Choosing Your Eye Colors -- Ask Your Closet!
Colors fall into 3 categories - warm, cool and neutral. What makeup colors look best on you is primarily determined by your skintone and what you're wearing today. Eye and haircolor come second. Your clothes closet is a great guide. If you wear warm, earth-toned colors like olive green, brown, terracotta, and camel, warm tones are probably your best bets for eye color, too. If most of your clothes are in cool tones of blue, purple, lavender and dark green, cool colors will look great on your eyes.
Of course, you'll never go wrong with classic neutrals -- greys, ivories, taupes and browns. These shades flatter everyone. They're also natural choices for someone who's wardrobe is all black, white, or beige.
It's So Simple  2 eyeshadows + eyeliner = custom eyes!

For basic eye design, I believe all you need are one eyeshadow to accent, one to define, and an eyeliner pencil. (In the custom eye designs below, I've added a highlighter as an extra option -- which you can skip or not - plus mascara and brow pencil).
To accent and define, I recommend matte powder eyecolors - not frosted.
3 Easy Steps to Custom-Eye Designs for Every Eye Shape
The 3 steps are:
1. Lining
2. Accenting (with light shades)
3. Defining (with deep shades)
The 3 tools you'll need are:
1. 1 light-toned powder eyeshadow 2. 1 deep-toned powder eyeshadow (contrasting or complementing your light shade) 3. 1 eyeliner pencil -- brown, charcoal or navy. Black works best for brunettes or exotic faces.
Additionally, you'll want to have: 
Mascara
Light frosted Highlighter eyeshadow (optional)
Eyebrow Pencil that matches or is a shade darker than your own brows

The Art of Custom Eyes
First, the theory -- then we practice! Know the Theory of Light and you've mastered one of the most important aspects of makeup:
· LIGHT tones bring features forward and out.
· DARK tones bring features in and minimize them.
Ready to practice? Find your eye shape below and apply the techniques illustrated to maximize the beauty of your special eyes -- and minimize their limitations. Practice a few times until perfect and -- I promise -- you won't believe your eyes
Even Eyes
Even Eyes...are well-proportioned and evenly spaced, one eye's-width apart.
Your goal: Emphasize your eyes' balance and shape.
Line: Line upper and lower lid evenly. Gradually widen the line at the outer corners.
Accent: Brush light color evenly over the entire lid, lashes to browbone.
Define: Stroke a smooth ribbon of your deep color along and slightly above the natural crease of the lid, to the outer corner of each eye. Blend edges lightly.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Brush a little highlighter color along the browbone to accent.
Brows & Lashes: Extend the length of brows or heighten the arch, if needed to maintain the balanced effect. Apply mascara evenly on top and bottom lashes.
Close-Set Eyes 
Close-Set Eyes ...are less than one eye-length apart.
Your Goal: Make your eyes look further apart by emphasizing the outer edges of the eye.
Line: Line the outer half of your lids, top and bottom, keeping color most intense at the far corners of the eyes. The bottom line can even be extended just beyond the eye if you like.
Accent: Brush your light shade from the inner corner to middle of lid, from lashes to browline.
Define: Shading from lashes to browbone, stroke your deep shade from the outer third of the lid to extend just beyond the eye's edge.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Brush a little highlighter on the browbone to accent.
Brows & Lashes: Extend the length of brows outward creating the illusion of eyes further apart. Apply mascara on top and bottom lashes, with a few extra coats on the outer corners, upper and lower.
Wide-Set Eyes
  Wide-Set Eyes...are more than one eye-length apart.
Your Goal: Make your eyes look closer together by emphasizing
the inner third of the eye.
Line: Starting at the inner corners, line the eye completely, top and bottom.
Accent: Apply light shade on the outer 2/3 of the lid, lashes to browbone, brushing towards the outer corners.
Define: Sweep your deep color on the inside third of the lid, brushing towards the inner corner of eyes. Shadow from lashes to just below the browbone. Blend edges into the light shade to get a soft gradation of color.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Center a little highlighter just under the brow in the middle of the eye.
Brows & Lashes: Accent color a little heavier at the beginning of brows. Don't extend brow color beyond your natural line. Apply lashcolor evenly on upper and lower lashes, with an extra coat or two on the lashes closest to the inner corner of the eye.
Deep-Set Eyes
Deep-Set Eyes ... are recessed or shadowed by a prominent brow bone. Lids may be hidden and the eyebrows appear close to the eyes.
Your Goal: Make the eyes look more open, less recessed.
Line: Using a fine line, outline upper and lower lids evenly.
Accent: Sweep light color over the entire lid, lashes to brows.
Define: Stroke your deep shade just ABOVE (not in) the eye's natural crease. Blend lightly at the edges to soften. This brings the lid portion 'forward' optically.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Brush a little highlighter in and along the lid crease. Do not blend.
Brows & Lashes: Raise the plane of the brow line by skimming brow color lightly along the tops of brows. Since pale brows make eyes look even more recessed, select brow color a shade or two darker than your natural tone. Mascara top and bottom lashes lavishly.
Prominent ("Bette Davis") EyesProminent Eyes ...are large and may appear to bulge, with prominent upper lids.
Your Goal: Bring the eyes in a little and minimize the top lids.
Line: Line upper and lower lids, with a slightly wider band of liner along the lashes of the lower lid.
Accent: Sweep light shadow horizontally across the browbone to take the focus off the lid area.
Define: Sweep a horizontal band of deep shadow across the whole lid, extending from the inner corner to just beyond the outer edge of the eye. This subtly elongates and minimizes prominent lids.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Add a dot of highlighter below the arch of the brow.
Brows & Lashes: Emphasize the highest point of the brow to counteract the roundness of the eye shape. Lightly mascara top lashes, concentrating more color on lower lashes.
Round EyesRound Eyes ....are shaped almost perfectly oval, not deep-set or overly prominent.
Your Goal: To give eyes more elongation.
Line: Outline both lids evenly, top and bottom, extending eyeliner just beyond the outer corners.
Accent: Focus light color on the outer section of the browbone, brushing outward to elongate the eye. Cover area from browline to lid crease.
Define: Concentrate deep shade at the edge of the eyes, extending color out beyond the eye to elongate.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Overlay a little highlighter on the highest edge of the browbone.
Eye Tips!Tip! Keep pencil eyeliner from smudging by going over the line with matching powder eyeshadow.Tip! Another way to line your eyes: Use your favorite deep- toned eyeshadow, wet or dry, with an eyeliner brush.Tip! Use a white pencil to line the inner edge of the eye to make whites -and eyes-look, brighter and bigger; and to hide any redness.Tip! Keep a magnifying mirror nearby to check your work.Tip! Shadow won't stay? Powder lids before you apply your colors.Tip! Apply an Eye Base first if color settles into crepey areas or lines.Tip! Less is more! It's easier to build color up layer by layer than to erase too much. Tip! Clean up slips and smudges as you work with q-tips moistened in eye makeup remover.
Brows & Lashes: Extend the outside edges of the brows. Creating an arch will also make the eye look less round. Concentrate mascara on the top lashes, especially on the outer corners of the eyes.
Down-Slanting Eyes

