Hi dears!
Many women who wear eyeliner draw it on and leave it there, and it looks just like what it is: a line drawn on the upper or lower eyelid. The point of eyeliner is to enhance your eyes and make them more visible, not to frame them in a hard outline. Please, please take the time to apply eyeliner so that it follows the shape of your eyes, and blend, for the love of all that is holy, BLEND!
Black eyeliner is dramatic, but it is also quite harsh. Miss Sarah Jessica Parker is the Patron Saint of Harsh Black Eyeliner. The Lord only knows why, but SJP has been devoted to this eye-tinyfying make-up technique forever, and even though legions of fans pray daily for her conversion, she has yet to be delivered from her spiritual bondage to harsh black eyeliner. LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER:
Navy or dark purple/aubergine eyeliners are much better bets for most women (especially those of us over 35), and of course brown is another fine option (I generally avoid it, as it doesn’t add any oomph. My eyes are brown. I don’t like matchy-matchy — I like a color that brings out the violet specks in my own brown eyes).
And don’t forget grey and greige! (grey/beige)!! Grey eyeshadow and liner are work wonderfully well for many different skin and eye colors — but finding the right shade of grey (not Fifty Shades, though) can be a challenge. I am always on the look-out for good grey/greige products that are pigmented enough to show up on my skin, and that don’t have blue undertones, a common problem with grey cosmetics.
Voila! May I recommend to you Stila eyeshadow in Grace, gorgeous greige (I didn’t make up that word, you know),
and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On eyeliner pencil in Desperation,
Both are cruelty-free brands, PeaceBang tested and approved! The eyeshadow shows up beautifully over foundation or primer (it goes on as a very low-key neutral on my pink/white skin without primer), and the eye pencil is very smudgeable and very pigmented (yay!). I use it well-blended on my lower lid and on my upper lid, smudged very close to the lash line. If I want a bit more drama I will add a cat’s eye flick of black or navy liquid liner to the ends of my eyes for better definition and staying power.
Enjoy!
Preach it!
Black is very harsh for most women, especially those with smaller eyes. I’ve been partial to a very ‘clean’ eye lately: ‘nude’ cream shadow, with a medium-line cat eye liner- in forest green, navy,graphite, or aubergine. Two coats of great black mascara, and you’re done!
Oo, another reason to visit our new Ulta! I’m almost 50, and only recently discovered that there really is a big difference between the drugstore makeup brands that I’ve always used and the higher-end products. The $7 lipstick that I would usually use doesn’t have the color, the staying power, the feel that the $22 version I just bought does. The $7 version lasted about 20 minutes if I was lucky. I found a foundation (pure minerals) that doesn’t feel like I’ve spackled my face. I found eyeshadow that doesn’t wind up in the crease of my eyes within a couple of hours.
You mention cruelty-free, here’s another issue: I started trying the higher end when my teen daughter shared an article about all the chemicals that are in cosmetics, and how many of them are not regulated, or have known problems. We discovered an app that’s very helpful: EWG’s Skin Deep. You type in a product, and it gives a rating from 1-6 of how much potentially harmful chemicals are included. Very helpful. I still use some that aren’t rated so hot, but it’s great to have an idea of what is in the stuff that I put all over my skin most days.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful, fun, important, so-very-helpful blog!!
Blue undertones aren’t a bug, they’re a feature for those of us who tend to look sallow in yellower grays and taupes. Call ’em out when you see ’em! [What? Oh, you mean recommend them? Okay, I’ll try to remember to do that! – PB]