Bigger Eyes

I know that when I try to do a smokey eye, or at least try to wear a lot of eyeliner, my eyes end up looking small and dark instead of dramatic and beautiful. It all depends on your eye shape- some eyes are larger, some lids are bigger, and some people don’t even have that little shelf of skin just above their lower lash line. It makes a huge difference.

So here are some tips on making your eyes look bigger and brighter, even if you have small eyes. STEP 1: Undereye concealer. It covers up the bags and discoloration under your eyes, which makes an enormous difference on your entire complexion and how big your eyes seem. The darkness under your eyes will draw attention away from your actual eye. I recommend Benefit Cosmetic’s Erase Paste, which comes in three different shades. Most of their eye kits come with the No. 2, but I find that too dark for my light skin. Even better, the Erase Paste covers up blemishes beautifully without making your skin break out, or irritating dry skin (my current issue). You just put a tiny bit on your finger and blend, blend, blend. Sweep it around your eye, near the crease of your eye, or even on your eyelid if it looks a bit dark. You can pretty much put it anywhere and see a huge difference.

Using non-shimmery eyeshadows helps. I find that shimmery shadows look a bit off on me, almost like it makes my eyes look greasy and tired. It sounds strange, but it’s completely understandable. Makeups and perfumes work differently on different people, depending on their skintone and skintype, so it’s just the same with eyeshadows. Matte is in! And using the right shades help. STEP 2: Use the right base. I’ve been using MAC’s Paint Pot in ‘Painterly’ for as long as I can remember. I put some on my finger and cover my eyelid in it, which makes a completely nude and perfect canvas that keeps my eyeshadows from creasing during the day, and it also makes the shadows look more vibrant. For the extra brightening step, put on Stila’s eyeshadow in Kitten first, then put on the paint pot. The Kitten shadow makes the eyelid look brighter while the paint pot covers up the shimmer in the shadow. Simply flawless, and it never moves unless you take it off with makeup remover/face wash.

Anyways, contuining with the ‘right base’ idea. Light colors like vanilla shades, light pink shades, and light golden shades are always a good idea. I can never use dark shades on my eyes unless I’m using it on the crease of my eye, and I always use a light hand when doing that. Matte is best- Urban Decay also makes great matte shadows, but MAC’s paint pots are simply and irresistably the best colors for a bright, matte eye. You can layer more product to make the color more vibrant than natural, and you can always add eyeshadows over it.

STEP 3: White eyeliner. I just found this trick out a couple of weeks ago from a MAC employee. You use the pencil on the shelf of your eyelid, which is just above where your lower lash line is. It’s just a sliver of bare skin beneath your eye. You use the white eyeliner on that, going over it a few times to make it brighter, and your eyes look bigger. It’s best to use the very tip of the pencil instead of the side of it like you would if you were lining your eyelid. If you put the pencil on its side, some of the product brushes off on your lashes. Just remember to hold the pencil at a 90 degree angle so the pencil is perpendicular to your eye. I recommend using MAC’s white eyeliner, which I’m pretty sure is called ‘Fascinating’. Urban Decay’s 24/7 eyepencil in ‘Yeyo’ works as well. Those two are great waterproof liners! Avoid MAKEUP FOREVER’s watrproof pencils, which are NOT actually waterproof.

STEP 4: Highlighter. You should use a highlighter underneath your brows and in the very corner of your eye. The shade should be very light and bright, more so than your eyeshadow base. I’m using Calvin Klein’s eyeshadow in ‘Moonstone’. I normally really don’t like CK’s makeup line, but it was on sale for $8 and I couldn’t say no. Urban Decay’s Matte Eyeshadow in ‘Yeyo’ is very bright, good for a more dramatic look. Pretty much any light shade that is lighter than your base will work. Don’t forget to dab some in the corner of your eye, between your eye and your nose.

STEP 5: Eyeliner. The thing to remember when applying your eyeliner is to STAY ON THE LASH LINE. If you apply your eyeliner on your lash line, it’ll make the liner look natural. It’ll almost seem like your lashes are thicker. And only apply the liner from the middle to the edge of your eye- avoid putting liner near the corner of your eye and front half of your lash line. Adding that emphasis only to the back half of your lash line will make that part of your eye stand out and leave the front half looking bright and clean. Putting a full line of black makes the eye look heavier. You CAN draw a full line across your lash line, but be sure to use a light hand.

Here’s the last step! STEP 6: Volumizing mascara. There are a lot of mascaras out there, but don’t be fooled by the ‘lenghtening’ ones. They contain tiny black particles that stick to your lashes and build on top of each other, which adds the ‘length’. However, the particles start making a mess after a few uses. They fall off of the applicator and leave little black marks under your eyes and on your cheeks. Stick to the volumizing ones! You want your lashes to look thicker without looking unnatural. Not to mention, the lengthening mascara will bring your lashes up so they cover some of your lid. That makes the eye look heavier and darker, which is not what we’re looking for. The thickening just addes emphasis to your natural lashes. The only, and I do mean ONLY, mascara I use is NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara. Don’t accidentally pick up the Larger Than Life Lengthening Mascara, which comes in an identical package! Though I absolutely despise NARS products, their new volumizing mascara is a work of art. It does not clump or leave a mess, and it’s a very beautiful and rich black that makes my lashes look lovely.

Enjoy having bright, beautiful eyes! Though dramatic shadows and liners may draw attention, I’ll tell you right now that guys find natural looking eyes more attractive. The more natural and bright your makeup is, the more they start to think that you actually wake up looking that good. And they usually want to stick around to find out just how gorgeous you are in the morning, if you catch my drift.