Gone Shopping: Creating the Smoky Brown Eyeshadow Effect

RECENTLY I BOUGHT

1. The Face of Australia liquid eyeliner in Black
2. Rimmel London Colour Rush eyeshadow quad in Cafe Latte
3. Too Faced eyeshadow in Label Whore (metallic brown with irridiscent blue)
4. Bourjois Liner Effect mascara in Noir
5. Bourjois Effet 3D Max lipgloss in #66 Peche Shiny

I LOVE THESE BECAUSE...

The Face of Australia liquid eyeliner has a very fine tipped brush and I have found that it is by far the easiest liquid eyeliner to apply, since the shape of the wand makes it comfortable to grip. Since switching a couple of years ago I have not felt inclined to use any other liquid eyeliner.

Armed with a voucher for a mini-makeover at Kit Cosmetics in Myer, I allowed the very bubbly, very capable sales rep to experiment on my face. When she recommended the shade Label Whore from Too Faced I was initially apprehensive because the shade in the pan looked a bit "meh", to be honest. But after she applied it I found that it was pretty cool - dark, with irridiscent blue tones that reminded me of the flash of dusk on a raven's wing - and I was smitten.

The Bourjois mascara and lipgloss I purchased together last week. I love the brush on this mascara - it's very flexible and gives me the appearance extra long eyelashes easily. The lipgloss was an impulse buy because I tried it on in the store and just loved how it looked on me. Plastic fantastic lips without the cosmetic surgery. I could not walk away without taking it home with me. O the sheer vanity!

THE LOOK

This is one of my favourite looks to create using these cosmetics. I can go quite smoky for a night out or ease up on the eyeliner for darkly subtle daytime look. I use a generic eyeliner pencil for the smudged effect with liquid eyeliner on the top lids to add drama, and because I just love the cat-eye effect.

First, using a black eyeliner pencil I draw a line from inside corner to outside corner of my eye as close to the lashline as possible. Then I smudge it with my eyeshadow brush. Then I apply the second lightest shade from the Rimmel quad all over lid and up to the brow bone. With an angled brush I apply Too Faced eyeshadow from the line of eyeliner and smudge it to the crease. Add more Rimmel eyeshadow and blend, blend, blend at the crease.

I then line the bottom outer corners of my eyes with the eyeliner pencil and smudge towards the inner corner with the brush that has some of the leftover Too Faced eyeshadow. You can stop here and just finish off with some of the mascara, but for that dark mystique I also put a line of liquid liner close to the lashline and flick out the corners.

I think the sheer pinkish shade of the Bourjois lipgloss (alone or on top of a neutral lipcolour) complements the dark eyes and completes this look.