Eyes of a Cat!

You might call Malin Akerman the poster child for the cat eye. At the world premiere of Watchmen last night in London, the blonde actress demonstrated how women who actually have feline-esque eyes—narrow, elongated, coy—should wear black liner: That would be on the inner rims topped off by a very thin line, with a flick on the end, above the top lash line only. Mascara to follow at will.

Best Oscar Look: Angelina Jolie

She may not have uttered a word to Ryan Seacrest, but Angelina Jolie's message was loud and clear: No one was going to throw off her A game. Angie followed her usual red carpet M.O.: A simple but elegant black gown, femme fatale eye makeup, and Brad Pitt on her arm.

Her makeup artist Mary Burton, feeling the heat of the occasion, decided to step up the drama ever so slightly by stretching Jolie’s trademark cat’s-eye liner a smidge further than usual, and adding a touch underneath the lower lash line, “like a sideways V,” she says. The heavier eye makeup made a statement, but didn't look overdone, probably because it was balanced out by those emerald boulders hanging from her ears. (Gorgeous.)

Holy lashes. Burton finished the look by applying several coats of Lancôme Oscillation Mascara ($34), topped with YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils ($28.50). Lips were simple, glossed, cheeks dusted with a trace of (honestly, invisible) powder blush.

“I rarely ever put blush or bronzer on her skin,” says Burton. “Anything else is too much for her.”

Stare into my eyes....

Can eye makeup be called “fashion” and can it really make a noticeable impact? If you doubt this, you haven’t seen what is being called Impact Eye Fashion. It’s bright. It’s colorful. Yet it’s still refined and very glamorous. While, in its fullest, it may not yet be office appropriate, it is showing up in some otherwise modest settings. It may be difficult to picture when you’re seeing it only in words, but if you look, it won’t be long before you see it.



It’s called “impact” because of the extreme use of color and also because the application fills the entire span of the eye from one end of the brow to the other. You may be picturing something akin to Halloween makeup, but it’s not. One feature that keeps impact eye make up from looking like circus wear is that it keeps all the colors in the same family.



Here is an explanation of a few of the looks you can create to give this vivid trend a try. First, you have to love a shimmery shadow – that’s key. If green is your favorite, you’ll love this. Sweep shimmering white shadow (creams work best for blending and long-wear) from the highest point in the curve of your eyebrow to the natural end of the brows. Use a brush or sponge to apply the same white in the inner corner of your eyes from your eye to the curve of your nose (remember, impact makeup covers the entire expanse of your eye.) Fill in the entire outside corner along the curve of your eye between your eyes to your nose. Directly underneath the white shadow on your brow and extending to the lash line on your lid, apply shimmering mermaid green. This color begins just above the white in the inner corner; it follows the curve of your eye to your nose, up to meet the inner corner of your eyebrows and across your crease to a point just outside the natural end of your eyebrow. Next is the common denominator in impact eye makeup, black liquid liner. Apply liner from the inside of the lash line to the outside point of the green shadow on both top and bottom lashes. Speaking of lashes, don’t think for a minute that they are going to be “normal!” Paired with this vibrant green is fuchsia mascara on top and bottom lashes.



Using the same application techniques, start with shimmering white along the brow; choose a shimmering, smoky charcoal gray instead of the mermaid green. The same fuchsia mascara finishes the look.



For a softer (but not less extreme look) use a shimmering golden taupe under the white highlight color. Black liquid eyeliner is applied in the same cat eye style for all these looks, and a golden mascara finishes it.



For a playful look, choose a soft, shimmering pink to highlight the brow in place of the white. Apply a shimmering medium blue along the lids and finish with an electric pink mascara.

Make-up Trends: Smoky Blue Eyes

GET THE LOOK: "Using rich color is a ravishing new take on the smoky eye," says celebrity makeup artist Napoleon Perdis. Line eyes with shimmery navy eye pencil, then fill in your lids and smudge it, advises Perdis, who suggests dabbing rich dark blue shadow over it to set the look.

