Eyeshadow application

[TiffanyF]

Hi Girls,

I have a question, I find the hardest part of putting on makeup is the eyeshadow.

I've read in some places that you should cover the entire eyelid area with a lighter color and then cover only half with a darker shadow. In some other places I've read that the ideal is to cover half the eyelid with the light shadow and only the edge with the darker.

Are these options both valid? Is it one or the other or none or could they both be valid?

Thank you,

Tiffany

[Jenney Love]

Try both techniques, you got nothing to lose!
I am lucky in that a friend of my wifes gives her dozens of womens magazines every now and then and I find looking at the pictures and trying to copy what they have had done to there eyes is a good way to practice. If it comes out bad, remember to laugh.
You can always wipe it off, if it is to mimi.

[SilverLady(SO)]

Hi, Tiffany -

I agree with Jenney - choosing the right color eyeshadow and then applying it correctly does take some practice.

While the shades discussed may not be appropriate for your color eyes, the overall process of correctly applying eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara were outlined by Georgia(SO) in response to StephanieW's post, Make-Up and Clothing:

For your eyes, I would suggest browns. Blue, green, purple, etc. eye shadow looks fake - the good Lord didn't give any of us Apple Green eyelids! Try a kohl eyeliner pencil in some sort of medium brown and use the smudger thingie on the eyeliner pencil (or your little finger) to get a soft look. Unless you are going for some sort of vamp look, you shouldn't actually *see* the eyeliner - it should be more for definition than anything.

Then put your eyeshadow on - some sort of dusky brown - for a blonde, I think I'd look for a brown with a tint of rose in it. Eye shadow colors are a lot like paint - they come in 47 shades of the same color. Browns with a lot of orange or yellow will look way too harsh on fair skin. If you buy the eye shadow compacts that come with three colors, the medium color is for the main part of your eyelid, the dark color is for the crease and the light color is for the part between the crease and the eyebrow. If you choose one that has a light pink for the lightest color, then the darker colors will have rose tints in them. If you choose one that has a yellowish tone to the lightest color, then the darker colors will have a yellowish tint to them.

Just dust it on lightly (alternatively you can use a quick swipe of the blusher across your eyelids just to knock off the white glare....). Yes, eye shadow goes on top of the eyeliner so you avoid the 1960's Magic Marker Eyes look.

Mascara should more or less match your eyebrows, so for a natural blonde, try the brown-black ones. They are a bit hard to find - Cover Girl makes one and I think Loreal does too.

Georgia's entire post can be found here: http://crossdressers-haven.com/forums/v ... 4842#64842

I have underlined that part of Georgia's response that I feel most directly corresponds to your question. Basically, you do not 'basecoat' the eyelid with one color and then apply another color(s) on top of that. You will be using 2 or 3 different colors directly onto the eyelid (on top of your makeup/foundation), with maybe some overlap.

Does this help you, Tiffany?

- SL

[TiffanyF]

Thank you Jenney and SilverLady for your responses.

Actually I have bought those compact ones with 3 colors and the underlined part in Georgia(SO)'s response is what I guess I was looking for

Just one small question what is the "crease"? My native language is not English and I'm not familiar with this part.

XOXO

Tiffany

[Georgia(SO)]

tiffanyf,

I'm glad my earlier ideas helped. The "crease" ... hmmm.... OK. Look in the mirror. See the middle part of your eyelid that disappears into a fold when your eyes are open? That middle part is the crease. If you use a darker color in that area, when you open your eyes, it will give a smoky shadow look, as if your eyes are very deep set.

And SilverLady is right - no base coat. Also, she implies that you would be wearing makeup base on your eyelids. I don't know if she meant that, but I certainly wouldn't do that. It's not necessary, and were it to drip into your eyes (say from sweating...), it burns like hell. Still, no eyeshadow base -- I don't know where you read that, but that's way too much makeup on your tender little eyelids.

The other thing here - if you are using more than one color, be sure that everything is applied with a very light touch and sort of blends together. The best way to learn to do this is to do one eye, then check it by closing that eye and looking in the mirror with the other eye. It should all sort of blend together, not look like stripes. Remember that although you usually have your eyes open when you meet someone, eventually you do have to blink and all those strips will be very visible.

Just for your information, I am a fair-skinned redhead and I don't go to all this much trouble. I use a medium/dark brown on the bottom portion of the lid and up into the crease. Sometimes, I'll dust the portion of the lid between the crease and the eyebrow with a light dusting of my blush just to knock the white glare off. I don't particularly like the powdery look that I get when I use even light eye shadow on that top part.

The whole idea here is to make your eyes look as if they are *naturally* deep and smoky... It is NOT to paint your entire eye area.

and yes, if you mess up, you can always wipe it off. If you do, however, wait a few minutes before going at it again. Your eyelids are tender and fair skin will get red very easily with repeated wiping. Not only is it uncomfortable, but that slight pinkish tone will totally mess up the next color trial!

hope this helps,
-georgia (so)

[TiffanyF]

Wow even more information! :D

I think I understand even better now. Thank you for your post I will try to follow these steps and I will report how I did.

Tiffany

[Amelie-Laveau]

I do it this way, first I use a liquid eyeliner to go around the eye. Then I put white powder, sometimes I use baby powder, on the lid part of the eye. Then I use a very dark color, mostly black eye shadow and go above and beyond the lid. How far one goes is up to them. Then I put a little white powder between the dark shadow and the eye brow. Here's a pic of my eyes, it's the best one I've got, maybe I have a better shot but I'll have to look for it.





Sorry that the pic isn't clearer, I had to increase the size and it lost some of the clearness.

