Applying Eye Make-up and Shadow
The world of eye shadows available today can be quite
overwhelming. From shimmers to matte and brights to neutrals. Eye
shadows are available in just about every color under the sun. If you
are like most women, you are probably wondering what colors will best
accentuate your eye color and which eye shadows to stay away from.
Remember that eye shadow should always coordinate with your eye color
not your outfit color - this is not a fashion trend, but a beauty basic
every woman should know.
Take the guess work (and stress) out
of choosing the right eye shadow colors by purchasing an eye shadow set
that is meant for your specific eye color. See the perfect eye shadow
collection for blue eyes, brown eyes and green eyes.
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Other 50's era female TV stars included Barbara
Billingsley, who played Beaver's mother June
Cleaver. June's makeup was subtle: what you notice
is the seeming clarity of her skin and eyes.
Again, no shadow was in evidence: as a married
housewife, June didn't have the lifestyle for
shaded lids.
Makeup in the 60's, like fashion and lots of
other things, went wild. If you've seen Love,
American Style, or Laugh-In, you've also seen
mile-high beehives, minuscule skirts, and piles of
bright shadows (often in blue and green), thick
mascara and false, furry eyelashes (often worn by
the same woman at the same time), and eyebrows
that ranged from dense and black to virtually
non-existent. The 60's were about the time when
mascara started becoming higher in quality. Women
wanted gigantic eyes, and makeup that wouldn't
run. They were sick of gluing on false lashes
which could fall off into the soup when you least
expected it. Mascara responded by becoming more
user-friendly.
After the 60's, 70's styles seemed downright tame,
but looking back from 2004, the 70's still look
pretty freakish. Skirts were still tiny, and
short-shorts and bikinis made the summertime
scene. Polyester made leisure suits a weird part
of the masculine wardrobe, and men who weren't
even pimps wore gold chains and pinky rings. In
makeup, glitter became part of daytime looks,
shimmering in slippery lip gloss, sparkling in eye
shadows and glimmering up foundations. James Bond
movies spanned the 60's and 70's, giving us a
timeless look at bizarre fashions and makeup that
could be put on with a trowel.
The eighties styles were silk blouses and big shoulder
pads, and eye makeup became an important part of
the career woman's wardrobe. Maybe because women
were trying harder than ever before to smash
through the recently-identified glass ceiling,
makeup was assertive, almost mask-like. Big
jewelry, thick hoop earrings and gold projected
the dress-for-success look in the Me-decade. Lined
and lipsticked mouths and shadowed, mascaraed eyes
competed for attention in faces gessoed smooth
with thick foundations. Eyebrows tended to be more
real and well-groomed rather than yanked out and
drawn on, in keeping with the overall bolder, more
"masculine"(natural) look.
Since the nineties, a wide range of looks have
become acceptable, perhaps because with the aging
of the general population, more women have found
the style they'll be staying with for the rest of
their lives. Let's face it, at some point, we all
choose a look and pretty much stick with it, and
women who were in their thirties and forties in
the 80's predominate in the population, while
younger women experiment with lighter makeup, more
casual hairstyles and the smaller trends that wash
across the seasons in little waves.
If you look at modern-day stars like Isabella
Rossilini, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts and Julianne
Moore, you'll notice that, while makeup enhances
their natural looks, it never takes center stage.
Lipsticks are a slightly stronger expression of
natural lip colors, foundations are muted, and eye
makeup draw attention not to itself, but to the
eyes. It's not that these women don't wear
makeup--they do--it's that the makeup is applied
with perfect restraint (and then thoroughly
airbrushed, but that’s another story).
If you want to be current with your own eye
makeup, spend a lot of time figuring out which
colors play up the color and shape of your eyes.
Don't fall for trendy colors: you'll just have to
buy new ones in a couple of months, and they won't
look that great on you anyway. Check out neutral
tones in beige, brown and grey, with slightly
darker colors for evening. Experiment with
mascara, but keep in mind that, contrary to what
the ads say, longer and thicker lashes are not
necessarily always better-looking. Cows have long,
thick lashes too. You want enough lashes to
outline your eyes, but not so much that no-one can
look away from them.
Eyebrows should be as natural as possible while
observing a certain restraint in terms of
thickness. If your brows are very pale, you might
try a brow pencil, but go gently with it, and get
opinions from real and honest friends before
taking your new look outside.
As trends have taken us from one extreme to
another, finding your own look keeps you from
making fashion mistakes that will haunt you in
photographs for years to come. With the medical
and cosmetics industries coming up with more and
more sophisticated formulas, it's a good idea to
check out new products that contain sunscreens, hypoallergenic properties and herbal or
cosmeceutical ingredients shown to decrease lines,
prevent skin cancer or soothe sensitive skin.
Obviously, you aren't going to buy into every
fashion fairy tale: decades ago, women were using
hormones extracted from animals as anti-aging
moisturizers. But when you do find something that
works for you, you can dance for joy and bless the
fashion goddesses for bringing you clearer skin,
fewer wrinkles or non-greasy protection from UV
rays. With recent advances in skin care, just
imagine what the next decade will bring!
