Makeup For Life - Beauty Blog, Makeup Tutorials, Product Reviews, Celebrity Makeup, Beauty Advice » eyeshadow application

Dior Garden Roses 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches and Pictures

Phyllis — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:49:16 +0000

After oohing, ahhing and flat out gawking at the limited-edition Garden Roses 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette from my Dior Garden Party Spring 2012 Collection haul for 2 days straight, I finally took the courage to play with it.

The Garden Roses 5 Couleurs palette comes in Dior’s signature glossy blue compact that is portable and classy. On the inside is a huge mirror (always a plus), two double-ended sponge applicators and 5 cool-toned purple/pink shadows with the prettiest rose patterns embossed on them.

The colors are a medium pink (top left), a pinkish oyster similar to MAC Seedy Pearl (top right), an icy lilac (bottom right), a light silver (bottom left) and a purple with pink undertones that reminds me of MAC Stars ‘n Rockets (center). They go on smoothly and slightly frosty with very fine shimmer. Pigmentation is good and the colors just complement each other so well.

My only complaint is the lack of a darker shade to contour and define. We all know pink/purple shadows can make the eyes look swollen (especially on Asians), so without a darker color, you will have to go heavier on the liner and mascara to balance out the look. But I shall say no more and let the pictures do their job!

Bottom left, bottom right, Top right, Top left and center

Here I am wearing the medium pink on the inner half of the eyelid, silver on the outer half of the eyelid, purple on the crease and outer half of the lower eye, icy lilac on the inner half of the lower eye. I also added Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner, a pair of Korean fake lashes and mascara on the bottom lashes.

Overall, the Dior Garden Roses is a gorgeous, wearable palette that is perfect for spring. If you have light to medium skin tones and love a soft, romantic look, you will love this.

Overall Rating:

Dior Garden Roses 5-Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette is available Nordstrom for $59.

Disclosure: The product in this entry was purchased by me. Please see my Disclaimer for more information on my posting policy.

NARS Arabian Nights Smokey Eye Makeup Tutorial

Phyllis — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:26:09 +0000

As requested, here is a look with step-by-step tutorial on NARS Arabian Nights Trio Eyeshadow, a gorgeous trio of black shadows with glitter. Hope you guys like it!

Step 1. Prep the eyelid with NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base to ensure more vibrant and longer-lasting color.

Step 2. Using a small synthetic brush, apply NARS Lili Marlene Cream Eyeshadow on the eyelid. This will help to prevent glitter fall out.

Step 3. Pat – don’t sweep – the middle shade of NARS Arabian Nights Trio Eyeshadow (black with purple glitter) onto the eyelid. A dense brush like Korean brand Piccasso #239B is perfect for this.

Step 4. Using a pencil brush like MAC #219, darken the outer v with the black with silver glitter shade located right of NARS Arabian Nights Trio Eyeshadow.

Step 5. With a fluffy brush like MAC 224 Blending Brush, blend the black shade onto the crease and soften the edges without touching the color on the center.

Step 6. Brush the shimmery white shade in NARS Pandora Duo Eyeshadow under the brow bone with a flat brush like inky by zing 07 Highlighter Brush. Blend downwards.

Step 7. To play up the purple glitter, add a dab of the pearlescent purple from NARS Jolie Poupee Duo Eyeshadow in the center of the eyelid. This will also add a nice twist to an otherwise plain black smoky eye.

Step 8. Run a black pencil eyeliner like Jealousness on both upper and lower lash lines.

Step 9. Soften the liner with the right shade in NARS Arabian Nights Eyeshadow Trio.

Step 10. Using a black liquid liner like Jealousness Waterproof Eyeliner in Smoked Black BK-II, reline the upper lash line.

Step 11. Apply mascara add a pair of fake lashes like Jealousness Fake Lashes in Bewitched JS-507 for maximum intensity.

Done!

How are you guys wearing Arabian Nights?

Weekly Q&A: How To Make Wide-set Eyes Appear Closer Together With Makeup

Phyllis — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:42:11 +0000

Question: How should I do my makeup to make my wide-set eyes appear closer together?

Answer: While celebrities like Kate Moss and Jessica Alba prove wide-set eyes can be beautiful, here are a few makeup tricks you can use to bring your eyes closer together.

* To draw your eyes inward, leave as much hair as possible at the beginning of the brows and try to keep your eyebrows short (see Jessica Alba above). Using a powder to fill in the eyebrows, go heavier on the inner half and make sure to blend well. Finish by blending a taupe or brown shadow from the beginning of the brow down the sides of your nose to further draw your eyes inward.

