My Basic Eye Makeup: An Easy to Follow Tutorial

Every so often I get requests to update my “basic” posts, like showing how I do my eye shadow each day. So, by request (over email, on Facebook and in person from friends), today I’ll show you how I do my eye makeup on days that I don’t have much time! I use the same basic technique, though I might grab a different palette to add a little variation. But, as I show it here, this is my most common go-to eye look. It only takes me a few minutes, and I wear it pretty much every where! It’s great for work, running errands or out with my husband.

Here’s a peek at what I use to get this look:
• NYX Eyeshadow Base (at NYX or ULTA): This is my quick use product for shadow primer. It also has some coverage to get rid of those pesky visible blood vessels on my lids. I dip a finger in to the pot and lightly pat it on to my lid, you want to just cover the surface. It gets the job done!

• Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Soft & Sexy Eye Shadow Collection (at Too Faced or Sephora): I use this at least half the time because I love the Birthday Suit shadow so much! I’m on my 3rd (!!) palette because I keep running out of it. It needs to come in a (large) eye shadow single!

• Charlotte Tilbury The Classic Eye Powder Pencil in Sophia (at Nordstrom): This is a pretty not quick brown, not really bronze but kind of both… it just makes things more interesting than plain brown.

• Surratt Beauty Relevée Lash Curler (at Sephora): Yes, this lash curler really is worth the extra money! Check out my full Relevée Lash Curler review.

• Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara (at Nordstrom)

• Fluff Brush, e.l.f. Eye Shadow Brush (at ELF): I own about 6 or 7 of these, and I reach for them way more than my much more expensive eye shadow brushes. They’re just the right size, they’re soft and they last forever. Since they only cost $1 each you should stock up!

• Crease Brush, Laura Mercier Eye Crease Brush (at Laura Mercier or Nordstrom): There are a lot of decent crease brushes out there, but this is the size and shape that works best for me.

• Smudge Brush, e.l.f. Smudge Brush (at ELF): I have a lot of great smudge brushes, this is just the one I happened to use this day. Experiment with them, they often will “smudge” a little differently, giving you a very different look!

• Blending Brush, MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush (at MAC or Nordstrom): I love this loose brush for perfectly blending.

I start with my eye primed and ready to go. I do my eye makeup first, so if I spill any shadow on my face, I haven’t ruined my foundation! (This happens more often than I would like to admit.) So, I have put on lotion/BB Cream, then gently patted on a little bit of primer with a fingertip. Just a very light layer is all that you need, the primer is pretty creamy and can interfere with your shadow otherwise.

When I apply my eye makeup, I generally start with a light/medium color all over my entire lid, up and lightly over the natural crease of my eye. For a lighter application, I use a larger fluff brush, for darker you can you a smaller or stiffer fluff brush. Patting the shadow on will also make it darker/more intense.

Next I use another fluff brush (this is why I own like 6 of them, I swap brushes so I don’t muddle the shadow colors) and apply the lightest color in the palette to my brow bone as an accent. It doesn’t really show up in the picture, but it is there and it makes a difference in person! I like to put the lighter color down first, because next I add a darker color on my crease and when it blends, the blending is much prettier when it was in that order.

Crease time! It took me a long time to find just the right crease brush. Many people like a slightly larger crease brush than me, but this brush from Laura Mercier (I have it in a travel version) is perfect for me. I apply the medium shade in the bottom trio to my crease, but notice that I actually am a bit sneaky and do it slightly above where my eye naturally creases. I also add a bit of a triangle to the very outer corner of my eye when applying my crease shadow.

Next I use that blending brush at the very bottom, and I just gently buff everything together. I go back and forth a few times (like a windshield wiper) where the different colors meet. You just want to get rid of harsh lines, too much blending and things start to get muddy.

Now it’s time to line! Today I went with non-basic liner colors just to mix it up a bit, but I will do just plain black or brown sometimes.

When lining my upper lash line, I basically draw right over the bottoms of my lashes. I just ignore them, and they move all over the place while I draw a line right at their bottom and in between them. I do the same thing on the lower lash line.

Next, I grab a smudge brush and dip it into the darkest of the shadow colors. I go over the liner with the brush, smudging the liner a bit and adding some of the liner for fun. I do the bottom lash line as well, trying to stay right at the base of my lashes and slightly below them. If it goes up over the lash line and on to my waterline that’s when it is much more likely irritate my eyes and get smudged.

Next, I finish up everything else. I do my mascara last. I’m not sure what my deal is, but I just tend to get foundation on my lashes and need to wipe them off, so… yeah. I’m strange.

On this day, I filled in my brows a bit using Too Faced Brow Envy (at Too Faced), learn how I fill in my brows here.

I then applied a light layer of my Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (at Nordstrom or Sephora), see my Luminous Silk Foundation review here. I put 1 pump on the back of my hand, and use my It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 (from IT Cosmetics) to tap and buff it into my skin. I also pounce a BeautyBlender sponge (at Sephora) over any trouble areas. I don’t always need a concealer, I didn’t use one this day.

I also applied Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic Swish & Pop Blush in Love Glow (at Nordstrom) to the apples of my cheeks. I curled my lashes and applied a coat of my favorite Bobbi Brown mascara, and finally some Burt’s Bees Lipstick in Magenta Rush (at ULTA).

What’s your go-to makeup look when you’re in a bit of a rush or just can’t make a decision? Have you gone through multiples of the same palette, just like I have?

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