Is your eye makeup actually making you look older?

Publish Date: Tuesday, 11 April 2017, 10:24AM

Your tried and tested method of sketching on some eyeliner and applying a coat of mascara in the morning could well be adding years to your face.

Incorrect makeup technique can make you look years older - but the right one can boost your looks in an instant, according to the Daily Mail.

According to International makeup artist, Ariane Poole, women who fail to update their eye makeup technique as they move into their 30s technique are making themselves look older.

Explaining further, she said: "The reason for this is, as women, many of us learnt to do our makeup in our teens and twenties with the prime objective of making ourselves look more grown up, to give us more authority and confidence."

The good news is that there's a foolproof guide to perfecting your eye makeup based on the shape and colour of your features.

A-list makeup artist and Head Makeup Artist for Benefit Cosmetics, Lisa Potter-Dixon, has shared her guide in her new book, The Makeup Manual.

As she explains: "All our eyes are different but there are five main shapes and one should be similar to yours. Here, the illustrations show each shape, alongside my make-up tips for each type."

TIPS FOR THE HOODED EYE

Apply your eyemakeup with your eyes open. It’s hard to see the natural crease when closed and this will help.

Apply eyeshadow just above the natural crease. If you don’t do this you may not be able to see the shadow at all. Make sure you buff the shadow with a clean fluffy eyeshadow brush so that the edges aren’t harsh.

Use an eye primer. This will help your shadow stay in place and stop it from creasing quite as much.

Choose matte powder if you’re unsure what to use – these are less likely to crease than shimmery ones.

Curl your upper lashes to open your eyes. Wear long-wear or waterproof mascara as this is less likely to crease.

Define and groom your brows. Making sure you have a good arch will lift the look of the eye.

Eyeliner can be a challenge for a hooded eye. Start by drawing the line along the lash line like normal, but for the flick, keep your eye open and draw the flick from the corner of the eye up to the angle of where the brow ends. Gently pull the skin taut at your temple before extending the flick further.

TIPS FOR THE DOWNTURNED EYE

Try the Classic Flick but end the line where your lashes naturally end rather than the end of the eye, then flick up. This will lift the eye.

Really flick out your outer corner lashes with mascara. Tiny false lashes applied to the outer corner also look fab. Try using brown mascara on the bottom lashes and black mascara on the top to draw attention to the top of the eyes.

Highlighting the centre of the eyelid with a shimmer eyeshadow will brighten the eyes. Use your ring finger to pat the product onto the lid. Avoid lining the lower waterline because this will close the eye.

Don’t take your eyeshadow any further out than the corner of the eye and the corner of the brow. Doing this will only add more weight to the eye.

TIPS FOR THE ROUND EYE

Line the upper lid from the outer corner of the eye to the inner corner of the eye with a matte black liner. This will enhance the eye shape.

Flick at the end if you want to lift the eyes.

Avoid lining the lower waterline. This will make the eyes too round. Smoke up the eye to counteract the cute.

Apply two layers of mascara to the upper lashes and one layer to the lower lashes to make the eyes look less round.

TIPS FOR ALMOND EYES

Layer and buff your eyeshadow to perfection. Go into the socket but not further. By just going into the socket, you’ll hold the shape of the eye.

The Classic Flick complements the almond eye beautifully.

Play! You can get away with any look, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

TIPS FOR THE ASIAN EYE

The key to applying make-up on an Asian eye is to make sure the main depth of the shadow is on the outer third of the eye.

Lengthen the shadow out further than the look suggests to define the eyes.

For a quick eye look, reverse your smokey eye. By this I mean apply the darker shade near the lash line and a light shade on the rest of the eye.

The Cut Crease also looks fab on this eye shape. Particularly so because the make-up is applied in the socket for definition.

Using a white liner in the waterline of the eyes will make the eyes look bigger.

Try using contrasting colours of liner on the eye. A darker tone on the upper lid and a lighter shade on the lower. If you’re feeling brave, apply a purple liner on the upper lid with a gold liner on the lower waterline or under the lower lash line – this colour combination looks amazing.

Curl your upper lashes or use a lash-curling mascara. Apply mascara to the upper lashes only to keep the eyes looking wide.

This article was first published on Daily Mail and is republished here with permission.