The Foolproof Way to Ease into Wearing Eye Makeup
Everyone has to start somewhere, and when you’re making your first foray into the vast world of eye makeup, we don’t blame you if there’s some hesitance involved. After all, we’ve all seen how bad eye makeup can be when it goes wrong, so it’s only natural to want to avoid that kind of situation at all costs. Relax: you don’t have to go it alone. These four indispensable tips will keep you on the straight and narrow of how to ease into eye makeup, so you’ll feel totally comfortable with it in no time at all.
Start smudgy.
Creating precise, defined lines can be tough, even for those of us who have tons of practice—struggling with creating the perfect cat eye is no joke. Give yourself a little leeway by starting with smudgier, softer styles first, as they’re way more forgiving, and there’s pretty much no such thing as a mistake when you can always just blend it away. Chunky, easily blended shadow sticks are a great way to get a head start on mastering eye makeup: they’re easy to use and can go super subtle or be built up for drama. The new NARS Cosmetic Velvet Shadow Sticks are becoming a fast favorite, thanks to their silky, effortless formula and rich pigments.
Stick to neutrals.
Don’t jump right into electric blue liners or metallic smoky eyes before you’ve got a proper handle on the technique—that’s how beauty mistakes are made. It’s hard to go wrong with neutral tones, as they’re flattering and enhance your features in a way that looks natural, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Shimmery bronzes, pearly champagne tones, and even plain soft browns are the perfect way to wade into wearing eye makeup in a low-risk, no-fuss way. Sweep on a soft, pigmented powdery formula all over your lid with a traditional shadow brush, and you’ve made the first step toward mastering the look.
Go easy on the mascara.
Spidery lashes, serious clumping, smudges down your cheeks—there’s a lot that can go wrong with mascara, so when you’re just starting out in the eye makeup game, you may want to approach the application with a light hand. We’re not saying that you need to skip mascara altogether, but try applying it first to just the outer lashes for a wide-eyed look that won’t look caked-on. Word to the wise: always curl your lashes before applying mascara, not after, as it’s the fastest route to undesirable lash breakage.
Use a palette.
Coordinating palettes make an easy go of getting a look that appears much more complicated than it actually is—which, of course, is music to the makeup beginner’s ears. Start with a simple four or five-shade palette: many of them will even include step-by-step instructions that teach you where on the eye each color should be applied. Lancôme Color Design 5 Pan Eyeshadow Palette comes in an impressive number of color ways, and you can apply the individual shades on their own or follow the five-step approach to getting the full look.
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