How to Properly Apply Eye Cosmetics

If you're anything like me, you love cosmetics...especially eye make-up! But you may not know how to use it. Nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone learns at their own pace, and now that you're ready to try flirting up your eyes, I'm here to guide you through the process. Through trial and error, I have come across a method that may be very easy for cosmetic beginners to begin applying their eye shadow. It's time to not be afraid anymore and to be brave...a new you awaits!

The first thing you must do is purchase a good quality eye shadow. If you're on a budget, CoverGirl has some great quality eye shadows at reasonable prices. What you're looking for is colors that will look good on your skin color. Think of your wardrobe and your color preferences. What colors do you get most compliments in? Look for these colors. But when searching for the perfect eye shadow, make sure that the eye shadow has at least three colors in it. Usually, if they come in a case of three, the colors range from lightest to darkest. This is the kind of color palette we need.

When you're done with that, choose a mascara in a black/brown color, as well as a good eyeliner. I suggest you choose the eyeliner called Unstoppable from Maybelline. That stuff goes on smooth and lasts a very long time.

Also, make sure to pick up some make up remover and cotton swabs to fix any mistakes that may be caused as you do your make up. Also, don't forget to get a few extra eye shadow brushes so you won't mix and match colors on the same brush.

Now you're ready to begin your eye's beautifying routine.

Begin with the lightest color first. Cover the whole eyelid all the way to the eyebrow with the lightest color. This is going to be known as the highlighter. Then, the medium color in your palette is going to be used next. This color you apply only on your eyelid, and nowhere else. Try to lightly blend the eye shadow with the eye shadow brush so that it doesn't look too harsh at all against your skin. But remember, keep it in the eyelid area, don't extend anywhere close to the eyebrows. Now you're ready to use the dark color. Keep in mind that using the dark color could prove to be very tricky because too much could cause a facial mess. You don't want to look like you're vamping it up for Halloween or anything of the sort.

Apply a small amount of the darker eye shadow on the eye shadow brush. Only apply the darker color on one half of the eyelid, but not near your nose. You want to apply the darker eye shadow near your outer eyelid and wing it out a little. By winging it out, that means extending the eye shadow a tiny bit away from the corner of your eye, in an upward motion. This is a little daring, but makes for a beautiful effect if you're brave enough to try it!

Make sure that when you apply each color layer, blend well so that no hard lines will show. The effect you're trying to go for is a seamless, beautiful, and blended effect which works well for all coordinating color palettes.

Check the eyes shadow in a mirror after you're done to make sure both eyes are even. Now when both eyes are evenly colored, it's time to apply the eyeliner. If you have wide, big eyes, the idea is to use the eyeliner on both the top and bottom lash lines. If your eyes are smaller, you're going to only apply the eyeliner on your top lash line. If you've never applied eyeliner before, it's not too hard. With your eyeliner, make five tiny dots across your upper lash line. Make sure they are evenly spaced out across your lash line. For example, two dots should be at the corner of your eye, one dot in the middle of your lash line, and two dots beside that middle dot. Now, connect the dots, one at a time. You should have a pretty good line right beside your lash line. Now, if you're lining the bottom, it's a little tricky. You have to pull a little on the skin below your lower lash line and bring out the inner rim of your eye a little. With tiny strokes, color in the rim of your eye, right above you bottom lashes. You may be a little afraid to do this, I understand. But with practice, you'll get to do it to perfection to the point where one day you won't even need a mirror!

I'm sure that the make-up remover and cotton swabs has come in handy by this time if you're been practicing! Now, the mascara is pretty easy to apply. It's almost self explanatory. The key to mascara is to only apply it at the tips of your lashes to avoid clumps and globs from forming. You don't want to end up with what is known as spider eyes...where the lashes are pretty much too thick from having so much mascara applied to them.

Now you're ready to leave the house and parade around in your beautiful eyes. Enjoy the compliments, and congratulations on a job well done!