All about eyes

Palma Kolansky for Neiman Marcus

Bring out your soulful beauty by enhancing your eyes. Whether your eyes are big, small, round, narrow, or deep set, all eyes will be on you when you give them a touch of glamour. Doing up the eyes is a great way to play with makeup, so have fun!

• Always apply a highlight shade under the eyebrow and in the tear duct area. This creates at an open, bright-eyed look. Younger women can choose shadows or creams with shimmer; older women should stick with sheer, matte colors like vanilla. Highlight shades include: light pink, white, vanilla, gold, iridescent, and champagne.
• For a natural day look, you can stop with Step 1 before moving to eyeliner. For a little more definition or an evening look, apply an eye shadow shade across the lid and a slightly darker one in the crease. Blend well; no ‘stripes.’
• Apply a dark liner to the upper lash line of the eyes. You can use a pencil, shadow, or liquid depending your desired effect. Liner enhances your lash line to frame the eyes. The closer to the lash line, the more natural the effect.
• Mascara is a must on top lashes. If you tend to smudge the lower area when applying, skip it underneath. Curling lashes first makes a huge difference on straight lashes. Curled lashes=more drama.
• When choosing colors, use shades opposite your eye color. Contrast really makes the eyes stand out.
• Don't overdo it. If you are doing a strong or bright lip, use minimal eye makeup. For a classic look, apply the highlight shade, a taupe shadow across the lid, a dark line along the lashes and finish with mascara.
• For a sexy, smoky look on larger eyes, rim the inside with a black pencil.
• When using cream shadows apply only on the lid and not into the crease so the color does not become a creasy, greasy mess.
• Splurge on brushes. Blending is so important when using eye shadows and having good brushes makes all the difference. I buy some of my faves at art supply stores as well as makeup shops. If loose shadow falls under the eye when you are applying shadow, wipe away with a sponge dipped in a little foundation. It's the perfect eraser.