Party Eyes and Nails

New Years Eve is nearly upon us, and as such I wanted to share my ideas for party eyes and nails. My goal for these ideas was to add sparkle without being overly sparkly. Nobody wants to be the girl with glitter all over her face.

Black & Gold Eyeliner

Supplies: Black and gold liquid eyeliner, black mascara.

I love this look for its subtly and sparkle. Plus, it's super simple. All you need to do is fill in your top waterline with a thin line of black liquid eyeliner. Keep your eyes mostly shut while it dries or speed it up by standing in front of a fan or using your hairdryer on 'cool'. Follow the black line with gold liquid eyeliner, only with a slightly thicker line. After the gold has dried, curl your eyelashes with a warm eyelash curler (heat with your hairdryer for a few seconds and test the temperature before you curl your lashes) and add two layers of black mascara. A good trick to know is to apply the first layer of mascara and dust your lashes lightly with baby powder before you add the second coat. The baby powder adds to the thickness of your lashes, but you may need to comb through them a little more with a metal eyelash brush.

Glitter Nails

 

Supplies: Loose glitter (I used multicolored craft glitter), base coat, top coat.

After you've prepped your nails, add the first layer of base and let dry. Then, one nail at a time, add a second layer of base and cover with a thin layer of glitter. Work over a container so the glitter doesn't go everywhere. Once you have covered all your nails go back and fill in any spaces with a dot of base and some well-placed glitter. I happened to use bigger pieces of glitter, so it was necessary for me to wet my finger and smooth the glitter polish down after I had filled in all the spaces. Then just top it off with a layer of top coat. Let dry, and apply another.

"The Natural Look"

 Step One

 WASH YO FACE!

             

 Step Two

 Brush your brows into the natural arch, set with a brow gel, and color in gaps with your bronzer. The gel set is optional, but using a color for your eyebrows that is lighter than your actual hair color is key (hence the use of bronzer)! When filling in your eyebrows it is helpful to begin in the middle and work your way out. After I fill in the holes I usually like to brush the color through.

Step Three

 Use concealer to cover up any blemishes, zits, tattoos, etc. I usually draw triangles under my eyes for any bags as well as a line down my nose for redness.

 Step Four

 In the palm of your hand or a seperate container put a dime sized dollop of SPF moisturizer and foundation. Less is more, as we are trying to be subtle. Mix it around until it is one solid shade, like so:  

 Step Five

Using your fingers or a foundation brush begin to work the mixture onto your face just as you would regular foundation. The key is to begin in the very center of your face and work your way out, right on top of the concealer. Avoid pushing the foundation/moisturizer up into your hair by moving out rather than up. When you're all done your skin should be one stationary color. At this point I usually set it with a loose powder, blotting the excess off with kleenex.

 Step Six

Now comes the fun part! Suck your cheeks in and brush bronzer in a light line beneath your cheekbones as shown. This is one of the fundamentals of contouring. Follow with a light sweep along both sides of your nose and along your hairline. Especially if you are new to contouring, less is more.

Step Seven

 When I'm going for the natural look I try to use blush sparingly, reserving it for just the outsides of my cheekbones and using a paler pink. I use the same color, along with bronzer, on my eyelids. This really makes your eyes pop.

Step Eight

If you are afraid of curling your eyelashes, get over it and give them a squeeze. If you really want to make them curl hit your curler with a hairdryer for a few seconds, test the temperature of the metal for safety, and give them another squeeze. 

When you take the wand out of your mascara DO NOT pump it up and down. Can you say bacteria!? Instead swish it back and forth. Using paper towel, roll any excess mascara of the wand. Brush one coat of mascara through your lashes and comb out any clumps using a eyelash brush.

Give your t-zone another light layer of loose powder and anyplace else your makeup has trouble staying (zits may need another coat of concealer and powder to stay hidden).

BAM! YOU'RE DONE!

BEFORE

AFTER