Thank you so much for the lovely messages about my last 5 Do’s and Don’ts. It means so much to me to know that people are reading my blog and actually enjoying it and finding it useful!

With that in mind, here comes the next in the series. It was difficult to keep these limited to groups of five but if there’s something I don’t cover that you would like to know, please do leave a comment and I promise I’ll get back to you!

The Don’ts

#1 Do NOT use tape to give you a guide for winged liner. Even if you remove a lot of the tackiness from it by sticking it to your clothing, you are still adding chemicals to your face with whatever glue substance is left. Plus, the skin around our eyes is so thin and delicate, you don’t want to pull or tug at it, so yanking a piece of tape off? No, no, no!

#2 Do NOT go straight in with a dark eyeshadow. It will be too hard to blend and if you decide to add something lighter or with a slight shimmer later on in your look, they will all become muddy. Not a good look girlfriends. (I know I can’t get away with saying that in real life.)

#3 Do NOT neglect your brows. The difference well maintained brows make to the face is surreal. Keep them in good shape and fill them in with a shade that matches your natural hair colour. Black brows and bleach blonde hair…really?! Define with a brow pencil or pomade and fill in with a powder. Also be aware of where your brows should begin and end. Use the old make up Brush trick. Line the end of your make up brush with the side of your nose and point it straight up. This is where your brow should begin. Place it back at the side of the nose and angle it towards the outer corner of your eye. This is where the tail of your brow should be. Back to the nose and angle the brush toward the outer part of your pupil, boom, there’s your arch. Read about my HD Brow Experience with LKS Makeup by clicking here.

#4 Do NOT go mad with the eyeliner. I am only now just getting the hang of the darn thing. Many moons ago, when I hadn’t a clue what I was doing, and I decided a gel liner was the best way to go, I sometimes would have ended up with as much liner as shadow. And flicks? Flip me! Disaster! Your liner should be a thin line that sticks close to the Lashes and your flick should be an extension of your lower lash line, to get the angle right. I would suggest starting off with shadows and an angled liner brush. Get comfortable with that before moving on to gels or liquids. 

#5 Do NOT wiggle your mascara wand along the length of your lashes. All you’ll get are spider leg lashes and it will be noticed! That wiggly motion is to add volume to the roots of the lashes only which, in turn, makes your lashes seem thicker. For the length of your lashes, just comb the brush through. That way you’re getting the best of both worlds.

The Do’s

#1 DO know your eye shape and learn how to apply eyeshadow to enhance your eyes. Product placement is so important and especially when it comes to shadow. Smashbox have some great tutorials and articles online to help you identify your eye shape and how to make the most of it. For example, if you have a hooded lid, you should ‘fake’ your crease a little higher by blending your transition and crease shades above your natural socket line. This will give the illusion of a larger eye area.

#2 DO use a transition shade. This is a shadow that is applied to the crease, typically using a Fluffy Brush, and blended back and forth, in a windshield wiper motion, just above the crease to give a soft edge to your overall look. It shouldn’t be a bright, harsh or deep colour. Aim for something that’s matte and a shade or two darker than your skin tone to begin with. It will really add a professional touch to your eye make up and give that gradient effect that we are striving for.

#3 DO use an eyeshadow primer. You can use a thin layer of concealer in place of a primer but beware…this is more likely to crease if you don’t use something with a thin formula! The purpose of an eyeshadow primer is to neutralise the natural pigment in your eyelid and to allow the true colour of your shadows to show through. It should also prevent your shadows from creasing and prolong wear time. Urban Decay Primer Potion is a cult classic, as well as Mac Paint Pots in Soft Ochre and Painterly. I also quite like the NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skin Tone. 

#4 DO use a spritz of water or Mac’s Fix Plus to intensify shimmer and metallic shadows. I recommend applying the shadow to a flat brush, spraying directly into the brush and then patting the shade into the centre of the lid for a spotlight eye, to the inner corner to highlight or all over the lid for a glamourous, glitzy look. 

#5 DO use the right brush for the job. Whilst a fluffy brush is great for blending, a flat brush is great for packing on colour and a pencil brush is great for work under the eye, using these for other jobs might just ruin your masterpiece! To put it simply, firmer brushes will build colour intensity quickly and softer brushes will add pigment gradually. 

BONUS JONUS #6 DO blend, blend, blend! Keep a clean fluffy brush on hand to buff over transitions, gradients from one shade into the next and to make sure there are no harsh lines, anywhere!

There are so many more tips and tricks that I could have shared so I just had to sneak a wee extra one in at the end!

If you have any do’s and don’ts to share go ahead and leave them in the comments below. It makes me so happy when I hear a ding on my phone to say someone has commented on my blog and it’s also great to learn from one another!

Thanks for stopping by!

J x 

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