If you missed part 1 of this amazing class, About Faces...shame on you! Lol...but you can read all about it in my previous blog post About Faces Makeup Class.
This past Sunday I had the pleasure of taking yet another class taught by the extremely talented Brittany Rogers. I really enjoy her classes because she is very personable and makes learning fun in an informal setting. And she always gives us little goodie boxes which is super sweet. This class was sponsored by Shades by Shay and we got two really pretty shadows that I can't wait to play in. So let's jump right into what we learned.
The first thing we went over was brow shaping. How to clean them up....meaning where the brow should begin...arch...then end, filling them in (using pencil and powder products), and then highlighting the brow-bone area. One awesome tip that she let us in on was using Ben Nye's banana powder after using concealer under the brows. This not only acts as a very nice and natural highlight but will keep your eyebrows...well the products...from running down your face on those hot summer days. (I'll be trying this out for sure.) She told us some of her favorite brow products and brushes to experiment with and find out what works best for us.
We then talked about eye shadow application brushes. Now, you use what works for you...but these are just the basics. You've got your regular eye shadow brush. They come in a variety of sizes for whatever amount of area you intend to cover. Usually the denser brushes pick up the most product to achieve a more vibrant color payoff. You then have your blending brushes or fluffy dome brush. These are intended to blend out the harsh lines after packing on your color with the eye shadow brush. Then there's the crease brush. This brush allows you to define your crease and/or concentrate the color in one specific area.
Now...let's talk about what I consider my everyday/wear to work eye and how to achieve it. I know it's easier to explain via video but as most of you know I am still on a YouTube hiatus (we will talk about that in a separate blog post) so you will have to use your imagination...or simply how you would apply eye shadow lol.
1. Prime eyes - this can be done with an eye shadow primer or whatever concealer or foundation you use. It's just something to help keep your shadow from creasing. My current favorite is the ELF Eye Lid Primer.
2. Base eyes - this is a product that is used to help make your shadows stick to your lids. Your choice of color depends on the color shadow you are using. My current favorite is the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil.
3. Pack on the shadow - pick up some shadow from the pan using your eye shadow brush and tap off the excess to prevent fall-out. Put the shadow all over your lid but try not to put this shadow above your crease.
4. Blend! - the edges of the lid color need to look like it's fading into your skin. Here you can use a transition color that is similar to your skin tone to blend out your lid color.
5. Define your crease - here is where you want to use your crease brush to make your eyes stand out. On the outer portion of your eye, use a darker shadow to deepen where your eye meets your brow-bone.
6. Line your eyes - with a liquid, gel, or pencil...line your top lash line and lower water line. For some added sultry-ness, smudge the liner on the lower lash line just a bit.
7. Mascara and/or lashes - no explanation needed lol
Smoky eyes anyone? This is one of my favorite looks. You don't have to just do a black smoky eye...smoke out a color for fun. Here's how Brittany taught us to do it. Follow steps 1-4 above. For step 4 if you're doing say a black smoky eye...use a mid-tone brown to blend out the edges of the black. Again, line your eyes...especially the bottom and here you definitely want to smudge shadow or liner on the lower lash line. Add your mascara and lashes and your red carpet ready! lol.
I'll keep all of you posted on the next class that Brittany has...you surely won't want to miss it! I hope you enjoyed my recap and now I'm off to try a colorful smoky eye...wish me luck!!!
