Even tried-and-true eye makeup can feel like a chore if that’s all you have in your repertoire. It’s easy to fall into an if-it-ain’t-broke routine, or skip it altogether when you don’t have the patience to deal with clumps and smudges. But with these easy ways to dress up your gaze, you can put the spark back into sparkling eyes.
When: You have no time
Rim the inner corners of your eyes with a cream highlighter or white pencil for instant brightness. For your mascara, choose one with a long brush and short bristles: Bourjois Paris Mascara Elastic works well. The shape is great for lengthening quickly and clump-free because it doesn’t pick up as much mascara as thicker brushes.
Wipe excess mascara off the brush with a clean tissue. Tilt your chin up and look down at the mirror while applying to avoid smudging your eyelids. Starting as close to your roots as possible, wriggle the brush back and forth as you pull through. Once or twice should give your lashes a good coat. Less is more in this case “ if you overdo it, you’ll end up needing more time to fix mistakes you made in haste.
When: Your routine is making you yawn
Think not only about the kind of eye makeup you usually stick to, but also where you put it.
Shifting your interest may just be a question of shifting your focus. If you’re an eyeliner addict, try lining your lids with a jewel-toned eyeshadow like emerald or eggplant for a softer look. Or if you’re not willing to give up your pencil just yet, try a cat eye or drawing a thin line along only the outer half of your top and bottom lids to accentuate a wide eye.
If you usually stick to mascara, try accentuating your outer lashes for a sexy look that mimics the cat eye with less intensity. After applying mascara regularly, use Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Effet Extension to pull your outer lashes out and away from the rest.
This mascara makes lash definition easy due to the unique shape of its brush, but you can also use the end of a regular mascara brush. The end of your brush holds more mascara than the bristles, making it easier to coat your thinner outer lashes.
When: You’re preparing for an indulgent night out
Try something you’d otherwise never allow yourself time for when getting ready in the morning.
Try out the va-va voom mascara you wouldn’t normally have the patience for. Instead of trying to avoid clumps and smudges on your eyelids, embrace them. It’s easier to get your mascara brush to the very bottom of your roots (where it almost always smudges your eyelids) with a devil-take-the-hindmost attitude.
Do multiple coats of mascara wriggling the brush from the very bottom of your lashes with a mascara that has a short, thick brush with longer bristles. For this, nothing compares to CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion. The plastic bristles are stellar separators and its thick coats are second-to-none. After you’ve finished, dip a Q-Tip in makeup remover and run it over your raccoon eyelids to remove smudges.
Add an unexpected pop of colour.
Cover your eyelid with a soft, neutral eyeshadow. Next, line your top lid with a darker eyeshadow, smudging the outer half of your lid up and outwards. For the pop, choose a vibrant eyeshadow like Smashbox Shimmer in Enchanted. Brush the bright eyeshadow along your top lashline about a quarter of the way in, and line it all along your lower lashline, focusing on and smudging the outer half.
Also try a brightly coloured mascara on your outer lashes, or the full set if you’re feeling daring. Some companies already have coloured mascara in their repertoire, but colour choice and vibrancy can be limited. Urban Decay Big Fatty Coloured Mascara comes in a variety of shades; Electric Blue and Indigo are both stunning eye-poppers. If you can’t find one you like, try mixing Vaseline with an eyeshadow like L’Oré©al HiP Bright Shadow Duo in Flashy to create your own coloured mascara.