Down-slanting eyes...are eyes that seem to droop downward at the outer edges.
Your Goal: "Lift" the outside edges for a livelier look.
Line: Line upper and lower lids. On the lower lid only, slant the liner upward, extending a bit beyond the outside corner of the eye
Accent: Brush light shade along the browbone, concentrating most
Of the color on the outer edges and slanting upward.
Define: Apply deep color to the outer third of the lid, from lashes to crease. Stroke upward at the outer edge to create a lifting effect.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Add a touch of highlighter to the highest point of the browbone.
Brows & Lashes: Accent (or create) a gentle arch to give the brow a slight upslant. Focus most of your lashcolor on the upper lashes, especially at the outside corners.
Hooded Eyes Hooded Eyes ...are eyes with sagging lids and folds of skin around them.
Your Goal: To minimize the hooded effect.
Line: Use a fine line to outline the lids, upper and lower.
Accent: Sweep light color on the highest point of the browbone,
above the crease.
Define: Smooth deep color horizontally over hooded area, (slightly
above the crease of the eyelid).
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Overlay highlight over the browbone.
Brows & Lashes: Shape brows into an arch to "lift' the eye further.
Concentrate most of your mascara on upper and lower lashes from
inner corner to the middle of the eye.
Small Eyes
Small Eyes...are smaller than average, or when compared to the rest of
your features.
Your Goal: Make eyes look larger.
Line: Use a fine line to outline the entire eye. Use a light to medium shade of eyeliner
To avoid "closing" in the eye and making it look even smaller.
Accent: Brush a light shade over the entire lid from lashes to browbone to "open" the entire eye.
Define: Stroke deep shade horizontally, starting from the inner corner, along the lid crease. Extend color slightly past the outer eye corner to widen.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Stroke highlighter under the browline, blending into your light color.
Brows & Lashes: Brush brows up and extend the line of the brows slightly past the eye. Thin brows make eyes look larger. Apply mascara generously on top lashes and lightly on lower lashes.
Asian Eyes Asian Eyes....are almond-shaped with little or no natural crease in the lid.
Your Goal: Create contrast between eye, lid and browbone.
Line: Line upper and lower lids, keeping line close to lashes.
Accent: Bring out the browbone with your light shade.
Define: Create the effect of a crease in the lid, by starting your deep color
at the inside corner of the eye and drawing it horizontally midway between the lash
line and the brow bone. Blend to avoid an obvious 'stripe' of shadow.
For An Extra Touch:
Highlight: Add highlight on the outer third of browbone.
Brows & Lashes: Giving the brow a slightly arched shape 'opens' the eye. If eyes are small, also extend the edges of browline. Apply mascara generously to upper and lower lashes.



     comments and Suggestions
Please Sign In My GUESTBOOK

Back to MAKE-UP index
How you can create beautiful eyebrows

Beautifully shaped eyebrows act as a frame to set off your eyes, just as your hairstyle sets off your face and a picture frame sets off a beautiful painting. It's no exaggeration to say that brow shape can make - or break - your look.

