Lipstick Masala

Ten years ago, when the countdown to the new Millennium began, I sat on the Washington Mall bundled up in three layers of clothes watching Bill Clinton and Ricky Martin ring in the New Year. I was so cold I could barely enjoy the huge fireworks display over the Potomac River. A decade later, I choose to avoid any outdoor festivities and instead stay inside with my friends, in the warmth of central heating and a comfy couch under my behind. This year, instead of picking out which down jacket will keep me the coziest, my biggest dilemma is whether or not to coordinate my sparkly shirt with dark lips or eyes.

For those of you contemplating a smokey eye look for New Year’s Eve but not comfortable with the technique, I’ve broken down a basic tutorial that’s both quick and easy. Don’t be afraid! What’s great about the smokey look is that you can adapt it to any color, and best of all, it doesn’t have to be perfectly tidy! The concept of “smokey” doesn’t apply to one specific look or color, rather, it is the blending technique used to “smoke out” an eye shadow. So, go ahead and use any combination you wish to!

This tutorial should take practiced hands about 5 minutes and beginners no more than 10-15. Don’t worry about perfecting each step – when it’s time to clean up and bring the look together, we will!

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What You’ll Need:

Prep: under eye cream, concealer

Shadows*: 4 = brown, black, shimmery gold or copper and light beige shimmer for highlighting the brow bone

Pencils: brown and black

Tools*: Small eye shadow brush, smudge brush, Ponytail (blending) brush, concealer brush, q-tips

Mascara

*The reason I use brown and black together is that brown helps to blend and also softens the harsh contrast of black on the face. Brown and black together also give desi skin tones a warmer, soft look. You can substitute these shades for whatever you wish, just remember to use the darker shadows on the outer corners and the lighter ones on the inner lid!

*If you don’t have some the tools you can substitute them with other items. For example, if you don’t have a smudge brush you can use the sponge that comes on the back end of an eyeliner brush, and if you don’t have a concealer brush use your fingers! The ponytail brush (or blending brush) is hard to substitute, if you have a large fluffy shadow brush that should work as a replacement.

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Steps:

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1) Make sure the eye area is clean. Use your under eye cream to prep the area.

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2) Using your concealer brush (or your finger if you don’t have one) spread your concealer on your lid as a base for your shadow to neutralize the color of your skin and to provide lasting powder to your eye makeup. If you prefer to use another primer, go ahead and use it here. I used TimeBalm concealer in medium/dark and Nars concealer brush.

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3) Take the brown eye pencil and draw a thick line on your upper lash line. Don’t worry about it being crooked; just make sure to get it in close to the lash line and between the lashes. Lift up your lid slightly and line the inner rim (make sure not to poke yourself!) – this process is called tight lining - it gives a fuller look to your lashes. I used Sephora Khol expert in “Brun Perfect.”

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4) Now, take your smudge brush (or replacement tool) and smudge the liner in an upward motion towards your crease (where your eyeball meets the brow bone). You should end up with the liner darkest near your lash line and lightest near the top of your lid (don’t go all the way up to the brown bone). I used the Sephora Professionnel smudge brush.

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5) Take your chocolate brown eye shadow and using the small shadow brush, apply it to the outer third of your lid. Don’t worry about messiness or accuracy; we’ll blend it out in a bit. I used Clinique high impact eye shadow quad in “Toast of the Town” and the MAC 213 shadow brush.

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6) Next, using the same brush, pick up the black shadow and apply it to the outer edge and along the crease as shown below. Your “V” should be in line with the end of your eyebrow (note the pink dots in the photo below). I used MAC “print” shadow.

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7) Grab your ponytail brush, or blending brush and begin to smooth out the lines. Use a light hand. The best way to do this is: on the lid where the shadows meet, switch between side-to-side sweeps and circular motions and gently buff out any visible lines that you see. The key is to blend blend blend. Then, on the crease use more of a side-to-side (windshield wiper) motion to soften the harshness of the black. Again, don’t worry about being too messy; we’ll clean it up. I used MAC’s 224 brush.

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Use your small shadow brush and pick up some of the lighter beige color and sweep it along your brown bone to highlight it. I used MAC “Naked Lunch” shadow.

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9) Take your ponytail brush and gently blend out the highlighter shadow so the black shadow underneath fades into the highlight.

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10) At this point, you will see shadow fallout underneath your eyes and on the side of your eyes near your temples. Take your q-tip and slightly dampen it with water. Clean up the side of your eye so you get back the V shape. Use the tip to soften and blend the edges so they don’t look too sharply defined.

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11) Take another q-tip and clean the bottom of your eyes under your lower lashes.

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12) Now, apply the concealer under your eyes. We wait to do this until this step because if you apply concealer earlier, you will end up having to remove it anyway because of fallout from your darker shadows.

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13) Using your small shadow brush, pick up a little of the same black you used for the crease and tap off the excess on your hand so you have no more shadow fallout. Brush a thin line connecting the outer V to your lower lash line. Continue to line under your eye until your lashes end.

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14) Soften and blend the line on your lower lashes using a q-tip.

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15) Take your black eye pencil and line your inner rim. Then use the small shadow brush and pat down the liner with the same black shadow you just used. This will soften the look and help your liner stay on longer. I have not used liner on my upper lids in this tutorial because it was a bit much for me personally. The shadow and tight lining of your inner rims is enough to attract attention to your eyes. But, if you feel you need a little more oomph, add the liner after step 17 before you apply your mascara. I used Sephora Waterproof Kohl et Contour in “Keep Black.”

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16) Almost done. The final shadow step is to add a slight glimmer to the center where your lid catches the light. Your best choice would be to use a golden/bronze shadow here that is luminous but not over the top glittery. The gold/bronze accents the brown and most desi skin tones (contrary to popular belief, I think very few of us look good in silver!). Tap your shadow brush into the pan and then apply to the center of your lid from the crease to the lash line. If you feel you need to blend it you can, but this color should melt into the others after a few minutes by itself. I used MAC “Woodwinked” shadow.

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17) Using the same shadow, line the inner V of your eye for a little extra pop.

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18) Apply Mascara. Remember to clean the inner eye where the shadow gathers with a q-tip! I used Imju Fiberwig mascara.

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Et Voilà! You’re all done! Just remember, if you’re going with dark eyes keep your lips toned down – nude lips look the best!

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Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve, ladies. See you all in 2010!!!