BellaSugar

Eyeshadow 101 Cont'd: Brown Eyed Girls

BellaSugar — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:22:00 -0700

Welcome back to the final installment of Eyeshadow 101: Brown Eyed Girls. The first lesson was all about purple shadows for hazel/green eyes and the second lesson covered The Best Hues For Your Baby Blues. This final installment is about choosing the best shades of eyeshadow for our chocolicious brown eyed babes.

Let's do a quick recap (I know, it's old by now for you devoted readers) for those of you who are new readers:

The goal of wearing eye make-up is to enhance/bring attention to your eyes. I've taught you, that the rule of thumb is to wear the opposite color eye shadow of your eyes on the color wheel so that your eyes really stand out (or POP as they say in the make-up world). But, brown isn't all that clearly defined on the color wheel so I called in the help of some of my FABulous make up counter experts who say (and I agree), that the best eyeshadow shade for brown eyes are bronzes and greens.

This is super exciting, because as we are well aware by now, metallics are all the rage. Here are my pics for bronze and shimmery deep brown colors for brown eyes. And FYI - these colors can be simple to use alone. Just apply them to the lid and crease.

Stila Eye Shadow in Twig which you can buy here for $14, and

Lancome Color Design Eye Shadow in Click which you can buy here for $14.50

To see additional product recommendations and reviews read more

My favorite green shadows for brown eyes are:

Senna's Metallic Eye Color in De-Vine. It's more of a rich greeny gold which you can buy here for $15.

Scott Barnes Eye Ice in Goddess which you can buy here for $25.

To specifically make your brown eyes bold, you can line both the upper and the lower rims heavily using a classic black pencil as weIl as a deep brown shadow or pencil. I suggest Shu Uemura's Drawing Pencil in Metallic Brown. It's amazingly smooth and the color is FAB. Buy it here for $18.

Application recap: If you are going for the whole shebang (lid, crease and highlighter), apply the lightest color (shimmery taupe or bronze) to the entire eyelid all of the way to the edge of the eyebrow. Use a deeper color from the same color family (i.e. deep brown) to the crease and dust a highlighter (a pale, shimmery, neutral or brown) just beneath the brow.

And don't forget to blend well. Just when you think you've blended enough, blend more, more and then some more! The goal is not to have obvious edges of color. Remember, lighter colors highlight and darker colors recede and add depth and shading.

EYESHADOW 101: The Best Hues For Your Baby Blues

BellaSugar — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 16:27:55 -0700

Welcome back to Eyeshadow 101. The first installment was all about purple shadows for hazel/green eyes. #2 is dedicated to finding the best suited eyeshadows for all of you blue eyed beauties. Whether you have more of a sky blue tone or an oceany navy-green darker eye color; men will melt when they catch a glimpse of your baby blues.

Let's begin with a short reiteration of the basics from installment #1. The goal of wearing eye make-up is to enhance/bring attention to your eyes. The rule of thumb is to wear the opposite color eye shadow of your eyes on the color wheel so that your eyes really stand out (or POP as they say in the make-up world).

If there’s one thing to remember when it comes to blue eyes it's this: Never match your eyeshadow to your clothing or your eye color! If you have blue eyes, wearing blue eyeshadow makes your eyes look duller - and complementing your clothing has been out since the 80’s. Imagine if you were wearing red or black? YIKES!

To specifically make your blue eyes traffic stoppingly bold, I suggest colors such as: browns, greys, golds, rusty peaches or plum colors. Right now the look is more of a bold eye as opposed to the old muted "Bobbi Brown" natural eye, so have fun and play with your make-up as you would with any other accessory.

To see my product recommendations and reviews read more

As we know metallics are hot right now and they are easy to use alone. Just apply them to the lid and crease. My bronze and gold pics for blue eyes are:
"Half Baked" by Urban Decay - a really rich gold,

"Amber Lights" by MAC - a shimmery golden peachy-brown (worn by model> and

"Beach"Fluid Iridescent Eyeshadow by Chanel - the perfect combination of bronze and gold.

MAC also makes an awesome eyeliner called Teddy which is a darker shimmery bronze that looks great with any of these shadows.

If you are going for the whole shebang (lid, crease and highlighter) these are my suggestions. Typically, the lightest color is applied to the entire eyelid and to the edge of the eyebrow. Select a deeper color from the same color family to do the crease and dust a highlighter just beneath the brow.

I love Done That by Make Up By Armando for the lid,

MAC's Trax (a burgundy-plum flecked with bronze shimmer) for the crease and

Smashbox's Butter a goldy yellow as a highlighter.

Don't forget to blend well; when you think you've blended enough, blend some more! The goal is not to have obvious edges of color. Remember, lighter colors highlight and darker colors recede and add depth and shading.

Eyeshadow 101: Today's Theme is Purple

BellaSugar — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:11:19 -0700

The makeup counters at department stores and the cosmetics aisle at Walgreens can be pretty overwhelming. It's super hard to know which colors to try and which ones go together. I thought I would try to help with this installment of Eyeshadow 101.

The goal of wearing eye make-up is to enhance/bring attention to your eyes. The rule of thumb is to wear the opposite color eye shadow of your eyes on the color wheel so that your eyes really stand out (or POP as they say in the make-up world).