[Virginia]

On quick recommendation if I can!? Don't know what your hair color is, but I would recommend that you perhaps purchase a few "ladies" style magazines. Vogue, Cosmo, etc. and see what some to the girls in there do with their eyes!
Virginia

[DonnaT]

I use the following technique, but I apply my foundation to the eye area first. Makes it easier to remove mistakes without having to remove the shadow completely and starting over.

From the Lancome site. http://www.lancome.co.uk/_en/_gb/makeup ... =AXEMakeup&

Natural Look - Using two shades
1. Select two coordinating shadows, one light-toned and one medium-toned.
2. Apply the lightest of your two shadows across your eyelid and under your brow with a rounded applicator.
3. Apply the deeper, coordinating shade close to your lash line with a pointed, precision applicator.

Sophisticated Look - Using three shades
1. Select three coordinating shadows, one light-toned, one medium-toned and one deep-toned.
2. Apply the medium shade across the your eyelid with a rounded applicator.
3. Apply the deepest shade to your contour and along your lash line with a pointed, precision applicator.
4. Finish by applying the lightest shade under your brow and on the centre of your eyelid.

TIP:
For a look that's easy to coordinate, select your shadows from the OMBRE SUBTILE DUO collection for a natural look or from the COLOR FOCUS PALETTE collection for a sophisticated look.

[Jaye]

I've taken to wearing Revlon Colorstay shadows lately, and I've been using the instructions on the back of the package, and everyone has complemented me on my makeup. Colorstay shadows come in compacts with four colors. I usually stick with just three of the colors, though I sometimes use four for special occasions.

Following their directions, I apply one of the midtone colors to my lids. Then I follow up with the darkest color in the crease (from the middle of the eye to the outside edge). I've had the worst trouble with eyeliner, so I've also taken their suggestion of using the darkest color in place of eyeliner. I like the coverage, and it guarantees that the liner compliments the shadow! Then, I apply the lightest color to the space over the eye, but under the brow, usually from the middle of my eye out to the edge.

If I can remember, I'll take some photos the next time I dress, just so you can see what I'm talking about.

[Jacqueline Manesis]

Well although I am not a GG I consider myself to be very good with eye make-up. Maybe it comes from being raised in a house with 5 girls. I also dated several girly girls in my day. Being a Cd I was always watching how women did things. I have always been fascinated to watch women put on their make-up and learned alot about it form observation and questions.

Here is my advice. Do what looks good on you. There is not a wrong or a right way. I have dated women who use only one color shadow and have also dated others who can put a virtual rainbow in that small space and have it actually look very good.

I think the thing to rememember when using eye make up for novices is its not paint. Light plays of eye shadows alot more than you may think. Use it as a tint and always blend it so there is no distinct line where one color goes into another color.........blend blend blend! Same advice for the rest of your make-up. The only lines of color on my eyes are in the form of eyeliner........hence the name.

Another piece of advice, look at fashion mags. When I say that I mean for you to look at pictures of GGs that have close ups, make up ads may be too extreme as they are showcasing that product. Just look for an actress or something who's eye make up appeals to you and do your best to duplicate the colors and amounts and locations,

I typically use 4 colors on my eyes. I use the lightest shade of actual color to just under my brow usually a very pale pink or tan, I then the darkest shadow on my crease area. I then apply a lighter tint of that same base color on my lid. I will then use eyeliner as the color I want to stand out. I use alot of nuetral colors for shadow and a bright colorful eyliner. I follow up with just a tiny bit of white pigment in the inner and outer corner of my eyes to bring the light toward my eyes. The I apply Mascara the same color as the wig I wear.

Sound complicated? It is .......only took me about 4 years of practicing to get it perfect and still I have days that are better than others. I get alot of compliments on my make up from GGs most times though about my ability to us make-up and some have asked me to do theirs.

Just keep saying to yourself its tint not paint, less is more and blend blend blend.

Also another tip. take that little foam apllicator that comes with eyeshadow and throw it away and invest in a good make up brush set. There is a pic in my gallery of just my eyes on an ok day.

[Stephanie H]

Tiffany:
I had the same issue early on and found out the if I went to a Merle Norman studio and had a discussion with the staff, they would be helpful. At first, when I went, I commented that I was trying out for a bit part in a local theater group and needed some advice. As time progressed, I opened up with the women/owner and she was very helpful and went out of her way to be of assistance. On building a relationship with her, now over 5 years, I now purchase all my cosmetics from her and she continues to go out of her way to help me. Several weeks ago, I was going out to lunch with my sister and went to her to have her make sure that everything was in order. She suggested a different color eye makeup, to match the outfit that I was wearing. Apllied the eye makeup and made sure that the rest of my makeup was correct as well as the my hair. With the confidence that I have with her, and others that work in different Merle Norman studios, I would highly suggest that you give them a chance to help you. You will be happly supprised at the assistance that you receive. They will even provide you with two documents. One called Your New Look" which identified the correct products and also a ritual of skin maintance and cleaning. The other document which is a face sketch pad, she will show you how to apply the makeup and suggestions for applying it.

[Tink (GG)]

I put my eyeshadow on in this manner: lighter color on the entire lid, darker in the outer corner and along the crease. I generally wear shades of brown only. then a soft smudgy line with pencil along the lower lid, black pencil on the inside lower lid (ala Liz Taylor, it gives a bigger, darker gypsy eyed look) and mascara. with practice you can do shadow in minutes when necessary :-)

[Tink (GG)]

p.s. I love Adrian Arpel's shadows. they stay all day and NEVER crease or get that greasy look. You can find her often on HSN and she'll give good techniques. She has a corrective pallette of cover creams that might be of interest to some of you gals. I'll see if I can find a link to the product for you.

[Tink (GG)]

OK, here is the camoflage compact she's offering now. it is a little different than the other one but same idea:

http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.asp ... 7!dept!cat

hope that helps :-)