‘Tis the season for holiday parties, little black dresses and shimmery eyes. You have to be careful when applying metallic beauty products, however. Too much and you will end up looking like a Christmas clown; too little and you will look childish. Here are a few tips to help you achieve a flawless face complete with shimmery, sultry eyes for the holiday party season.
1. Start with a neutral palette. The goal is to choose a foundation that matches your skin and covers up blemishes. This will make your eyes look more dramatic.
2. Choose your precious metals. All that glitters isn’t gold; there are many different metallic colors to choose from. Jewel tones such as sparkling amethyst and shimmering emerald are all the rage right now. For something a bit less intense, you can’t go wrong with classic colors such as iridescent white, beautiful bronze or glimmering silver. Whatever metallic colors you prefer, keep these things in mind when selecting products:
- Choose shades that compliment your eye color
- Look for products that have finely milled shimmer rather than chunky pieces of glitter
- For daytime wear stick with sheer shades
- After dark, the bolder the better
3. Sweep the eyeshadow over your lids. A good rule of thumb is to use no more than three shades of eyeshadow. Start with a lighter color such as white and apply it beneath the brow bones. Then apply the color of your choice over the bottom portion of your lid. Choose a slightly darker shade of the same color and apply it in the crease of your eyelid, starting at the outer corner and working your way in.
4. Apply black eyeliner. Generally speaking, black eyeliner is typically reserved for the nighttime. If you are making up your face for daytime, you will probably want to skip this step. Starting at the inner corner, apply black eyeliner along the upper and lower rims of your eyes. Use a smudging brush to create a smoky, sultry effect. Otherwise, the black tends look too harsh and will usually age your face.
5. Lighten the inner corners of your eyes. This is a trick that professional makeup artists such as Carmindy and Bobbi Brown have been using for years. Dab a white or light colored metallic eyeshadow in the corner of your eyes. This will reflect light, brighten your eyes and make you look younger.
6. Apply mascara. Use a lash lengthening formula to punctuate the precious metals you just applied.
7. Finish with glossy lips. If you choose a darker shade of eyeshadow, you will want to keep your lip color neutral. A subtle soft pink or nude color will give your lips a fresh dewy look and won’t overpower your eyes. If you choose a sheer shade, then you can counterbalance it with a deep red lip.
One last bit of advice for achieving a flawless face. During the harsh winter months, it is more important than ever to keep your face moisturized and exfoliated. You may also want to stop using anti-aging products that contain retinol as this can dry out the skin, especially in cold climates. You will find that all of your cosmetics will go on smoother, last longer and look better is you start healthy, moisturized skin.
this is really interesting since out of all the women in my family i am probably the only one who doesn’t know how to wear make-up LOLL thanks for the tips
Thank you for the tips! I will give this a try. I always want to do metallic colors but I’m afraid of looking like a hooker. Hopefully I will be able to master the shimmery eye with these tips. Maybe I just haven’t found the right colors. I’ll be on the lookout for ones that don’t have the chunky glitter!
Wow, I just learned a lot. I confess that I don’t normally take the time to read through “how to apply” steps but these were pretty interesting and I learned that I am doing many things wrong. I never thought to use mutliple shades of eye shadow for one and I didn’t know that you should start out and go in either. Can’t wait to try these tomorrow morning!
Thank you for these tips!! I have never been a make-up person but when I go out and eat and maybe to the movies, I will put some on. Thanks to you, I know how now.
I always love ideas on applying eyeshadow! Thanks for the tips!
I have tried over many years to get the look that I have seen on many models. I’ve learned that one must use a good eyeshadow AND to get that long lash look using false eyelashes is necessary. Thank you for these tips though.
Great information and tips. I need to do better than I am with this stuff
I have that BH pallet and was shocked at how pigmented the eye shadows are. It was a nice surprise because I’ve spent 5 times that for way less shadow!
great info, Im going to have to give it a try. my makeup always looks blah, dont think I will look as good as the photo, but its worth a shot. ;}