When you’ve got a big night out on the cards, it’s likely you’ll go immediately into planning mode. Your party preparation list will probably read something like this: go shopping for new outfit, buy new shoes, find matching bag and pick out jewellery pieces, decide on a hairstyle, get a manicure. Nowhere on that list does it mention make-up. You come to get ready and you find yourself staring into the mirror, wishing desperately that you’d practised doing your make-up differently. Oh well, you’ll just have to do it the same as every day and hope no-one notices.
Not any more – here are five eye make-up ideas for you to experiment with to leave you looking and feeling super-hot on your next night out.
Bright eyed and bushy tailed
Did you know that using white make-up around your eyes can make them appear clearer, brighter and bigger? Invest in a white eye pencil (silver also works well) and highlight the inner corner of each eye. Sweep a shimmery white eye shadow over your lids and use a clear mascara to better define your lashes. This make-up tip looks stunning when teamed with your favourite LBD and it’s an excuse to rock the monochrome look for a bit longer.
Smoky under eye
We’ve all heard of the smoky eye – it’s the make-up trick made famous by the likes of Cheryl Cole and for years, it’s been the ultimate failsafe. Hot off the catwalks however is the brand new smoky under eye. To achieve this look, create your usual smoky eye using a blend of grey and black eye shadow and smudged black eyeliner. Extend the shadow over the corners of each eye and continue to blend right underneath your eyelid – be careful not to apply too much underneath your eye – it should just be a fine dusting to avoid the black eyed panda look. Finish the look with lashings of black mascara to add volume and lengthen lashes. (Missguided models show off this look in their Lavish Gets Lethal shoot)
Feline flicks
The sexy feline look will never go out of fashion. To recreate it for yourself, you’ll need a steady hand. You can practise it first with eye shadow before attempting the real thing. To make it easier for yourself and to get the flicks at even angles on both eyes, use your eyeliner to dot along your lid. Join up the dots for a smooth line and using the edge of your eyebrow as a guide, draw a flick upwards. For a more dramatic look, combine this eye make-up idea with a fierce red pout. (Instyle shows us how to do it in this video.)
Glitter bomb
Get in the party mood with pots of eye glitter. Sometimes a girl just needs a bit of sparkle in her life and this is the prefect low-cost way to do it. Choose your shade of glitter first – perhaps a ruby red or sparkling sapphire to rock this season’s on-trend colours. Next, sweep a complementary shade of eye shadow over each lid and dab primer over the top – this will act as a base for the glitter to stick to. Take an eye shadow brush, dip in in the glitter and shake off the excess. Then simply dab onto each eye. It’s up to you whether you coat the entire lid in glitter or simply use it to adorn each corner. Finish with a coat of mascara. Keep the rest of your make-up fairly natural to ensure that your eyes do all the talking (it’s something Jason Wu employed recently).
Dewy eyed
The key to this look is to make eyes look as natural and as healthy as possible. It’s sort of a minimal fuss make-up idea that is ideal if you’re less than practised with eye make-up. To start, blend a natural looking shadow over your lid – fair skinned ladies can use a rose shade while dark skinned beauties can use a tan shade. Then simply smudge a little lip balm over your lids to create a glossy surface. Line the inner rim of your lower lid with soft brown eyeliner and finish with a coat of clear mascara. Keep the rest of your make-up base flawless with the help of a little concealer and light dusting of foundation. This make-up looks complements a sparkly dress perfectly as it gives the dress all of the attention.
Which eye make-up look will you choose for your next big night out?