Cover and brighten dark circles
Instead of using a flat concealer that matches your skin tone perfectly, use a brightening one with pink or peach undertones that counteract the green and blue dark circles under your eyes, says Hannah Baylog, lead makeup artist trainer with Blushington makeup and beauty lounge in Dallas. Just don’t be fooled into thinking that going lighter than your natural skin tone will brighten that area. “A lot of people think they need a lighter concealer to cover up the dark circle, and it ends up looking a little gray or too white, or just like there’s makeup under the eye,” says Baylog. Don't miss these other makeup mistakes that make you look sloppy.
Stick with light colors on your lids
“If you have smaller eyes and your goal is to make them look bigger, avoid using dark tones—specifically cool dark tones,” says Jessica Mae, founder, creative director, and makeup artist of WarPaint International Beauty Agency. Those dark colors will close off the lids, but lighter ones will brighten your eyes and make them look bigger. Stick with pink and peach tones instead of yellows, grays, and whites, which tend to look muddy or ashy, says Baylog. Check out these makeup tips that make you look even better in photographs.
Open your crease
Lightly sweeping eyeshadow in and above the crease will make your eyes look more open. Keep your eyes open to hit the right spots, and use a peachy brown instead of anything ashy-toned. “The warmer the better,” says Baylog.
Focus on lining the outer corners
Keep darker liner over the lashes rather than in your waterline, which you want to brighten, not darken. Stop about three-quarters of the way to your inner corner instead of covering the entire lash line. “Carrying it all the way over can look harsher and take away the light from the eyes,” says Mae. “It’s swallowing the light." Use a cotton swab to blend the color so it isn’t’ such a harsh line, she says. Here are
Use lighter liner shades
While black eyeliner can work on dark skin tones, the contrast is harsh on fair-skinned women, making the eyes look heavy and enclosed, says Baylog. Go for a softer color instead to keep the eyes from looking smaller. “Something about brown or even navy blue is going to go with the eye color more and enhance a little more,” she says. Here are more sneaky ways you're putting on makeup wrong.
Choose the right mascara
If your goal is big and bright eyes, a volumizing mascara formula is the way to go. “It helps keep those lashes up and curled, and nice and wide and open throughout the day,” says Mae. Here are more tricks to make your makeup last all day
Change your eyebrow technique
Brush your eyebrows up and over to give them a lift, then highlight the outer corner of your eyes by focusing on the arches of your eyebrows, rather than the fronts. Fill brows in starting at the top of the arch and going down to the outer ends, without going past the corner of your eye. “That can close the eye off, and it starts to look unnatural too,” says Baylog. “You want to leave that lifted, open, drawn-up kind of look.” Don't miss these other tips for perfect eyebrows.
