So the holidays have long gone, I am glad.  For some reason, end of the year festivities always make me sad.  Just so much obligation to buy presents, go to church, see family, go on vacation, eat, drink, party…etc. It’s just too overwhelming for me for some reason.  At least during this time, I was able to host two parties…and try out a glamorous make-up look that is dramatic, and formal, but still fun and pretty.  I like it because the use of colour is minimal, it relies more on the shape and boldness of the eyeliner.

I was inspired by these photos I found on tumbler:

Notice how these two photos have bold black liner on top lid as the main focus?  For my holiday party look I combined the looks above…the heavily retro, overly dramatic eyes of the models and meshed it with the classic gorgeousness of the simple cat eye of Ana’s make up.  And this is what I got:

How I got my Dreamy Party Look:

1. Do your make-up foundation as usual.  If it is a fancy party, you can put on more foundation or concealer where you need it. Line your brows.
2. Pick a neutral eye shadow.  I find the more bold the liner, the more neutral the colour should be.  That keeps things elegant and not garish.  I used a gold pearly colour on my lids, but a nude with shimmer, or sparkle shadow would also work if you want a bit more glam.
3. THIS IS THE SECRET: line your top lid with black eye shadow with an angle brush.  Get the general shape you want.  At first you will see how the eye shadow doesn’t give you the graphic look you desire.  It gives you softness, a soft thick even line.  Now part two: get out your liquid liner/pen and trace along the edges of where you put your shadow for bold edges, kind of outlining the shape.  You will not be able to see where the black shadow line ends and where the liquid liner begins, I promise.
4. Add blush and fake lashes for extra oomph!

Notes: Why do two kinds of liner?  That is a good question. Liquid liner is a devil to wear on the lid.  It can be thick, crusty and just cakey and crackly if you wear it in large quantities.  As a little swipe on your lid to do a cat eye, just liquid is fine, but for thicker lines, the coverage is not as smooth as pencil or shadow lining.  So to get the best of both worlds: smooth colour and graphic edges, a lot of girls do this trick of just outlining the edges of shadow/pencil lines with liquid liner to give it shape and definition.  Give it a try today and see how it helps keep graphic eye make-up from being too heavy or harsh.

Tip:  I like to use a pen liner.  I get one with a pointy tip that makes nice fine lines and is dark and intense in colour.  Pen liners resemble markers, so it is like drawing on your skin and eyes.  But the control you get from the pen is so much more than what you get from liquid brushes…