INSIDER TRICK: "It is extremely important to keep the color below the crease line on your lids," Perdis warns. Dab color in the socket and clean the upper lid with a Q-tip.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Napoleon Perdis Color Disk in Periwinck, $22

Make-up Trend: Soft Eyeliner

GET THE LOOK: Don’t think that eyeliner has to be fierce—it can add just the right touch of glamour, as it did for Molly Sims or Kareena Kapoor. in the past I have created this look very easily. Recently, for Molly Sims, Makeup artist Stevi Christine, of Warren-Tricomi L.A., created this look using white shimmer on the inner corners of the eye and a silvery-gray on the lid. “I accentuated her eyes by adding a navy-black kohl eyeliner on the top and lined the rim of the inside,” says Christine.

INSIDER TRICK: Adds Christine, “Make sure you keep your eyeliner in your clutch because you will want to touch it up when you hit the ladies’ room!” You’ll want to re-trace the line near the inner corner, which can dissipate because of the proximity to eye moisture.

BUY ONLINE NOW: Jillian Dempsey for Avon Kohl liner, $6
Rec: Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes in Star Black

Makeup Trends - Green Eye Makeup

GET THE LOOK: Hollywood's all about the green trend when it comes to hybrids and carbon footprints. Give smoky eyes a twist by combining shades of emerald on her lids for a sultry, evening look.
INSIDER TRICK: To prevent your shadow from fading or creasing, prime your lids with cream-to-powder foundation.
BUY ONLINE NOW: MAC eye shadow in Vivid, $14.50

Makeup Trends - Lush Lashes

GET THE LOOK: Celebrity makeup artist Linda Hay calls the combination of a strong, defined brow, individual lashes and berry stain on the lips “super striking”.
INSIDER TRICK: To create the thick-lash look, Hay used “as many short individual lashes as possible on both the top and bottom lashlines. I then applied a very fine line of Victoria’s Secret Glitter Eyeliner in Licorice and liberal quantities of High Definition mascara from Victoria’s Secret.”
BUY ONLINE NOW: Victoria’s Secret High Definition mascara, $12

Makeup Trends - Violet-Rimmed Eyes

GET THE LOOK: Katie Holmes shows us that it's time to embrace purple around the eyes—without looking like a boxer... and boy is she a knock-out!
INSIDER TRICK: Clear eyes and cover-up are key with this look. Find a good peach-toned concealer to camouflage dark circles and use a few drops of Visine to eliminate any redness.
BUY ONLINE NOW: Cargo eyeshadow in Persia, $10.50

Star Power: How To Use Eye Shadow

Eye shadow is designed to attract attention to a person?** eyes and at the same time enhances the appearance of the eyes by detracting attention from or covering up minor flaws

Most people feel they have some basic flaws with their appearance, and the truth is that the stars are no exception. Beauties like Angelina Jolie and Beyonce Knowles make no secret of their use of various make-up styles to enhance their appearance, and both of these ladies make splendid use of eye shadow. Eye shadow is designed to attract attention to a person?s eyes (yes, male movie stars use it too!) and at the same time enhances the appearance of the eyes by detracting attention from or covering up minor flaws. Here are some tips on how to apply eye shadow in order that it fixes some of the flaws you may believe are there.

To maximize the effect of your eye shadow, you will want to make sure that people are aware that you have it on. Some beauty experts suggest ?priming? your eyes before applying the shadow. The eye lids are a lighter shade than the skin on the rest of the face, due mainly to their lessened exposure to light overt the course of a lifetime. A layer of bone shadow over your lids will even up the coloring with the rest of the face, and any color you apply on top of that will tend to stand out.

Next, experiment with several shades before you decide on the right one for you. A bronze colored eye shadow works for most eyes, and other shades will depend on the color of your own eyes. Blue eyes, for example, will be best complemented with a deeper shade of blue (this will make your own eye color pop out and look extra blue), taupe, violet, or gray. Lighter shades and contrasts work great for brown eyes, while green eyes are bedazzling with the similar shades that are slightly deeper.

Don't be afraid to try a funky look with your eye shadow. Silvery, sparkly colors can look great and will have an undeniably exotic appeal. Try to match your scheme with your eye color or outfit, and make sure you get some good feedback before trying it out in public!

