MCO Beauty Week: Makeup: Eyes

I love makeup. I've always been a girly girl at heart and grew up watching my mom put on her makeup before work in the mornings. When I was old enough to start wearing makeup myself, I was over the moon. In high school I started branching away from drug store brands and ventured into the world of MAC and Urban Decay. Those two brands are still my personal favorite brands and I wear them daily. You will see them featured in this post because they're literally my "go to's". My favorite part of putting on makeup, is doing my eyes. Your mood reflects a lot through your eye makeup and you can get extremely creative depending on how much time you spend on them. I generally spend about 1 minute on my eyes. Yep, you heard it, 1 minute. It takes me no time at all to create the look that I love which is usually a natural eye look or a smokey eye. I've tried to surround myself with makeup as much as possible, I always keep a good sized collection and I love to have variety! My dream is to go to Cosmetology school one day and specialize in hair and makeup for special events such as weddings, anniversaries, prom, etc. From 2008-2010 I worked at a Coldwater Creek the Spa and was given the unofficial title of Mirabella Makeup Counter Lead by Management. I learned a lot when I worked at the spa and my efforts were paid off when I interviewed for a position at Bare Essentials and was offered a job. I ended up declining it because I just couldn't fall in love with their makeup and I knew I wouldn't be able to promote a product I wasn't a fan of, however regardless of my employment status with their company I still highly respected and was very excited about the fact that they wanted me on their team. In 2010 I left the beauty/spa industry and began to work in the fitness industry, but my love of makeup and passion for beauty never left me. Here's a look at how I do my eye makeup, I hope I was detailed enough in the photos! I realized after the fact that brown/neutral colors are challenging to photograph.

On a daily basis I rely on my Naked Palette for shadow, my MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, my Maybelline Mega Plush mascara, and my MAC shadow Black Tied that I use for eyeliner. And of course my shadow brush and my angled eyeliner brush!

My makeup is a little beat up since I use it every day, don't judge.

The Naked Palette. By far my most treasured piece of makeup.

 

 

Today I went for a natural look because it is the a look that you can easily do yourself for day or night. I am going to tell you the colors I used and assigned them a number based on where there are on the palette so that you will know what colors I used where (on my eyes). I used Buck (from left to right #5), Virgin (#1), Hustle (#10), and Half Baked (#6).

MCO Eye Makeup Tip #1:

Always apply your eye makeup prior to your face makeup that way if any shadow "falls", you can easily brush it away without ruining your foundation.




The very first thing I do before I put on any shadow is prep my eyes. I use a Q-Tip to get any left over make up from the previous day out from under my eyes and I take a baby wipe and wipe away anything that may be on my eyelids. I then take my Paint Pot and apply a thin layer on each eyelid (primarily in the places that will have shadow). The Paint Pot acts as a primer which is going to help your shadow last longer and your shadow pigments more vibrant. It is recommended that you use a concealer brush to apply the Paint Pot but I cheat and use my finger....oops! Once the Paint Pot has been applied, I then decide what colors to wear! Usually I pick three or four colors in different shades. Today I played with natural tones so I choose a cream, a gold, a medium brown, and a dark brown. When applying your shadow, I recommend that you always start with the second to darkest color, so in my case it would be #5 in my Naked Palette. Apply your second to darkest color over the whole eyelid. Once you have done that, clean your brush by wiping it clean on some sort of towel whether it be a paper towel, toilet paper, a towel you use for makeup, etc. You will want to clean your brush after every color you use. Once #5was fully applied, I then took my lightest color which was #1 and started in the corner of my eye (near the bridge of my nose) and made circular motions with the brush to apply a small amount of the cream color. Without removing the brush from your eye, trace the shape of your eye going to just under your eyebrow. Repeat that step on the other eye. Yes, you will look silly for a second. When you've done both sides, I like to take my brush and blend the to colors together a bit so I don't look awkward if I have to run out of the bathroom to chase my son, talk to Mr. Hunky, or answer the door.

Once your first two colors have been applied, the next step is to take your darkest color which was #10 for me, and apply a thin amount in the corner of your eye (toward your ear), making small circular motions and slowly bringing it toward your nose about halfway. Your darkest color is sure to be your messiest so don't freak out if you get it on your cheekbone, you will use your foundation or kabuki brush to wipe it away before applying your face makeup! Your final color will be your brightest, you will sweep it in the crease of your eye before using your brush to blend everything together!

Eyes prior to #6 being applied (the gold/brightest color)

 

 

Eyes after #6 was applied- notice the subtle yet elegant gold sparkle applied

MCO Eye Makeup Tip #2:

Using an angled brush and a black (or whatever color eyeliner color you typically wear) shadow instead of using liquid or pencil eyeliner will almost completely cut out the costs you would spend on buying eyeliner. I have been using my MAC Black Tied eyeshadow and angle brush as eyeliner for almost two years! That's two years of NOT spending a single penny on eyeliner!

 

 

 

Once my eye shadow look is completed, I always put on my eyeliner. Eyeliner is a must for me, for some people it's mascara or lipstick, but for me, I have to have my eyeliner! Of course there are some days when I don't put anything but mascara on, but my rule of thumb is, if I am wearing shadow, I am wearing eyeliner. I take my angled brush and I wet it under the faucet. I then swipe it a few times in my Black Tied eye shadow and gently blow the excess off of the brush. I apply my eyeliner by getting as close as possible to the lash line and making a gentle line from the corner of my eye (by my nose) to the other corner (toward my ear). If necessary I will apply one or two layers to the same line to get a more dramatic or darker shade of black.

 

Eyes with Eyeliner, No Mascara

 

 

After I am done using my shadows (including what I use for liner) I then take a few minutes to apply my face makeup and my lipstick before applying my mascara! Once I've added mascara the look really looks completed and I'm ready to go on with my day.

 

MCO Eye Makeup Tip #3:

 

Use a drug store brand mascara! You're suppose to replace your mascara every 6 months of if you've had any eye irritations so you can save yourself a lot of money by picking up a $8 mascara as oppose to a #20 mascara every time you switch them out!

 

 Eyes Completed

Eyes in Natural Lighting

*All of MCO's beauty tips are 100% my personal opinions, I have not gone to school for Cosmetology and I am not a professional. My statements are merely my experiences and are being shared with you for entertainment purposes. All of the products photographed have been purchased by me prior to this blog post and are for personal use.