Almond eyes, slightly turned up in the outer corners, are always beautifully balanced and a little exotic. This is an eye shape that is soft and welcoming and youthful. Many men and women are blessed with natural almond eyes, but for those who are not, clever makeup techniques may intervene.
Whether your eyes are close together or spread apart, deep set or prominant or even heavy lidded as the eye below is, this technique of applying your makeup will help you achieve the perfect almond shaped eye.
We've exaggerated the depth of colour which would be more suitable for an evening makeup, however, the principles are the same for a lighter more natural look, simply lighten the colours and blend more for a more subtle effect.
STEP ONE: Before applying any eye colour, we recommend priming the skin with ELES RETEXTURISING PRIMER and applying a light layer of foundation and concealer. If you are wearing a powder based foundation such as MINERAL POWDER FOUNDATION; apply PHOTO-TOUCH CONCEALER before applying your foundation. If however you are applying a liquid foundation such as LIQUID POWDER MINERAL FOUNDATION then apply your concealer afterwards. Do not apply too much product to the eye area as it will appear "caked" and accentuate fine lines and creases.
STEP TWO: We've exaggerated the darkness here to show where contour colour needs to be applied. This eye shape is heavy lidded so the contour colour is placed just above the natural eye crease to "open up" the eye. If your eyes are prominant i.e. the natural crease is much higher, then you should apply the colour into the crease. If the natural eye crease is very high the colour could begin slighly below the crease. Apply with a a sponge applicator or a shadow brush and build the depth as slowly to ensure an even coverage. See colour suggestions below. Colour used: MINERAL EYE SHADOW TWIG
STEP THREE: Apply LIQUI-LINER to the upper lash line, tapering out to a thicker "flick" in the outer corner of the eye. Lift the eye lid to ensure the fine brush rests gently on the upper lashes and glide the brush along slowly and smoothly. Thicken the line gradually. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect, we'll be blending shadow over the line to smooth out any irregularities. If you suffer from "shaky hands" or confidence applying a liquid eyeliner, apply a soft pencil line first to use as a guide. If you find your "flick" is a little wonky or drops down too low, use a damp Q-tip to clean up the edges. We find applying the line to the lash line first, then opening the eye to create the flick is easier and helps ensure an uplifting flick instead of a sad little droop. Colour used: Liqui-liner Anisette
STEP FOUR: Using a large eye shadow brush blend the shadow and liner to eliminate any hard lines and soften the effect, begin by softening the eye shadow first and then using the shadow which has accumulated in the brush to soften the liquid liner. Blend until you achieve the desired intensity. Using the BROWBLENDER eye brow pencil fill in any small gaps in your eye brows and lengthen the brows if necessary. Use small soft strokes until you achieve the desired shape. A well defined brow can dramatically change the look of the eye, making it appear more youthful. Soften the colour by brushing the brows gently with the Browblender brush end. If desired apply a fine line through the bottom lashes with POWDERLINER PENCIL. The more mature you are, the finer and softer this line should be, dark lines tend to spoil the almond eye effect so less is definitely more. COLOURS USED: Browblender - Blonde and Powderliner Inky Violet
STEP FIVE: Apply LUSH MASCARA to the upper lashes only. If your lashes are straight we recommend using a lash curler first. Apply the lash curler to the base of the lashes and squeeze gently then coat the lashes with the mascara fanning them out. Apply more mascara to the outer corners to enhance the almond shape. A small amount of mascara on the lower lashes is fine if your lashes are very blonde, however use a light touch as this can make the eye look droopy and spoil the effect you are trying to achieve to "lift" the eyes.
FINALLY: The golden rule of choosing your lipstick colour to complete this look: "If the eyes are loud, tell the lips to be quiet" in other words, If you've chosen to create a dramatic eye colour with strong colours or more depth, opt for a lighter lipstick shade, too much colour and the eyes and lips and you'll be mistaken for one of the cast of La Cage Aux Folles. We recommend one of the gorgeous rosy shades of SUPERGLOSS, SUPERBALM or for extra volume and a lovely "bee sting" set of lips: LIPTOX.
COLOUR GUIDE
With eyeshadow anything goes and you may wish to just try many colours or following seasonal looks, however, if its youth you are after, the colours that bring out your natural eye colour, make your eye whites look whiter and make your eyes sparkle with vitality the following is a good guide:
Blue Eyes look more vivid with Brown Shades
Brown Eyes look more vivid with Green Shades
Green Shades look more vivid with Plum Shades
To give the eyes clarity and make the eye whites even whiter, Deep Plum Eyeliner is best!
For more makeup application tips visit our website Trends page at http://www.elescosmetics.com.au/beauty-trends.htm