Finally, there are several techniques that can be used in order to correct the minor flaws you may see in the appearance of your eyes. If you think your eyes are too far apart, you can make them appear closer together by emphasizing the inner corner of your eye. Put more shadow on this area and blend it outwards towards the rest of the eye. Eyes that are too close together can gain the impression of distance by darkening the outer edges of your eye and keeping the inner corners light. Again, make sure to blend the colors so that the emphasis is not apparent. If you want your eyes to look bigger, use a lighter color of eye shadow.

Beautiful Eyes - Almond Set Technique

GET BIG, BEAUTIFUL EYES


















Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques to look as big, bright and bewitching as possible. Whether you have deep-set, wide-set, close-set or perfectly almond eyes, consult our eye makeup guide to find the most flattering shadow and liner applications for your eye shape.

Over the next few days we'll be giving you some tips so whether you’ve got exotic Asian or dramatic deep-set eyes you can look your best...so stop back often.


Do:

*Accentuate your upswept outer corner with dark liner for a sexy cat-eye look.
*Apply shadows in 3 tones (neutral on brow bone, medium on lid, and dark in the crease area) to make lids appear more defined and larger.

Application style:

Beautiful Eyes: Wide Set Technique

GET BIG, BEAUTIFUL EYES













Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques to look as big, bright and bewitching as possible. Whether you have deep-set, wide-set, close-set or perfectly almond eyes, consult our eye makeup guide to find the most flattering shadow and liner applications for your eye shape.



Over the next few days we'll be giving you some tips so whether you’ve got exotic Asian or dramatic deep-set eyes you can look your best...so stop back often.







Technique:

• Do:



• » Apply a deep colored liner along the entire rim of your lower lashes, inlcuding the inner corners which will inner eye corner to draw your eyes closer together visually.



• » Place a lighter shadow over the middle of the eye to give your eye a more rounded appearance.




Don't:


• » Extend eyeliner past the outer corners of your eyes.

Application style:

Beautiful Eyes - Asian Eye Technique

GET BIG, BEAUTIFUL EYES
















Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques to look as big, bright and bewitching as possible. Whether you have deep-set, wide-set, close-set or perfectly almond eyes, consult our eye makeup guide to find the most flattering shadow and liner applications for your eye shape.

Over the next few days we'll be giving you some tips so whether you’ve got exotic Asian or dramatic deep-set eyes you can look your best...so stop back often.

Technique:

Do:
Line top and bottom lids lightly, apply plenty of mascara, and curl away. Extend your liner slightly past outer corners to create a small upturn and add definition on the lower half of your eye.

Bonus Tip: Some Asian women's lids extend all the way down to their lashline and the liner on top is usually not visible. If this is the case with you, skip liner on the top and apply liner on the bottom lash line with your angled brush. Soften the liner with your smudging brush. I sometimes find that not lining the bottom lash line can make the eyes disappear and lining them actually gives more definition. If your lid doesn't extend into your lash line, line just the top lash line from inner to outer corner for a polished finish.

Don't:
Get too complicated. The more simple, the better as you don't want to overwhelm your eye shape.


Application style:

Beautiful Eyes: Close Set Technique

GET BIG, BEAUTIFUL EYES

Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques to look as big, bright and bewitching as possible. Whether you have deep-set, wide-set, close-set or perfectly almond eyes, consult our eye makeup guide to find the most flattering shadow and liner applications for your eye shape.

Over the next few days we'll be giving you some tips so whether you've got exotic Asian or dramatic deep-set eyes you can look your best...so stop back often.

Technique
Do:
*Create the illusion of width by lining only the outer half of the eye.
*Dab some very light shadow or liner on the inner corner of eyes right next to your nose.
This will brighten them up.

Bonus Tip: Eyebrows should be trimmed slightly at the inner corner, to create an illusion of more space.

Don't:

*Forget to use more mascara on the outer corners of your eye!

Application style:
Try on one of the following eyeliner styles:

Beautiful Eyes: Deep Set techniques

GET BIG, BEAUTIFUL EYES



























Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques to look as big, bright and bewitching as possible. Whether you have deep-set, wide-set, close-set or perfectly almond eyes, consult our eye Beauty Tips to find the most flattering shadow and liner applications for your eye shape.



