10 Ways to Play Up Your Eyes

By InStyle.com
May 22, 2013 @ 12:45 pm
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10 Ways to Play Up Your Eyes
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Master Lashes

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Nothing opens up eyes like long, full fringe, the kind you may not have been born with (damn you, DNA!). To make faux friendlier, makeup pro Beau Nelson, who works with Kristen Stewart, suggests dotting, then smudging, dark liner along the base of the top lashes to "create a line that will disguise the band." Then place a strip, cut in half, near the outer corners.
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Blur the Lines

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Hyaluronic acid and peptides can help smooth fine lines around your eyes. Now there's a more effective way to deliver such anti-agers: battery-powered patches. The gauze on its own, says N.Y.C. dermatologist Francesca Fusco, helps "the ingredients penetrate faster and more deeply by raising skin temperature," while the microcurrent "speeds the effect."

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Ice Your Cream

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Does your A.M. glimpse in the mirror reveal (horror!) dark circles or puffy eyes? Here's a cool fix: "I tell patients to keep a multipurpose eye product, such as Hydroxatone Hydrolyze ($59; at ulta.com), in the fridge," says Dr. Fusco. The cream's yeast and botanical extracts work together to lessen shadows and reduce swelling by boosting blood flow. When circulation is optimal, there is less pooling of blood under the eye and no puffiness, she says. Applying a cream chilled, she adds, constricts blood vessels there even faster.
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Head to Emerald City

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Electrify your eyes in seconds with a streak of shadow in Pantone's official shade of 2013 (featured in this limited-edition shadow, at right). The vibrant jewel tone "flatters every eye color," notes Chanel makeup artist Rachel Good-win, who advises wearing the hue as close to your lash lines as possible.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Lightspeed Glitter Dust in Emerald, $14; available in-store only. See sephora.com for locations.

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Frame 'Em

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Full brows, a staple on this season's runways, can draw focus in real life too. To craft your own fuller arcs, try Elizabeth Arden's Prevage Clinical lash-and brow-enhancing serum ($98; macys.com), tweeze as little as necessary, and fill in any sparse spots with a brow pencil. "Blondes look best with a soft, light brown color," explains brow expert Anastasia Soare. "If you're a brunette, use a pencil that's just a shade or two lighter than your hair to avoid looking harsh." Redheads should reach for auburn or medium-brown.

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Whiten Up

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Don't ignore the whites of your eyes—especially on allergen-filled (or sleep-deprived) days. Use soothing drops to banish redness and add even more clarity with this tip from makeup artist Fiona Stiles: Trace your lower water line (read: the inner rim of your lower lid) with an ivory pencil, then dab a similar-toned shadow under the lower lashes and blend. Ta-da! "Eyes look wide open and seriously sexy," says Stiles.

Sephora Jumbo 12-Hour Waterproof Liner in white, $14; sephora.com.
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Tread Lightly

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Who says subtle moves can't be show-stopping? A fresh way to play is with a soft touch, says makeup pro Melanie Inglessis. Brush a neutral shadow along the lid and crease, then define with a liner applied in light strokes, like actress Jessica Chastain's look above. Finish with a single coat of mascara. Keep your other features as natural as possible. For example, opt for a nude lipstick in a satin (not shiny) finish.

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Go for the Gold…and Silver

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Like a chunky gold necklace or a stack of silver bangles, a few swipes of light-reflecting metallic eyeliner can pull your look together, stat. Inglessis suggests copper or bronze for those with green, brown, or hazel eyes, and silver or gold on blue peepers. Used along top, bottom, or both lash lines, "it's more powerful than shadow, but not quite as heavy as the typical pigmented liners," says Inglessis.

L'Oreal Paris HIP Studio Secrets eyeliner in Silver Lightning and Gold Charge, $10 each; at drugstores.

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Swing the Blues

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Utter perfection: The sultriness of a rich, smoky eye—in a hue no one can ignore. For the latest take on trendy blue eye makeup, Inglessis advises starting with a cream-based shadow in navy, applied on the lid, to just above the crease. For more depth, layer on a second shadow, in gray or eggplant, extending it just beyond the outer corner of the eye.
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Bat a Bright

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Talk about pop. To get an off-runway version of the magenta mascara at Donna Karan, makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury recommends tweaking her pink masterwork to suit your eye color. Try copper if your eyes are brown, something more terracotta if your eyes are blue, and a shade more purple on green. Otherwise, she says, get the look by coating both top and bottom lashes evenly for a non-clumpy, "spidery" look.
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