. to folks who are just independently talented, with good teaching skills. Some people do retail makeup for a living, others do it to supplement their freelance income (and for health care!) All retail makeup artists get significant training on their brand (or in Sephora’s case, 12 billion brands) which is sometimes more helpful than the technical training— they can show you what a specific product can or cannot do, plus pick out ingredients that may be good or bad for you.
Some will try to pressure you into buying, but most really don’t care. They know that if they do their job correctly, give you the right products and teach you how to use them, you’ll WANT to buy them. If you go during a slow time (weekdays, mornings, NOT holidays!) you’ll get extra special time and attention— it gets boring waiting around for customers!
To be honest, individual sales don’t reflect on the commission for the day— an artist can take 45 minutes making you beautiful and teaching you techniques, and you can walk away with nothing. And the next customer comes along, knows exactly what she wants, and drops $500 in 10 minutes.
So, ladies, fear not! Pick your favorite brand, or even your not-so-favorite brand (A true artist can make the dowdiest ‘old lady’ brand- Estee Lauder I’m looking at you— into a MAC fabulous face!) and head to the counter…
OR you can come visit me at Sephora Times Square, 1500 Broadway, New York, NEWWW YORRRRK!
gala…i don’t mean to yell at you, but i would totally call your eyes green…or green and blue (aka turqouise). and honestly, that’s why a deep pink would work for you and your complexion, and not a baby pink.
with eyes the color of yours, i would go with anything on the palate of violet. do a dark, do a baby pale—everything will look lovely. with someone with a bit of a bluer bent, i’d go with a lovely earthy gold (no goldfinger beyonce makeup)along with a hint of green and a bit of dark purple. for browner eyes, go with a bluer eyeliner and a black/gold eye…or a lovely fawn…or, if you’re feeling daring, a full on 80s blue. for black/dark brown eyes, anything goes. just please pick pretty colors, you lucky duck!
god i have had SUCH bad experiences with makeup counters gala! at Benefit the lady somehow got me to buy expensive foundation two shades too dark for my skin, sayin that it just ‘looks different under our lights’ and I was like ??? but too shy to say anything about it… never again!
also, another lady for Clinique gave me the most hideous makeover of my entire life. it was awful! i was so embarrased, I felt like a clown :(
i would rather have them let me do it myself!
This was fantastic! Great tips, Gala! I esp. found the one about using brown on a smokey eye over black helpful!
I currently work for Dior Cosmetics, and used to be a beauty adviser for Clinique as well. Most cosmetics brands will have a training class every six months, as well as an initiation class for their new employees (except for MAC, where they really do train!). The classes are about nine hours long, and if you’re lucky, they may spend an hour teaching you makeup application tips and techniques. However, most cosmetics consultants will know a lot more about makeup than the average person, and there is a lot you can learn just by working there. I always loved makeup, but didn’t really develop any skills until actually working in the industry.
Find a consultant who has a “look” you like, well-applied makeup, and isn’t aggressively pushing you to buy her products. The companies want us to do anything for a sale, to the point of lying about the products, so it’s important to find a trustworthy consultant. Schedule a makeover appointment with this person, making sure they know that you want them to teach you new techniques. You will be expected to buy at least a couple of products, but it’s only fair since they spent a good hour or so with you.
One more thing: most department stores will allow you to return used products, but it makes us sad because we have to throw them away, so never buy without trying the product on first!
The best thing about going to a specific makeup counter at a more upmarket department store(such as Kirkcaldie & Stains in Wgtn) is that if the product is not right for you they happily let you return it…bear in mind this does not happen at makeup counters at places like Farmers…
I totally agree you, going to a make up counter and talking to the people there are always helpful. In the states they’re supposed to have a license or getting a license (like in cosmetology or with special classes from the company). It’s one of those “we’re supposed to, but you rock so we’ll have you work here anyway” kind of rules.
If they’re really trained well they will take a look at your personal style going up there and really project your image into your make up- and not project what they alone like on you (the horrors of the ladies with big froofie overly processed hair with bubblegum pink lipgloss that is oozing into the wrinkles around their lips).
I love MAC and i love the fact that they always have something new. The sad thing is not everything stays, very limited. My friend got me samples of one product that they described as a paint or a primer (Kind of like Urban Decay’s primer). It kept everything on longer, you could use it anywhere, it’d add to the color you used, and you didn’t even really have to put anything ontop of it to make it look good. It was amazing. And of course they don’t sell it anymore. The shame!
Gala- I’m sure some of them are well- meaning, but I’ve had too many bad experiences- like when you get a bad haircut and all the stylists are like, “It’s sooo cute!!” And you can tell they’re lying….
Something about mascara..
I read it in Boots somewhere. If you go from root to lash in a zig-zag motion, it makes the lashes bigger. Tried in this morning and it works :)
And Gala – you said you used MAC’s Pink Freeze eye shadow. I’ll buy some at the weekend :) I use some of my own eyeshadow in the corners of my eyes, but it doesn’t last long. What should I do?
P.S. You don’t need a cosmetology degree to work at a cosmetics counter. Even if you had one, the cosmetics training at cosmetology school isn’t exactly impressive, or so say my hairdresser friends (sorry, probably I sound really negative today, but I swear it’s all true and I’m trying to be helpful!).
for picture reference of what you can achieve in terms of a “smoky eye” with black liner, dark brown shadow and a gold shadow,
http://jujichew.blogspot.com/2007/12/brow-envy.html
i just did this last night after reading this post! late night inspiration and what not.
Juji – your eye make-up is DIVINE!
You can do a smoky eye with any color.
I have brown eyes and today I have a purple smokey eye.
Mac brushes are love!
But I use some cheapy ones with a full tapered end for blending. They work just as well.
I had a great experience at MAC when I went to get foundation. The makeup artist helped me find the right shade and put it on for me, but stressed that it was my skin and my decision whether or not to buy anything. She didn’t try and steer me towards buying any other products, either, which is important to me because I don’t go out with lots of spare cash. So, I would definitely recommend MAC for their service alone (and, of course, the products are amazing).
I have a friend who’s a well respected hollywood make-up artist and she suggest that you NOT use pencils for everyday use. Pencils drag against your lid and used day after day after day can encourage lines. :-/
After she gave me a make-up lesson, I moved to using liquid liner on my upper lids (not too hard to learn) and carefully applying a smudge of powder eyeshadow under my lower lashes with a brush. If you’re going with a smokey eye, the powder works better than a liner pencil anyway.
Very interesting article and tips from everyone!! :)
I’ve found the people at Benefit, Origins and Nars were very helpful and not too pushy.
A quick question though…how do i get eyeliner to stay on the inner rims of my eyes? I like to use Rimmel or Revlon, but it seems to wear off pretty quickly.
Just a little post-script to de Profundis- I’ve snapped up your tips very eagerly, seeing as I have similarly shaped and positioned eyes to you (and love your personal style, too). Thanks for posting!
Wow. I just stumbled upon your page this morning and I am so glad that I did. A-mazing. Youre makeuptips are awesome and helpful! I am very interested in getting started in the make up business :)
gala,
im pretty sure eye makeup looks best when the colour is the opposite of ur eye colour (i have dark green eyes so i use a tiny bit of purple liner and black.
ani