Cotton Candy Lids

Missed the county fair last time it was in town? I did. No corn dogs, no cute petting zoo, no roller coasters, no tilt-a-whirl, and no beautiful, pastel toned cotton candy. While there’s not much I can do about it until next year, I am cheering myself up with this lovely little cotton candy inspired eye tutorial. I decided to use a sparkly theme for this, but you can choose matte tones if you’re fonder of those. To join me, you’ll need:

Eye lid primer (Nars Smudge Proof Eye shadow base)

Turquoise Eye Shadow (L’Oreal Bright Shadow Duos in Showy, lighter shade)

Magenta Eye Shadow (L’Oreal Bright Shadow Duos in Reckless, lighter shade)

Light pink Eye Shadow (NYX Trio Eye Shadow in Cherry/Cool Blue/Hot Pink)

Baby blue Eye Shadow (Ditto)

Indigo Eye Shadow (Instant Beauty Loose Powder in Screaming Purple)

Black gel liner (Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Blackest Black)

Lavender pencil liner (YSL Pencil liner in Purple Silk)

Black pencil liner (YSL Waterproof pencil liner in Velvet Black)

White Eye Shadow (Estee Lauder eye shadow in Tranquil Moon)

For the tools, you’ll want either sponge-tip applicators or whichever brush is more comfortable for you to apply an even wash of color. You’ll also want a couple of angled brushes. Don’t forget to include your favorite mascara (YSL Singulier Waterproof in Vibrant Black!) 

Step 1-

Totally optional, but I love how purples and lavenders look with green eyes, so I threw my contacts on!

Step 2-

Prime your lids only! You’ll want the most vibrant color here.

Step 3-

Apply turquoise eye shadow to the inner half of your eye. Try to make it even and don’t be afraid to deposit a lot of color. You want this to be bold. It’s okay if the color fades a little bit towards the middle, though.

Step 4-

Fill in the other half of your lid with the magenta eye shadow. If the eye shadow base is too dry at this point, consider adding a little more. Otherwise, work through Steps 3 and 4 quickly! My suggestion is to prime and paint one eye at a time.

Step 5-

With your brush, lightly blend the line where the two colors meet. It should turn a lovely shade of purple. You’ll want to create a gradient effect.

Step 6-

Dab some of the light pink shadow along the area you painted magenta, in the crease. Make sure the two colors blend.

Step 7-

Do the same with the inner corner of the crease and the baby blue shadow. The final effect is to have the darker shades fading into the lighter ones.

Step 8-

  Line your bottom lids using the indigo shadow. If you’re using loose powder like me, you might want to add a little primer to avoid fall out. If not, just make sure to keep a steady hand and dab off excess product before you bring it to your eye.

Step 9-

Liner your top lids with black gel liner. Be careful to keep the liner relatively thin.

Step 10-

Extend the black liner outwards, in a cat-eye shape.

Step 11-

Use your lavender eyeliner to draw in a connection between the black liner and the indigo shadow. The soft texture of the pencil should allow you to create a gradient effect between the two colors.

Step 12-

Add a small dab of white shadow in the inner corners of your eyes and sweep it over your brow bone, above the pink and baby blue. This will bring the look together.

Step 13-

Wrap things up with a sweep of black pencil liner on your water line and mascara.

Enjoy!

Playful Pink Eye Look- From Day to Night

Whether you’re accustomed to using only neutrals or you regularly enjoy throwing some color into your make-up routine, sometimes it’s hard to come up with a bold look that works for daytime. We tend to shy away from using colors that are very bright, preferring to go about being unobtrusive and unnoticed.

I, however, like to throw a little bit of flavor into the mix. The key to using loud colors during the day is to keep them subtle, while not being afraid to fully indulge in their vibrancy. This look might be a little overwhelming for ladies working in a very conservative environment, but for those employed in less restrictive fields (or are still students!) it can be a fun change of pace. It also works wonderfully for any casual daytime activities, like hitting the mall or meeting some friends for lunch (And if you like it for daylight hours, read on for a way to upgrade it when the sun goes down.)

The tools we’ll be using for the basic look are:

Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion

YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking in Deep Black

Ulta Eye Shadow in Platinum

Marabella 24hr Semi-Permanent Eyeliner in Black

Yves Saint Laurent Eye Pencil in Velvet Black

Urban Decay Glide-on Eye Pencil in Woodstock

Step 1-

Prime your lids only, making sure to keep the lines nice and neat. Don’t forget that it’s best to prime one eye first, proceed to the next step, then come back for the second one. 

Step 2-

Fill in the primed area with a white eye shadow, making sure to not go past the crease.

Step 3-

Grab the hot pink eyeliner. Line the top lashes, making sure that the color is bright and evenly applied. You’ll want to keep this line relatively thick for later steps.

Now apply a matching line on the bottom lashes. 

Step 4-

Take the felt tip liner and make a very thin line over the one you just applied. Make sure that the black line is small enough that some of the pink is still visible behind it. 

Step 5-

Give your lashes a quick sweep of mascara.

Step 6-

Now use the black pencil liner to line your waterline and complete the look!

However… what say we take this look to the next level for nighttime? I personally love making my make-up more and more flamboyant the later it gets in the day and the following look is as loud and out there as it is cute. 

For the upgrade, we’ll be using the following tools:

Green contacts

NYX Eye shadow trio in Cherry/Cool Blue/Hot Pink

Ardell LashGrip Eyelash Adhesive

e.l.f. Dramatic Lash Kit

Physician’s Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner and Serum

Step 1-

This part is entirely optional, but as I wanted to give the look an extra pop of color and bring more attention to it, I decided to put in my contacts. 

Step 2-

Take a light pink color smooth it into your crease, extending it a little towards the brow bone. Follow the natural shape of the area, without adding a pointy edge.

Step 3-

Take the dark pinkish-red and apply it over the baby pink. Make sure that there’s a clear edge between the two colors.

Step 4-

Use a fluffy blending brush to wipe away the sharp edges and blend the two shades into a nice gradient.

Step 5-

To really take this look to the next level, apply a track of fake lashes to your upper eyelid. Just dab some lash glue onto your hand and dab the edge of the track through it. 

Give it a few seconds to become a bit sticky, then carefully press it onto your lids. 

You want it to as close as possible to your lashes, without actually sticking it onto them (unless you want to painfully remove your lashes when you peel these off later!)

Step 6-

Use the other pen liner to extend the black line with an upwards sweep. A liner like the Physician’s Formula one is excellent, as it’ll allow you to form the thin edge much more easily than the one from Marbella. However, if we’d used it before, the pink liner would have led to blockage on the tip.

Step 7-

This next step might be a little much for some, but I love going all out with my eyeliner! Just add three little dots under the line you just made for a cute, whimsical touch. You are now ready to go out and show off your fun and wild look! Enjoy!