By now, we can all contour our faces into chiseled perfection (I’ve been slightly obsessed with the Anastasia Powder Contour Kit), so maybe this fall/winter we should cut down on the bronzer and let our eyes and lips steal the show for a change? After all, fewer trips to the dry cleaner to remove face make-up from high-neck sweaters make the cost of taking a beauty risk worth it, right?
That said, try getting creative this season by embracing beauty trends such as the statement eye and dark lip. You can see examples of these trends below, as well as my favorite products for creating each look.
The Metallic Smoky Eye
Photo credit: StyleCaster
When using a metallic eye shadow to create a modern smoky eye, the look should scale towards minimal (basically, less is more here). First, lightly dust a warm metallic eye shadow color, such as gold, on to you upper eyelid and below your bottom lashes. Then, smoke-out the bottom lash area by sweeping a small amount of a darker metallic shadow, such as silver, in a soft outward stroke up past the outer corner of your eye.
Next, add a sweep of the darker metallic color to the area above the crease in your upper eyelid, connecting the top and bottom dark color at an angle. Finally, dab a tiny amount of your concealer on to the inner eyelid area to highlight, and top-off attention-grabbing eyes with a coat of dark mascara. Pair with a soft or nude colored lip.
Winged Eyeliner
Photo Credit: Nordstrom
The winged eyeliner look starts by dusting the eyelid with a light-colored shimmery eye shadow. Then, starting from the wingtip, draw an angled line across the upper eyelashes to the inner eyelid area using a very sharp pencil, liquid or felt tipped black liner (whichever you’re best at using). This line should be fairly thick in order to make a bold impact. Finally, complete the eye by using a lengthening mascara. Pair with a deep, dark lip color for a dramatic fall look.
The Dark Lip
Photo Credit: Marie Claire
More trends from the 90s are coming back around. This fall, a vampy pout can be a lot of fun, so test out some of the it colors, which range from chocolate brown to a ripe berry to deep purple. If the look ends up being too jarring for you, let the color sit long enough to stain the lip then gently blot it off and coat with gloss. You can also warm the look by pairing the dark lip with a rosy cheek.