So if you have blue eyes, you'd wear rust, coral, peach or grayish colors; if you have brown eyes, wear greens and bronzes, and if you have green/hazel (gold/yellowy) eyes, try wearing either greens, or deep purples, pinks, and rusty purples.

Next week we will cover product recommendations for blue eyes, to see product recommendations for greenish-hazel eyes, read more

If you have greenish-hazel eyes, I'd go with MAC's Sable eye shadow. It is an amazing muted, golden plum brown everyday color with bronze shimmer. First apply a light pink color to the base of your lids - try Trish McEvoy's Deluxe Eye Shadow in Shell, then add a touch of the sable to the crease.

Lastly, line your eyes with Mac's Sketch Colored Eye Shadow. It's the mac daddy (no pun intended) of purples. The color is an intense burgundy-plum flecked with red shimmer.

Another great idea which I've just discovered that is really simple and great for travel because it's packaged together is glowmineral's gloEye shadow trio in Amethyst.

Or Dior's 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Sweet Illusion.

Be careful when using purples, because if you go overboard, your eyes will look bloodshot. So dust some loose powder on the corners of your eye, and directly beneath your lower lash when you are finished applying your shadow.

How-To: Keep Your Makeup Simple When Wearing Red Lips

BellaSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:03 -0800

If you've been following along recently, you'll know that I am on one major red lipstick kick. I've got you covered on choosing a red based on undertones, picking out cool colors, warm tones, and true reds, and I've even given you tips on how to apply this bold hue with precision. What's left, you ask? How about making it work with the rest of your makeup? For a few easy-to-follow guidelines, read more.

Makeup 101 will tell you to pick a feature to emphasize and play down everything else. Bold eyes = subtle lips. Bold lips = subtle eyes. Follow the rules (and my advice) by checking out my tips on creating a beautifully neutral face centered on daring red lips:

Eyes - Keep the eye makeup toned down with a soft brown liner and mascara for lighter-haired ladies or a soft black liner and mascara to complement darker hair. Keep the eyeshadow simple and light. Try, Tarte Eyeshadow Duo in North Island ($26), pink-beige shimmer and taupe shimmer or Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Eye Shadow Duo in Taupe Minerals ($6.95).
Cheeks - A glowy flush is your best bet. I like Bare Minerals Blush in Kiss ($18). Super sex-ay.

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Easy on the Eyes: A Simpler Way to Apply Shadow

BellaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:00:25 -0700

Beauty comes in all different forms, and that goes for eye shapes as well. Depending on the shape of your eyes, you can use eye shadow to play up your features in different ways.

With your eyes open, gaze at those beautiful peepers. Do you see the eyelid or not? Take a look at the picture to the right. Notice that the eyes on the top row have little or no lid, while the ladies on the bottom section do have visible lids. If you fall into the first category, we'll call you a contour. If you fall into the latter, you are a hooded beauty. To check out my instructions for an easy way to play up your eyes based on this principle, read more.

You'll need two eye shadows. To make it simple, choose shades in the same color family, with one being two or three shades lighter for contrast. For tips on color selection based on your eye color, check out my Eyeshadow 101 series or pick neutral shades for a more natural look.
Lightly line upper and lower lashes with a pencil, lining top lashes from outer corner to about two-thirds of the way in, and lower lashes slightly about mid-way. Choose any color you'd like; to keep it simple, I recommend shades of black, brown, or gray, depending on shadow choice.
Apply the lighter eye shadow from the lashline to brow.
For contours: Apply the darker eyeshadow in the crease area (right around where the the upper part of your eyelid meets the lower part of your brow bone). This will create dimension and enhance the depth of your natural crease. For hooded: Apply the darker shadow from the lashline to just slightly past the upper area or your eyelid. Blend well where the light and dark colors meet. This will create a smoky effect and give the illusion of depth as well.
If you'd like, add an additional highlighting shade around the upper brow bone and inner corner of the eyes for an overall lightening effect. Blend out any harsh lines from the shadows and/or liner, and that's it - you're good to go!

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Makeup Brushes, Part IV: Angled Eye Shadow Brushes

BellaSugar — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:00:25 -0700

Welcome back to BellaSugar's detailed look at make-up brushes. Today's installment: angled eye shadow brushes. (To read the other installments, click here.) Angled eye brushes are favored by many makeup artists, because they help achieve depth, definition, precision, and blend-ability in your crease area. When shopping for this type of brush, I find that natural-hair bristles work best.

To use, gently dipping your bush into the color and tap off the extra color. Then, in a windshield-wiping motion, blend back and forth. For more eye shadow tips, check out our Eyeshadow 101 series with tips for green , brown and blue eyes. Here are my picks for the best angled eye shadow brushes.

The Trish McEvoy #23 Angled Contour Brush may be the best brush I've ever used. Never before have I noticed such precision and comfort in a brush. This tool is designed to help guide you into just the right crease area of your eye. Buy it here for $32.

The Laura Mercier Angled Eye Colour Brush is a 100 percent natural brush designed for blending. The bristle surface is cut at an angle that allows you to hold the brush in such a way that you can see exactly what you are doing. Buy it here for $29.

To see the rest, read more

The Paula Dorf Eye Contour Brush is perfectly angled to fit naturally above the crease of your eye, making application easy and mistake-proof. Buy it here for $28.

Tarte Angled Brush is made out of soft pony bristles. Its handle is just a little bit shorter than the traditional makeup brush, making it great for travel. Buy it here for $26.