easy brightened eyes

I can't tell you how often I hear women say they want to play up their eyes with minimal products in a limited amount of time. To some this may sound unachievable but when armed with the proper products and setting aside a little extra time to practice beforehand, you'll be able to quickly pull off these tricks with relative ease in no time at all!

What you'll need:

• dark eyeliner in any form but liquid - gel, cake, powder, or pencil will all do the trick but make sure you have a lining brush for the first three mentioned


• a brightening wand such as Touche Eclat from YSL, SkinFlash from Dior, Skinlights from Revlon, etc.


• mascara


• optional: a shimmering white or cream colored eyeshadow

First, I will go over a technique called tightlining. This is one of the best makeup tricks of all time and will do miracles for your eyes. You'll be wondering how you made it so far in life without it.

Tightlining is a technique that has been used for ages in professional circles for TV and film because it defines the eyes without weighing them down or closing them in. The idea is to line not on the lid nor on the membrane (the wet part under the lashes next to the eye) but rather right in between the two - you are essentially lining on the roots of the lashes. I tell clients all the time that you'll know you're in the right place because your lashes will move around a lot while you do the application; if your lashes are stationary you're doing it wrong. For an even brighter look, try doing this with a dark cobalt blue shadow. Much like how a red lipstick with a blue toned base makes your teeth look whiter, a cobalt will brighten the whites of your eyes. My favorite is China Blue by NARS.

Here is a shot from a shoot I worked on. The model does have eyeshadow on as well, but you can see where I tightlined her upper lashes. In her case, I used Aqua Creamliner from Makeup Forever. (photo - Lavenda Memory)

How to do it:

• You'll want to close your eyes and relax them. You can not do this trick with your eyes scrunched closed.


• Gently pull up on your eyelid. This not only exposes and opens the lash line where you want to apply your products but also tightens the skin making it easier to deposit your color.


• If using a pencil, make sure it is nice and sharp. Starting at the outer corner, draw on your eyelashes in feathering strokes, back and forth like you're sketching. Don't try to draw a single, continuous line; use short strokes and allow a line to naturally build. Work from the outer corner towards the inner eye and gradually use less pressure to ensure that the line tapers away softly.


• If using a brush, you can apply a cake, gel, or even powder. When working with powder, simply spritz your brush with a little water, wipe off any excess moisture, and dip into the powder, tapping off the excess if necessary.


• As before, close your eyes and relax them. Gently pull up on the eyelid. Place the brush on the outer corner at the lash line and wiggle it horizontally to place the product - please note, as you wiggle the brush, it should be stationary; you are not moving or blending, you are firmly setting the liner in place. Lift up, move in closer towards the center and repeat. Do this all the way across until you get to the inner eye. Unlike the pencil, you won't have to vary the pressure because you'll be depositing less and less product as you move across your eye.

Open your eyes and compare the lined eye to the other. You will not look like you are wearing eyeliner but you will notice that the lined eye looks brighter and more defined and your lashes look thicker and darker.

To finish off your eyes, take your brightening wand and apply a stripe on the brow bone following the shape of your eyebrow. Concentrate the most product at the arch of your eyebrow. Don't wipe to blend it; I like to take my finger and tap it out until it disappears into the skin. You may also use your brightening wand under the eyes to brighten any dark circles or on the lid to even out any skintone issues such as visible veins or discolored skin.

Give yourself a few coats of mascara and you are done! As another option, you may add in a shimmering white or creamy colored shadow appropriate for your skintone (even a peachy or pinky shade can be nice). With a small brush (or even your finger!), place a dot of shadow on the inner corner of your eye and tear duct area as well as a dot under the arch of the brow. This will add a soft touch that will reflect and glow when caught in the light.

There you have it - Fast, defined, and brightened! Good luck and happy makeup!!

Amy Gillespie, makeup artist, makeup tricks, makeup tips, eyeshadow, beauty, Portland, Oregon

Be a Fan