How to Make Your Eyes Pop!

The best and easiest way to brighten up your entire face is by adding a little bit of eye makeup. The trick is knowing how to do it right.

First, on clean, make-up free eyes, use a light moisturizer or eye cream. The benefits of using a eye-specific cream include reduced puffiness and dark circles. This will help you look instantly more awake. Next, take a concealer that matches or is slightly (very slightly!) lighter than your skin color. First apply it to the inner corners of your eyes. Then, to disguise puffiness, apply it not right underneath, but down a bit further (around cheekbone area), which is the area where the skin tends to be dark and puffy. Finally apply the concealer to your eyelids - this will make for a nice base for eyeshadow or eyeliner. After I'm done with concealer, I like to brush a little powder over the entire area to "set" the concealer.

Next is the single most important step to really wake up your eyes - curling your eyelashes. Many women (including myself) like to use a blowdryer on low on their metal eyelash curler for a few seconds - don't let it get to hot or you can burn your eyelids, and that really hurts! Squeeze the lash curler at the bash of your lashes for two seconds, in the middle for two seconds and finally at the ends for two seconds - to make sure the curl looks natural.

Then, you apply your shadow or liner. I like to take a wet eyeliner brush and dip it into my shadows to line my eyes. Since my eyes are dark brown, I often use a blue jewel tone or a purple jewel tone. Blue eyes tend to look great with brown or gold. Get right along the lash line, and be sure to use plently of color to make your eyes stand out. If your eyes are small, you may want to skip lining the bottom, as it can make eyes look smaller. Bigger eyes can usually handle having the bottoms lined too.

If you have a light shimmery shadow, such as beige, white, silver, or even gold, then applying a little bit to the inner corners of the eyes can help to brighten them quite a bit.

Finally apply your mascara. I usually take a tissue and pat the mascara brush off a little bit first to prevent clumps. Let lashes dry for a minute, then apply a second coat. More than two coats can look clumpy, so stick to just one or two. If you have any smudges, wipe them with a damp q-tip. And smile - you are done!