A Beauty Blog

makeupbox:

Antique Gold Lids: Olive-Gold Eye Shadow Tutorial

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This is a makeup look that will work on mono-lids and hooded lids, as the color curves up along the eye socket. The basic technique you need to note is just stacking “V’s” next to each other with your shadows.

I used 4 shades: Black, Brown, Olive-green and Bronze

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Step 1: To maximize the intensity of the shadows, I first laid an olive green base on the lids (MAC Moss Scape Paint Pot). I ran it quite thickly along the lower lash line from outside in as well.

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Step 2: Using a small brush, stroke black shadow diagonally downwards from the outer corner of the eye inwards. It will look like a little triangle at the outer corner. Stroke black along the outer half of the lower lash line as well.

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Step 3: Pack a soft, warm brown beside the black diagonally downwards, and also up and in along the socket line (hollow line above your eye ball) so it makes a side-ways “V”. (See Step 1 in the numbered diagram above if you are not sure how this should look.

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Step 4: Pick a metallic olive green and apply it parallel to the brown you applied earlier. (I used an Antique Gold pigment and you can find a similar shade from many brands, both cheap and expensive, but MAC’s Sumptuous Olive is a reference if you aren’t sure what shade to look for.)

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Step 5: On the inner corners, add a touch of soft peach-bronze, like MAC Honeylust (for reference). I used a bronze I mixed myself so unfortunately I have no name for it.

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Step 6: Use black liquid liner to apply a simple line, extending up and out following the natural curve of the eye. Then finish by applying false lashes or black mascara as needed.

makeupbox:

L’oreal Infallible Eye Shadows: 5 Minute Overview and Tips

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What are these?

L’oreal has taken loose, glittery pigments and thrown in a ton of binders so that they:

• Go on smoother
• Go on more intense
• Adhere to the skin well
• Stay on longer than other dry shadows

[Image above: L’oreal Infallible Iridescent Finish #004 Forever Pink (left) and #015 Flashback Silver (right), worn with MAC Concrete shadow and Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Dark Brown.]

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But what’s a binder? 

Most times, a binder is either a silicone or a fat, introduced into dry pigments in a small enough amount that the final product still feels and acts like a dry pigment, but also has better ability to “stick” to the skin.

The more binders you add, the more the formula starts to feel and look like a gel/cream shadow. An overly-dry or wet formula will go on sheerer, so an in-between is usually the best for maximum intensity.

• Dry powders fall or sweep off the skin easily
• Wet creams/gels spread out too thin when applied

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What you can expect:

A more color-true, intense, silky finish that does not require a separate primer beneath. Think of these as shadows with primers built in since it’s pretty much the same ingredients.

Other pigments/shadows that contain silicone/fat binders:

• MAC and Lime Crime pigments: They look like dry dusts but these formulas do contain small amounts of binders to help the color go on better. If you’ve ever worked with pure micas you’ll know they don’t go on and stay on very well. Aside from colors, what you buy from mica wholesalers and many mineral makeup stores is NOT the same thing as products that contain silicone and fats.
• Urban Decay Deluxe Shadows, The Body Shop Eyeshadow Singles, and I Nuovi Metallogy Shadows: These are high-pigment pressed shadows that contain silicones or fats. This allows manufacturers to use a lot less powder fillers like titanium dioxide and talc, so the shadows feel very soft and silky, and go on extremely intense, but may also cost more to manufacture.

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Extra Tips:

• You don’t really need a base, and wearing these over another base will only intensify them slightly.
• These come in only gloriously metallic, glittery or shimmery finishes, so if you love mattes, you won’t find them here.
• You don’t need a separate primer to increase th intensity of these shadows but you will still need primer to make it last a whole day, especially if you have oily ds.
• These are super-handy if you are traveling light and don’t want to have to bring a separate eyeshadow primer along.
• Fingers work better than brushes or sponges when you want to get max intensity in your application. If you can’t bear to use your hands, go with flat brushes or fine-grained sponge tips.
• It’s harder to use a light hand with these formulas as they tend to go on much more intense than baked or regular pressed shadows. If you’re color-shy, I don’t recommend these.
• You don’t need to use them wet, and it’s actually not advisable to, if the formula has a very high binder content (e.g. I Nuovi Metallogy, Urban Decay Deluxe) as you might end up spoiling the shadows when the silicones and oils come into contact with water. Most of these are so pigmented that foiling them does not make much of a difference anyway. If you want a real molten effect for theatrical looks, it’s better to add water or mixing medium to a loose pigment instead.
• These are less messy than other loose pigments as they have a slightly damp muscovado-sugar texture. The pigments clump and stick together when pressed and packed tight, and when you run your fingers over it, it almost feels and looks like a jar of Chanel Illusion D’Ombre. 

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Verdict?

Worth collecting!

The shades are beautiful and you get 3.5g of pigment per jar (a regular pressed shadow from MAC has 1.5g and costs a heck of a lot more). 

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P.S. This is a very simple look with a dark crease and lash line. If you want a tutorial, let me know!