Over the next few days we'll be giving you some tips so whether you’ve got exotic Asian or dramatic deep-set eyes you can look your best...so stop back often.



Technique:

• Do:



• » Use lighter iridescent shades on your lids to bring them out of their deep sockets and make them pop.



• » Experiment with a darker contour shade in the crease for added drama.

• Don't:



• » Try a smoky eye without a highlighter shadow. Your eyes will get lost!

Application style:

Try on one of the following eyeliner styles:

Make-up Trend: Soft, Smokey Eyes

We all love the effect and look of a smoky eye, but sometimes it can be too heavy. Take a lesson from Priyanka Chopra, whose beautiful eyes had just enough smoky by using heavy brown shades instead of grays and blacks.

Brush a nude shadow from the lash line up past the crease and then lined the upper lashline with Lancome's Le Crayon Khol in Black Coffee and smudged the line. Set the entire lid with a cocoa-hued shadow and finished by rimming the lower inner line with the Khol pencil and a coat of Lancome's Oscillation mascara.

Rec: Lancome Color Design Eyeshadow in Impress

She’s Got Brigitte Bardot Eyes

The time of year has come when even the most low maintenance chicette must step up her makeup game. A holiday gathering is just the place to try out something a little more dramatic around the eyes, non? But Beauty Junkie knows you are busy ladies indeed, so one must keep it simple. Enter cult fave POP Beauty’s Cat Eyes, a collection of perfectly slanted liners that make, well, a cat eye oh-so much easier to achieve.THE DETAILS: Available in black onyx, black dahlia, and black olive, $16, www.sephora.com

Cheap but Chic Beauty Tricks

Instantly Alluring Eyes

Maximize your blush. Take a creamy rose blush, and apply it in a half-moon shape under your brow bone and over the tops of your cheekbones. “You’ll get a subtle sheen that draws attention to your eyes and makes your face glow,” explains Page.

Tap lip gloss under your brows. Sounds crazy, but patting on a soft, shimmery pink gloss helps highlight and lift your eyes, says Paish. Use a nonsticky formula (so your lashes don’t get stuck!), and blend in.

Wear contrasting eye-shadow colors. It’s a hot trend for fall, but just work with what you already have. Apply a bright, intense hue (like purple) on your upper lids, then drag a softer hue (pearly green) along your lower lash line, recommends Page.

Put bronzer on your lashes. Comb loose bronze powder through lashes instead of mascara. “You’ll get a subtle sparkle that’s so sexy for night since it catches the light,” says Miller. One swipe should do it — you don’t want any excess flakes to fall under your eyes. Try MAC Pigment Powders, $19.50.

Make-up Trend: Liquid Eyeliner

Makeup artist Cory Walia used Mark products on Deepika Padukone, including Liquid Eyeliner in Cleo (a rich, black shade) and four coats of plumping mascara to get her eye-enhancing look.

Experiment a little with liquid liner. If the line looks uneven or too heavy, top it with the eyeshadow you applied to your lids—flaws are hidden and the thickness of the black is toned down.

Rec: mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Eyeliner in Cleo

Tell Me Yours

As the holiday party season begins, Beauty Junkie knows there’s nothing more important than looking refreshed—even when it’s your third party of the week and you’ve broken your three champers only rule each time. Enter HollywoodSecrets, which literally transforms the area around your eyes in just five minutes. The single serve treatments come in a Q-Tip style applicator that is easily thrown into the smallest of clutches. The skin around your eyes will look immediately tighter, smoother, and way less puffy thanks to ingredients like anti-aging peptide, Argireline. Plus, you can use it over or under makeup so touch-ups are no problem. THE DETAILS: $89.95, www.h-secrets.com

Everybody Line Up

Beauty Junkie is perenially searching for mascara with a little something more. Coming soon to an Ulta store near you: Bourjois Liner Effect. It lengthens, it intensifies…but it comes in a cool shade of cerulean, along with the usual black and brown hues. Why so blue? To make the whites in your eyes look extra bright, of course.