I am always overwhelmed by the number of women who ask me how to do the very basics of make-up application. So I decided that I would start to put together a online manual, working as simply as possible through the processes of make-up application starting at the beginning and working our way through to the more complicated business of individual eyelash application and oscar-worthy hairstyles, to name just a few projects.
This is my friend Leslie, Parisian, beautiful and make-up free. I am a firm believer in keeping make-up simple on a daily basis using no fuss techniques and minimal products to enhance your look, certainly not to overwhelm. However, I am the advocate of quite the opposite on a night out or special occasion, where in my book, anything goes!
My first rule is if the make-up you have applied does not enhance your natural beauty, you are doing it wrong!
A very simple slick of top eyeliner is one of the easiest ways to polish your look with minimal effort.
In doing this you will create the illusion of thicker more elongated lashes with one flick of a brush. Brilliant. Here is what you are going to need.
I have always found gel or cream eyeliners the easiest to use, if you make a mistake this type of product is the most forgiving and is easily able to be blended back into shape. This MAC one is my favourite but with so many options available these are great too, Stila, Bobbi Brown and if you would prefer a drugstore brand this is just as effective.
The biggest mistake most people make when applying their eye make-up is staring into a bathroom or vanity mirror straight on, this makes it nearly impossible to achieve anything but a messy uneven line. Hold a compact mirror beneath your chin and about two inches away from your face and look down into it. This means you are working on an eyelid that is almost closed and not blinking about all over the place. This also eliminates the need for you to pull your eyelids about with your fingers, a terrible thing to do with the most delicate skin on your face.
Then using the thinest, pointiest eyeliner brush possible, with the tip dipped lightly in your gel. Place the point with the product as close as you can into the inner corner of your eye. Use your eyelash roots as your guide and as a rest for your brush and pull the product across your lash line in one clean sweep. Then if you are feeling brave open your eye up a little, look head on into your mirror and fill in as close to your inner corner as possible. Voila, you should have a very neat eyeline. If you would like something a little more dramatic use the line you just drew as a guide and build up another layer. The better you get at this the more experimental you will feel like being, I will show you how to do the "flicks" in a future tutorial where we will be looking at vintage inspired hair and make-up.
You don't have to purchase really expensive make-up branded brushes to achieve this look.
One of my guilty pleasures is to go to my local art suppliers and pick out a ton of new tools. Of the two brushes above, the blue one, which has been used endlessly, is not only made out of the exact same hair as the other one but was a total snip at about £1.99 ($3.00). At that kind of price you can afford to experiment with different sizes and shapes and work out what is best for you, without compromising one bit on quality.
If you didn't get your eyeliner right first time don't worry just add a little depth and a little more drama by blending a tiny smudge of dark eyeshadow such as this along the line, which will eradicate any imperfections, a sweep of mascara and your good to go. Very simple eyeliner, vey big difference.
We had such fun doing this tutorial, I hope you guys have fun experimenting with your eyeliner, and of course you don't have to stick to classic black!
Don't forget to follow us on twitter @56toRivington and tell us what you think!
(All the images were shot by my talented friend Kye Corfield who I would like to thank, along with my gorgeous friend Leslie)
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