{Beauty Tuesday} Smoke Screen

       Good afternoon! Okay, I know it's not Tuesday. I was going to post this yesterday, but there were a few delays that caused me to wait until today to finish up. This idea came to me as I was getting ready yesterday morning, and I thought I'd share.

       I used to be a big fan of smoky eyes, using the look as a daily staple. And then I realized I was doing it all wrong and decided my face is too pink for such things (that is possible) and cut them out of my routine altogether. Just recently, I've figured out that if I use the right shades, I can get 'em to work even for me. So, here are a few ideas for different skin tones.

{FAIR}

If your face is pale to medium-light and even-toned, you can pull off the classic grey smoky eye. I did Brittnie's makeup for Senior Ball this year, and she definitely rocked it. As with every look, make sure you balance it out. If you're wearing a bright lipstick, go easy on the eyes; a smoky eye requires nude or clear gloss.

{UNEVEN}

If you've got sensitive, splotchy, or freckly skin (like me), you know that a lot of makeup looks can be very hard to suit to your complexion. I have found that iridescent beiges and deep browns generally work nicely together to frame my blue eyes. The key is to look for a slightly shimmery formula and blend your hues.

{MEDIUM}

If your face is medium-tan to olive, look for soft plum shades to play up your warm coloring. Don't forget to add a highlighter on the browbone and inner corner of your eyes. Mookie let me experiment on her. Can you believe those eyelashes?!

{DEEP}

If your face is dark olive to deep cocoa, go for bolder shades like turquoise and navy to draw attention to your eyes. The cool tones in Tatayana's skin were complemented by pretty bright blue. Always start with a good shadow primer as your base before anything else! This amplifies pigmentation and makes shadow last longer.

 

P.S. Mookie's eyeshadow made me think of the greatest song ever, Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze. My dad raised me on this stuff, so you should probably listen. We all need a little metal in our diets.

Happy shading!