EOTD: Silvery Moon...

I remember reading somewhere or other that as you age, you should avoid shimmery eye shadow because of its tendency to accentuate wrinkles and creases. While I totally agree that using mattes in the area above the eye is a far better option (and in my case, the ONLY option), there's no way I'm giving up sparkly or shiny pearlescent shadows on my lids until I'm 90!  Well, maybe not 90, but at least 70 ha ha...

There's just something so pretty and femnine about shimmer shadows, the way they catch the light, and bring life to older eyes, even if they are starting to lose their fight with gravity. I reckon it's all in the placement, and keeping the sparkles as close as possible to the eyes themselves.

So here's a look I created last week. I have a tendency to wear silvers and smokey greys on Mondays - after all, it's the day that's ruled by the Moon (the french word for Monday is Lundi - lunar). More on what planet rules the other days in future posts...

So for this EOTD, I started as usual by tightlining the upper lid with a black liner - I love the bhcosmetics liquid eyeliner felt pen as it stays put, doesn't smudge, and I have complete control over where the pigment ends up. It's also only $6, so I'm giving them a plug...

Below are the brushes I used (oops, I took this pic before I cleaned them!). I've numbered them so you can follow my steps more easily, and see which ones work best for the different areas.

Next I applied MNY Colour Tattoo in Audacious Asphalt as a base all over the top lid, using brush #5. I think I bought this double-ender in KMart for less than $6 - the rounded end is great for patting down & smoothing the cream evenly, and I used the angled end to achieve a crisp line in the crease. I find MNY tattoos work brilliantly as a base to hold powder shadows in place all day, and I don't have to use a primer.

Along the top lashline, I applied a silver shadow from a Lancome GWP palette, using brush #4 - this is my favourite angled liner brush, it's a MAC 263 and I couldn't survive without it. I dipped it in water and then touched it on a tissue before loading up the shadow - the moisture makes most shimmery shadows super creamy, and you get more light reflection.

Over the rest of the lid, I applied essence colour & shine shadow in Let's do the Moonwalk using #3, a beautifully soft Bed Head brush that a precious friend sent to me. I use this all the time for applying bulk quantities of pigment. These essence baked shadows are terrific value and quality, but I just checked their website, and it looks like they've been discontinued - boo!

In the crease and the outer corner, I blended in some Urban Decay Zero, also using #3.

MNY Master Precise Liquid Liner is my favourite lower liner because it's so fine, and even I find it very difficult to stuff up the application lol. I softened it using brush #2 loaded up with Let's do the Moonwalk. Can't speak highly enough of Ecotools brushes - they are excellent quality and very reasonably priced.

We're almost done :-) Using brush #1, I applied MUA matte beige (#17) on the hood. I reckon these MUA mattes are as good as those made by TheBalm, and a fraction of the price (I think they work out at less than $2 per pan - unbelievable!). They are finely milled, creamy and easily blended - the only flaw is that there's only 4 colours in the range :-(

On the waterline, I added essence white kajal pencil to cover up the pinky blotches that seem to be getting worse as I age. Out of everything I've learned about makeup application, lining the waterline with a light coloured crayon has had the most impact on my appearance - gives my older eyes such a lift, and makes the whites of my eyes appear whiter.

After curling my lashes, I applied several coats of Covergirl Lashblast waterproof mascara, and one final sweep of MNY waterproof The Falsies mascara for a bit of extra bulk.

So that's my Silvery Moonday look - goes with pretty much anything :-) How do you feel about shimmery shadows? Do you wear particular colours on certain days of the week?

Take care of you,
kats xxx