Makeup and Beauty Blog | Makeup Reviews, Swatches and How-To Makeup

I don’t know… Today I feel very indifferent about my makeup, very noncommittal, like I don’t really have a strong opinion one way or another.

There’s a word for it, the way I’m feeling, but dang if I can’t recall what it is.

Neuter? No — that’s not it.

(Whoops, sorry Tabs! It had to be done.)

I think it has something to do with Switzerland in World War II?

Oh, shoot. It’s on the tip of my tongue…

LOL!

Neutral! The word is neutral. 🙂

Today I thought I’d share one of my favorite everyday eye looks, a brown, bronze and black neutral eye that I wear sometimes when I want to look polished and put-together.

Like many of my favorite looks, it’s an easy one that doesn’t require a lot of blending, and we should be able to knock it out in less than 15 minutes.

I’ll be using a mix products from MAC and L’Oréal, but you know how we roll here — feel free to use any other brands and similar colors you happen to have around.

From the left: MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood, MAC Eyeshadow in Saddle, MAC Eyeshadow in Mulch, MAC Eyeshadow in Woodwinked, MAC Eyeshadow in Print and L’Oreal Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black

What’s that you say? You noticed my watch, and now you’d like to ask me what time it is? Well…

It’s prime time!

Let’s start by applying a base for our powder eyeshadows. How about creamy bronze MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood? We’ll apply that all over our lids with a finger and buff it out with a fluffy domed brush like the MAC 217.

That should really intensify the colors of the powder eyeshadows we’re about to layer on top.

The shape of things to come

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Silly eighth-grade me, thinking I knew everything. I was so sure that eyeliner application would be one of those easy beauty skills to master. After all, I was a fairly artistic teen. I got Bs in both Calligraphy and Intro to Art. I mean really, how hard could it be?

Well…

Apparently, harder than I thought. To my surprise, the doodling I did all over my Pee-Chee folders did not adequately prepare me for proper eyeliner application, and my calligraphy class did not help me achieve flawlessly lined Elizabeth Taylor eyes.

Thank goodness this was before camera phones; otherwise, I’d probably have a folder filled with pictures of me looking like a hot mess in the forbidden purple Lancôme liner I covertly applied every day after I left the house.

The lines, so shaky… So uneven…

I wish I could go back and give 13-year-old Karen a few words of advice. If I could, I would tell her 1) to convince Mom to stop taking me to the $6 haircut place around the corner, because they could not cut wavy hair for sh*t; 2) I would also submit that triangle hair is completely unacceptable; and 3) I would end my future transmission with the following phrase: brace yo’self — not just for the onslaught of awkwardness that teenager-hood and puberty would bring, but also when you apply your eyeliner.

This might sound a little wackadoo, but hear me out. If you have trouble with shaky lines when you apply eyeliner, try bracing your body against something solid, like a table or wall.

Crisp, clean eye makeup requires some coordination, and propping my elbows on a table, or leaning against a wall, really helps to steady my hands.

It’s the same with photography.

When taking pics, even the slightest movement when you press the shutter button can introduce camera shake and blur.

Blurry pictures with photography, blurry lines with eyeliner.

Stand up for eye makeup!

Here’s another tip to try: if you usually apply your eye makeup while sitting down, give it a try standing up (or sitting down, if you usually stand up).

I’ve noticed that certain things are easier for me to apply, like liquid liner and false lashes, when I’m standing up. Weird, but true. 🙂

Welcome to Share a Tip Tuesdays! What’s a makeup or beauty tip you’d like to share? Eyeliner tips would be great, but if you have other makeup tips, I’d love to hear ’em, too!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen