Category — Eye Liner tips

If you have a short period of time between work and a party or just can’t quite take the time to completely redo your makeup, don’t worry!  Turning your daytime look into a night-time look is surprisingly easy, once you get the hang of it.  It is almost entirely in the eyes.

First, you need to pick out an eyeshadow that is just a few shades darker than the one you wore during the day. Don’t switch to another color, that would add an extra step! Brush it on in thin layers, until you achieve the darkness you prefer.  A tiny bit of dark eyeliner smudged underneath your eyes (and just a tiny bit!) will help add to the dramatic transformation.

Next, add a fresh layer of mascara to your lashes, and a bit of color to your lips. That’s it! In three easy steps, you have successfully turned an everyday look into a gorgeous dramatic one.  Time to hit the clubs; have fun!

For the next few weeks, I am going to talk about some of the products that I use on a regular basis. they are part of my daily make up routine which usually takes me only 5-10 minutes.

Today I will discuss my favorite eyeliner. I love the Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus eye pencil. My favorite color is #210 “espresso” which is a dark brown color. I find that it is not as harsh as using a black eyeliner.

It’s an auto loading pencil, so I don’t have to use a sharpener on it. It’s easy to blend and even has a built in sponge tip on the end of it to use for soft blending, which I love. The cover to protect the top stays on well, so it travels well in my purse.

It is a water soluble eye liner, so it doesn’t always last as long as I wish it would, especially if I’m sweating really hard like working out or dancing in a hot dance floor, but I figure if I’m that sweaty then what’s the difference anyway!

It’s also very comfortable which is important to me since I am also a contact lens wearer.

Here’s a video of a girl showing how to apply false eyelashes to your eyelid. Basically she recommends putting on your eyeliner and mascara first, then applying the glue to the false eyelash. Once it is tacky (sticky), then you can apply it to your eyelid. She finishes it with another swipe of eyeliner for a finished look. Pay careful attention to the instructions she gives for using tweezers to help apply the glue to the lashes and for repositioning the lashes at the corners.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_c0LI-gr64]

Sunglasses will help you in many ways, besides the obvious of just looking good in your shades!

It’s not a good idea to apply sunscreen on your eyelids or very close to your eyes since it can cause irritation in your eyes themselves. So, you need some way to protect this very delicate skin. Eye shadow can help to block some UV rays, but in direct sunlight, you really need much more than that.

Proper UV sunglasses will actually shield the skin around your eyes from UV radiation, which is what causes most sun damage in the first place. Even more importantly, sun glasses will help prevent you from squinting in bright outdoor light which is what can give you those age-telling “crow’s feet”. Continued squinting causes more wrinkles than almost anything next to smoking, or sun damage.

Not only will sun glasses help preserve the skin around your eyes, but you can certainly take that fashion step that makes you look good wearing them!

Sometimes when applying makeup, we aren’t getting the look that we want. You need a variety of makeup brushes that will help you achieve your goal. There are fluff brushes, angled brushes, shadow brushes and even bronzer or blush brushes. Be sure to tap off any excess makeup before applying it to your skin, when using just about any brush.

Brushes with natural horsehair or other natural hair instead of artificial bristles tend to hold onto the hairs better and shed less. The tips should be soft and very flexible.

Brushes are a good investment because you will use them for many years if you take care of them and keep them clean. They will be worth their weight in gold and you will more than get your money’s worth.

A local beauty supply store, or even the grocery store may have brushes that will suit your needs.

Can your glasses be a fashion statement? Or are you just better off ditching them and wearing contacts all the time to give access to your eyes?

Glasses can definitely be a fashion statement. They can come in handy if you want that sultry, sexy, studious look. You can change your frames and have different styles. Choose frames that fit your face shape. This is extremely important, and much easier if you bring a friend with you when you are choosing them to give and outsiders’ opinion. Or, rely on the experience of the frame fitter at the optometry office to help choose a frame to flatter your face. Sometimes it’s worth a little bit more money to get the frames that truly do look the best and are flattering so that you don’t get hung up and feeling like a “four eyes”.

