Make-Up Techniques for the Eyes (2)
Previous PageMascara
Mascara serves a pretty basic purpose, but the effect can be dramatic. The purpose of mascara is to make the lashes – the natural framing of the eyes – stand out and help the eyes appear brighter and larger. Mascara is especially useful for women who have lighter hair and therefore have less visible lashes and brows.
And as with all cosmetic products there are many types of mascara. There are traditional mascaras that are opaque, colored mascaras that color the lashes as well as to thicken and firm them. These are available in varying shades from natural tones of browns and blacks, and even gray, to bold fashion colors like blue, purple and white for exotic effects. There are also mascaras that are meant to provide a more natural – less made-up – look. These are clear mascaras that are in effect styling gel for the lashes.
The appropriate time to use mascara is when it’s needed to make the eyes appear brighter or to make the lashes more visible. Mascara is perfectly acceptable for daytime wear, but you want to make sure the look isn’t too dramatic during business hours. The fact is that the lighting in daylight hours doesn’t call for the heavy looks of traditional black mascara. During the day, you should keep your mascara in the neutral brown range and reserve the jet blacks and bold exotic colors for evening wear.
Eye liner is probably the most intimidating cosmetic item in use by modern women. This is understandable, but as many women don’t truly understand how (and when) eye liner should be used, it’s important to talk about it and hopefully remove some of the apprehension associated with this particular cosmetic product.
The purpose of eye liner is to define the boundaries of the eyes. The precise placement can determine whether the eyes look larger or smaller. It can create drama and balance. However, eye liner isn’t appropriate for all occasions.
As a general rule, eye liner should only be worn for evening events, when the cosmetic application is needed to be bolder due to generally dimmer lighting and more dramatic effects are called for esthetically. In those cases when you truly believe that you need definition of your eyes during the daytime, it is important to use neutral colors and lighter tones as opposed to the traditional black.
Eye liner tends to come in two varieties: waxy pencil types and liquid types. Pencil types can be traditional wood-wrapped pencils that must be sharpened or twist-up versions that can be “re-sharpened” with the twist of the applicator. Liquid eye liner typically comes with its own applicator brush enabling you to create very thin lines or bolder ones as desired.
The basic use of eye liner follows a few simple rules:
To Define the Eyes
Many women have pale hair and therefore pale brows and lashes. These women find that their eyes appear bland in the context of their face, specifically after the application of lip and cheek color and eye shadow. For these women, the use of eye liner is in a fine line along the edges of the top and lower lids in order to frame the eye.
To Balance the Eyes
A common use of eye liner is to balance the look of the eye when the lower lashes are sparse. In this case, the correct use is to apply a fine line along the edge of the lower lid so that the lower lashes appear thicker and balance with the lashes along the upper lid.
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