Holiday Makeup Look #3: Silver Smokey Eye w/ Neutral Lips & w/ Strong Lips

 

Holiday Makeup Look #3

Silver Smokey Eye w/ Neutral Lips & w/ Strong Lips

I wanted to do a smokey eye, but in a holiday kinda way. In other words, traditional smokey wouldn't cut it! I thought it would be nice, too, to show a version with neutral lips and then a more amped-up version for the more dramatic of us. The second version has a strong lip color, too. These looks use only a few products, which is a bonus!

Neutral Lip Version

Goodness. I look tired! Here's the breakdown...

Eyes

1. Prep eye with primer of your choice.
   Product suggestion: Urban Decay Primer Potion or MAC's Paint Pots in a skintone shade.
2. Press a silver shadow all over the lid, crease, and nearly up to the brow.
   The other day we did a more subdued silver look, which we achieved by sweeping on the color. This time, press it onto the lid for a concentrated application of color, then sweep back and forth above the crease so the shade fades away and eventually blends into the skin color.
   Brush suggestion: a flat eyeshadow brush.
   Product suggestion: Bobbi Brown's Silver Chrome or MAC's Silver pigment.
3. Darken the outer 1/3 of the lid and crease with a matte black shadow.
   I use the brush in a circular motion, which places color and softens it without having it move all over the place!
   Brush suggestion: I used a fluffy crease brush from MAC.
   Product suggestion: I love MAC's Carbon, but this was actually a L'Oreal HIP shadow that came in a duo. I really like it!
4. Use the brush from Step 3 to blend in a circular motion until there are no hard edges on the outside of the eye, and make sure the black gradually blends into the silver.
   Wipe the brush a bit on a tissue if you need to get excess black pigment off of it.
5. If you need to, go back with the flat brush and pat some more silver onto the inner portion of the lid so it's intense.
   
6. Pick up a bit of silver shadow and apply it to the inner corner and the lower lashline.
7. Pick up a bit of the black shadow and apply it to the outer 1/3 of the lower lashline, blending it into the silver.
8. Use a black cream or gel liner to line the top lid.
   Make the liner strong enough that you can see it when your eye is open.
   Product suggestion: MAC's Blacktrack Fluidline or Bobbi Brown's black gel liner.
   Brush suggestion: Bobbi Brown's eye liner brush is the best I've tried.
9. Use either concealer or a matte shadow shade slightly lighter than your skintone to highlight under the brows.
10. Fill in brows.
    Product suggestion: I used Chanel's Perfect Brows compact.
    
11. Apply mascara primer then mascara.
    Product suggestion: I used Diorshow.

 
 

Lips

1. Apply a nude gloss or lipstick.
   I used MAC's Runway Fave.

Face

1. Apply undereye concealer.
   Product suggestion: Bobbi Brown's Corrector.
2. Apply foundation.
   Product suggestion: Armani LSF.
3. Apply concealer to any spots not covered by the foundation.
4. Apply a barely-there blush.
   Product suggestion: I used MAC Tenderling.

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Strong Lip Version

 

Eyes

Follow the steps above with a few changes:

1. I used more black on the outside of the upper lid, crease.
2. I made the eyeliner thicker on the top lash, and flicked it up a bit on the outer corner.
3. I used the same liner to fill-in the top and bottom waterlines.
4. I put more black and silver on the bottom lashline.

 

 

Lips

1. I used a fuchsia lipgloss instead of a nude.
   Product suggestion: I used MAC Hothouse. This would work with any cool-toned strong lip: fuchsia, red, burgundy, wine, hot pink, berry.

 

Face

1. I added a bright pink blush, applied with a fluffy brush so as not to be too dark.
   Product: I used MAC Sweetness blush.
   
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Here's how the looks compare:

See how a few extra steps or one or two different color choices can completely change a look!?

PS: I won't do any more silver-centric Holiday looks this year.
I promise!