Well-shaped brows can also take years off your appearance. And although brow shapes may come and go the basics of shaping stay the same.

Even if you've always been a little intimidated about how to go about brow design, here''s how to create mistake-proof eyebrows every time:

1.
  The Basics

  
   A) Stand in front of the mirror. Look straight ahead. Try visualizing an imaginary straight line from the base of your nose to your eyebrow. (You can also use a pencil as your line, if it helps). First, imagine the line (or place your pencil) straight up from the outside base of your nose to the browline -ideally, that's where your eyebrow should begin (A).

  B)
  Second, looking straight into the mirror, imagine the line (or place the pencil) slanting across the center section of the eye, to the right of the pupil. That's where the arch should be (B).

  C)
  Third, imagine your line (or place your pencil) angling even further, straight past the outer corner of the eye. That's where the end of the ideal browline should reach (C).
   2.
  Tweeze excess hairs, working from underneath the brow to even up and clean up the line. Does the line of the natural brow stops short of the outside corner (point C above)? No problem. Use a freshly sharpened eyebrow pencil to draw a thin, delicate line to extend the browline to the outside of the eye. Blur the color, lightly with a fingertip.

  3.
  To lift the arch of the brow higher, tweeze hairs from just below where you want the arch to be highest. This also instantly "opens" the look of the eye.

  4.
  The eyebrows should be at their fullest at the inside edges, right above the inside corners of the eyes (A). If your eyebrows are thin or sparse, fill in with short, slanted hair-like strokes with your brow pencil. Follow with a stiff brush dipped in complementary eyebrow powder color. Use the same motion to apply it, adding more weight to the pencil color. Let the line gradually thin out as it goes past the arch of each brow (B).
Shaping - Intensive

Shaping your eyebrows beyond basic grooming is best done by a professional. Although, once you get the line and shape you want, you may be able to maintain it with regular tweezing yourself. For more extensive re-shaping - with waxing, lasers, electrolysis or threading - consult a professional and plan on regular repeat visits to maintain the look.

The best tweezers are slant-edged, with a slightly textured, rough point that grasps the hair easily. You shouldn't have to yank to pull the hair. For more control, some styles come with scissor-like handles. Plan on replacing tweezers every 2-3 years when they get dull and lose their grip. Some manufacturers will even re-sharpen your tweezers for free if you mail them to the company.

Keep your tweezers clean. Dip a q-tip in a little antiseptic or alcohol and swab over the area before and after tweezing. Best time to tweeze: at night, after thoroughly cleansing your face, before bedtime. This allows any redness or puffiness to go down before your morning makeup.


Color

Always choose a brow color that matches or flatters your haircolor and skin tone.

In general, I prefer light, natural-looking brows for day and stronger, more dramatic brows for evening. If you make a dramatic change in your haircolor, lighten or darken your brows accordingly. In general, you'll find more color choices in powder brow colors than in pencils. Experiment with a few shades to find your best look - perfectionists can even blend 1-2 colors together for a custom effect.

Sharpen pencils before every use for precise shaping. If you use powder formulas, wash the brush and air-dry after every 2-3 uses. The brush will drag, skip, and spill too much color if it's overloaded with powder.

  
Lighten Up!

Women of color often find that bleaching the brows to a warm chestnut shade creates needed contrast with their skin tone. Have your local salon do it or do it yourself at home with a good facial-hair bleaching kit.

Women who go from dark brown hair color to light blonde will also find that lightening their eyebrows will give them a more believable, 'born blonde' look.

My life has been dedicated to helping women feel good about themselves, by helping them to realize their vast potential for personal beauty. I have discovered that the Divas and the every day woman share common insecurities and passions; they all want to look and feel their best -- which can mean something different to each of them. Beauty is very personal, and contrary to the old line that it's "in the eye of the beholder," I have come to see through my experience that beauty also comes from the person projecting it.

To me, beauty is not just about the perfect hair-cut, make-up or nailpolish; it's about the full package. I can make just about any woman look absolutely stunning; but, if she doesn't feel beautiful, she won't be. Grace, confidence and personality play a big role in attractiveness