* Instead of using a light color on the inner corner of the eye, stick with medium to dark colors like brown, taupe, grey and sable. Use a lighter color on the outer half of the lid.

* When applying eyeliner, keep the liner thicker in the inner corner and center. Do not extend it upwards or past the outer corner. If you do like Kate above, your eyes will look even further apart.

Not sure if you have wide-set eyes? Just look straight into the mirror. Well-proportioned eyes only have one eye space in between the bridge of your nose. If you have more than that, your eyes are considered wide-set.

Got a question? Just leave a comment!

Makeup Tutorial: Purple Smoky Eye Makeup Look

Phyllis — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:23:00 +0000

Purple has always been one of my favorite colors to use on the eyes. It is the perfect color to wear for fall and winter and just makes my eyes pop! Below is a step-by-step makeup tutorial on how you can create a great purple smoky eye without even using purple eyeshadow (yes you can!)

Step 1. Prep the eyelid with a primer to ensure more vibrant and longer-lasting color.

What I Used: NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

Step 2. Apply a shimmery light pink eyeshadow onto the eyelid from the lashline all the way to past the crease.

What I Used: Yaby pp057 strawberry sherbert Pearl Paint Eyeshadow

Step 3. Using a dense eyeshadow brush like my newest must-have piccasso 239B, define the crease and lashline with a dark blue color.

What I Used: NARS Mandchourie Duo Eyeshadow II

Step 4. Line the upper and lower lashlines with a black pencil.

What I Used: MAC Feline Eye Kohl

Step 5. Soften the line by smudging the dark blue shadow on top with a small brush.

What I Used: ink by Zing 13 Eyebrow Brush and NARS Mandchourie Duo Eyeshadow II

Step 6. Using MAC #226 Small Tapered Blending Brush, blend off harsh edges.

Step 7. Add a dab of the pink shadow on the center of the eyelid with a damp brush for an extra pop of color.

What I Used: Yaby pp057 strawberry sherbert Pearl Paint Eyeshadow

Step 8. Brush a frosty white shadow under the brow bone to highlight.

What I Used: Pixi Ultimate Beauty Kit

Step 9. Curl your lashes and coat with black mascara. Apply fake lashes as desired.

What I Used: Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Extreme Black and Jealousness Fake Lashes in Bewitched JS-507

Step 10. Keep your eyebrows soft by filling them in with a brown brow powder that is lighter than your natural brow color.

What I Used: Anna Sui Eyebrow Color Compact in 02 Yellow brown

Step 10. Clean up any eyeshadow fallouts before applying foundation and concealer and you are done!

Check out more purple eye looks!

Makeup Tutorial: How To Create Simple Colorful Eye Makeup For Spring

Phyllis — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:35:12 +0000

Since the eyes are all about color this spring, learn how to create a simple eye look with some of the hottest colors right now!

Step 1. Prep the eyelid with a primer to ensure more vibrant and longer-lasting color.

What I Used: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base

Step 2. Using a flat eyeshadow brush like MAC #239 Eye Shader, pat a matte pink violet eyeshadow on the eyelid.

What I Used: Yaby Cosmetics Eyeshadow in # es015 Purple Elephant

Step 3. Dab a matte navy blue eyeshadow with a small eyeshadow brush like MAC #228 Mini Shader on the outer corner.

What I Used: Yaby Cosmetics Eyeshadow in # es611 Carbon Paper

Step 4. Using a fluffy brush like MAC #226 Small Tapered Blending Brush, blend the blue shadow onto the crease by sweeping back and forth in a windshield motion.

Step 5. Apply a shimmery bright green eyeshadow on the lower eye using a small eyeshadow brush like MAC #228 Mini Shader.

What I Used: Yaby Cosmetics Eyeshadow in # pp071 Psychedelic Caterpillar

Step 6. Draw a line along the upper lashline with a black liquid or gel eyeliner. Drag the line a few mm past the outer corner and add a small flick.

What I Used: Barry M Liquid Liner in Black

Step 7. Curl your eyelashes and apply mascara on top and bottom lashes. Apply fake lashes as desired.

What I Used: Shiseido Eyelash Curler; Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in Extreme Black; Makeup For Life Lashes in #Babydoll

Done!

Extra Beauty Tips

* To avoid an overkill, always pair bright eyeshadow with a clean face and nude lips.

* Mix and match different textures, i.e. pairing matte eyeshadows with shimmery ones, for a modern approach.

* When working with bright colors, apply the shadow with a clean brush and blend with a separate one. This will help prevent the colors from getting dull.

Like this tutorial? Read more!