My junior year started off with me waking up at six every morning, washing my face, putting on tinted sunscreen, throwing on some neutral slightly sparkly eye shadow and mascara. When I arrived at school, I was greeted by girls with the same look. I realized very soon that I wanted to break away from that cookie-cutter look and make my lack of sleep worth my look.
It wasn’t until that summer when I figured out how to achieve this. I had reached peak boredom and began digging through old makeup. I re-discovered my bright blue eyeshadow from eighth grade. I grabbed a super thin brush and applied it as if it was eyeliner. At first I looked like a straight up peacock but, after making adjustments to the thickness of it, I was surprised to find out it looked pretty decent. I worked that entire summer to perfect this look and learn how to apply it more effectively. The thing that took the most getting used to was the double-takes I would get from strangers walking by. At first, I was embarrassed. I am from Tampa which is a pretty conservative place. But I soon realized not everyone was looking at it because they thought it was over the top or ugly. Random people began complimenting me and after a couple of friends commenting “dope” under my makeup selfies, I gained the confidence to rock this look.
I used to be super jealous of my little sister who was blessed with beautiful, bright blue eyes. Now with the help of some NARS eyeshadow, my dull brown eyes have a pop. While anyone with any color eyes can pull of colorful makeup, I find it easier for people with a brown or darker colored eye rock it. This is because they aren’t limited to any color. Blue makeup continues to still be my number one color (as I am writing this I actually have a light blue on) because of the variety of shades. I have three different hues: a bright blue that has the wow factor, a light blue which has a chill vibe, and a dark sparkly blue that has a fancy fun feeling to it. That being said, I have also used greens, purples, reds and pinks. Matching your eye makeup with your mood makes your look more you. I almost exclusively use colored eyeshadows as eyeliners. The reason behind this is because I feel like eyeshadows last longer and if you get a pallet you can get more colors, aka more variety in your look. Also my hands are super shaky and it shows when I apply eyeliner with a pencil. With a thin brush and eyeshadow, it is more forgiving and doesn’t appear that way. My favorite eyeshadow brand is NARS because I feel like the colors are bolder and the pigment is high quality.
Two years later, I am still applying color to my makeup. Here are a few of my favorite looks:
1. Going out
Heading off to one of Tally’s famous parties? Dark purples and sparkles always give off that glammed up vibe.
2. The low-key glow
For a super subtle but still unique look try using a light solid color eyeshadow.
3. The usual
While this is your simple neutral and sparkly eyeshadow look, use a bright color eyeliner in substitute of the usual black to really make your eyes pop.