Makeup Look: Simple Glam

I have been known to dabble in makeup... actually, I love it. I love doing my own and doing other peoples as well. I do not claim to be an expert but over the years I think I have honed my skills and have become a pretty good makeup artist. Last week, my amiga America asked me to give her an emergency makeup tutorial because she will be going to the Marine Corps Ball with her boyfriend. Of course, I would have done her makeup for her but unfortunately (for her not me lol) I will be on a plane headed to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico so I am trying to give her the next best thing, a step by step guide on a simply sexy makeup look.

Whenever I do anyones makeup, I always consider their lifestyle and their daily makeup routine. I would hate for someone to look like a totally different person. Makeup should accentuate your features, not be a mask that covers them up. Well, America is a laid back SD girl who is a gorgeous natural beauty. Her daily makeup routine is pretty much just a little powder, some blush and some mascara so I'm gonna do this tutorial with that in mind and give her something quick and easy to do. For something formal, I always recommend using colors that best highlight a persons features and complexion rather than trying to "match" the dress. Here is the beautiful America:
OK so here we go. First, I start with a base on my eyes. I use Urban Decay Potion Primer but any base will do. Cheap Tip #1- You can use a little liquid foundation, anything that will help the shadow stick to your skin better.

Then pick a nice brown color. I used a bronzy color because it is a little more glam (Bronze by MAC) but a plain matte brown is good too. Apply the shadow all over the eyelid up to your crease. You can use a little brush like the one I used or even your finger. Cheap Tip #2- Sonia Kashuk makes amazing brushes that are sold at Target for very cheap. Invest in a few of those and you will be set. Next pick a lighter highlight and apply it with a brush from the crease up to the eyebrow. (I used Ricepaper by MAC, but they also have one called Vanilla and Shroom that I love). Pick a color that ranges from a vanilla shade to a tan one like i used here (because my skin is a little darker). For America, I would recommend a vanilla shade but not one that looks too white or frosty. Cheap Tip #3- Target and Wal-Mart will carry trio eyeshadow compacts that take all the guess work out of finding colors that coordinate and they are usually pretty inexpensive. You will want to find one with a light vanilla color, a brown and a darker brown.
This next part takes a little bit of practice. You will want to blend the lid color into the highlight color. That way, there is not a harsh line between the two colors. If you have a blending brush you can do this by dipping the brush in a little of the brown color and use a "windshield wiper" movement where the two colors meet (which should be the crease of your eye). In this example, I just took the same brush I used for the brown color and did the same movement I just described, then I took the brush from the highlight color and did the same thing a few times until it looked like the brown color was gradually fading into the light color. Next I took a blending brush (you can used the same one you used for the brown color if you don't have one) and I did the same kind of windshield wiper movement but just in the outer corner of my eye. Use a dark brown for this step. Make the movement very small, just keeping the brush in about the outer 3rd of the eye focusing on the outside corner. This will give it a smokey eye effect that is a little more evening. Because America is not a normal eyeshadow wearer, I recommend that she tries the look without this step and then with it to compare what she feels looks better. This is how far inward your brush should go.

This is what it should look like at this point.
Now curl your eyelashes. Then, take a freshly sharpened eyeliner. I always use black but you can use brown if you want to . I always light a lighter and stick the tip of the eyeliner in the flame for just a second. NO LONGER THAN THAT! You will see the liner get shiny and look like it melted. This helps the liner go on smoother. Please note: Do not use a kohl liner for this because that type of liner is meant to be smudged and it will not stay in a neat line. Use a regular pencil liner. Cheap Tip #4- I love Covergirls black pencil liner. It comes in a pack of 2 with a sharpener and it lasts forever. And its cheap! Once you have melted the liner, wait about 30 seconds for it to completely dry. Touch it to make sure before you apply it. Whenever I line my eyes, I always pull my out so my lid is as straight as possible. This makes applying the liner easier and makes it go on in a smooth line.
Now for my favorite part.. Mascara! I love Lashblast! Cheap Tip #5- This stuff is drug store mascara but is awesome. If you love big lashes this is the best. I have had so many people ask if I am wearing false lashes when I wear this. Whatever mascara you have is great so use what you love. I always apply my mascara from root to tip and I wiggle the brush as I swipe the brush. Then I will apply it the same way I do my liner, by pulling my eye out to make sure I get all the little lashes.

The best way to make an everyday look into an evening look is to tightline your eyeliner. This means applying it to your waterline, which is the area closest to your eye between your eyeball and your lashes. You can use the same liner you did for the top (you may have to melt it and let it dry it again) but I use this amazing liner by Makeup For Ever that I bought at Sephora. This one you don't need to heat up and it stays on forever! It is a little pricy so I only use it for my waterline. I pull the top lashes away from my eyeball and apply the liner from tearduct to outer corner. Then I do the same for the bottom. This is what your eyes will look like when you are done.

Then apply your "face". I use MAC Studio Fix but you can use whatever your little heart desires. If you normally use bronzer you can but I wouldn't for an evening look, especially because America has such great cheeks. Using a big powder brush if you have one, put blush on just the apples of your cheeks. Because my skin is a little darker, I use a dusty rose color but I recommend a soft pink for America. It will look most natural for her skin, like she is really blushing. What I do is smile and put the blush with a light hand just on the rounded parts that perk up when I smile.

Final step! Apply a soft pinkish lipgloss. I like the gloss because it makes the look look young and fresh.

OK, so it seems like a ton of steps but like anything, practice makes perfect. I usually suggest doing a test run before the big day so you can get a feel of what works and what doesn't. It would normally take me about 15 minutes to do this.

So there you go Ms. America, or whoever else may be reading this, a simple sexy night look perfect for the belle of the ball!