One little known advantage to wearing glasses occasionally, is that they can help hide circles under your eyes when you are tired! Of course, if you get your beauty sleep, this won’t be necessary!

Contacts do help you see better overall though, especially your peripheral vision. You could have fun and experiment with different eye colors. It is a little easier to apply makeup when you are wearing contacts as well.

In short, you can be beautiful in either glasses or contacts. The important thing it to make the most of your options

Suppose you have been at the beach all day basking in the sun and sand. You have a hot date but are late getting back to your hotel because of traffic problems or you just couldn’t find your car! Now you have less than 15 minutes to change clothes and make yourself presentable, otherwise you will be late and lose your dinner reservation. There is not really time to shower. What do you do?!

Believe it or not, there is time for a quick presto change-o rinse in the shower before you throw on your clothes, although probably not enough time to actually wash your hair, unless you have a wash-n-go style that you can default to. If you do, then go for it, otherwise, give your body a quick rinse so you’ll feel fresh.

What makeup items are critical?

The answer is: Eyeliner, mascara and powder!

That powder will soak up all the oil and sunscreen to give your skin that fresh matte look. This is definitely easier to do in the summer when you may have a little more color on your skin. Reapply your mascara and eyeliner, then you can freshen your lipstick in the car on the way to the restaurant, because like most beauty conscious babes, you probably keep lipstick in your purse.

Now you’re ready to go! Enjoy your dinner date!

Choose contact lens-friendly makeup, especially mascara. Some mascara has small fibers in it to make lashes longer, but they can really irritate your lenses. Generally waterproof mascara is difficult to use with contacts as well.

Begin your makeup routine by putting in your contacts first, and then applying makeup. This will keep you from accidentally messing up all your makeup, and it will also allow you to see better while you are doing it!

Always remove your contacts first, before removing your makeup at the end of the day. This will keep your lenses clean and your eyes comfortable while you are washing your eyes with a gentle cleanser or makeup removing pads.

When applying eyeliner, start with a pencil that is not sharp. This sounds strange, but it’s easier to apply if the pencil is slightly used rather than pointed and sharp. You’ll be able to blend it better and get a softer look.

Start near the outside of your eye and work your way toward the center. You will likely not need to apply the eyeliner around your entire eye. That effect can sometimes make your eyes actually appear smaller. Try covering two thirds of your eyelid.

Keep the right in your eyelash line. Otherwise you’ll end up with uncovered space in between that looks awkward. Apply your eyeliner before your eye shadow, and before your mascara. You can always go back and retouch it after the eye shadow if the shadow dust gets into it. Use the smudge end of the eyeliner pencil to soften the look. Rarely will you want to go for the harsh eye liner look, unless you are actually going for that vamp look, in which case you’ll want a liquid eye liner to achieve that look.

An eye pencil is part of my makeup mainstay. It works with my mascara to define my eyes and give me the illusion of long luscious lashes! Some tips for using an eye pencil:

Don’t sharpen to a sharp point.
You need to be able to smudge it gently to blend.

Don’t outline your entire eye.
This will actually make your eye look smaller! Most people have best results using it on the outer 3/4 of the lid (upper lid only or both lids).

Make it work with your mascara. And don’t over do.
It shouldn’t draw attention to its self. This is a basic rule for almost any makeup. You want a natural look to make people look at your eyes, not your eyeliner.

Forget about the liquid liner.
Liquid eyeliner is fine if you are going for the vamp look — which may be exactly what you want for certain occasions! But probably not for every day. Liquid liner is really hard to apply without a very steady hand, and it doesn’t blend at all. It is only for harsh lines.

Use Neutral colors.
Consider browns, charcoal and muted blacks. True black is too harsh. If you use brown, you can always go back and add darker colors for more effect using another pencil or even eyeshadow.