Make up artist classes

Eyes

EYEBROWS: First off, pluck ‘em. Even if you want to keep your brows natural-looking, chances are you’ve got a few stray hairs you could stand to lose. A good time to do this is when you’re fresh out of the shower–your pores will be more open then, and it’ll hurt less. Buy the best pair of tweezers you can afford (trust me, the cheap ones suck. The two sides often aren’t flush and you’ll keep missing hairs) and always pluck in the direction of hair growth. It might help you to pencil in what shape you want your brows to be, then pluck the hairs outside of it. Be areful! Very often you’ll discover that straggling brow hairs are super long, and when you pluck them you end up w/ an unexpected bald spot (if you want to be uber-cautious, try coloring the offending hair with a white eyeliner pencil to see what your brow will look like without that hair). Try trimming the stray tips of long hairs w/ small, blunt-ended scissors. I’ve heard that you should never pluck the hairs above your eyebrow. Nonsense. If they bug you, they’re out of there! Just bear in mind (and this goes for all eyebrow hair,) that very often plucked hairs don’t grow back, so don’t go hog-wild, or you might end up with permanent bald-spots.

If you want to take your eyebrows off completely and paint them on later, you have several choices. You can shave them (probably not your best option. Cutting your face sucks, and you get unsightly stubble very quickly), get them waxed professionally, or wax them yourself. I don’t think I have to point out how stupid trying to Nair your eyebrows would be. Remember, getting rid of your eyebrows is a huge commitment–you pretty much have to wear makeup 24/7 if you don’t want to look like Bob Geldof. You can compromise by only removing your brows from the highest arching point to your temple. That gives you a little more brow-shaping leeway when you’re playing with makeup, but you still have _something_ there when you run to the store at 4 in the morning to buy milk. You’ll still look a bit odd, but in a more Spock-like than Pink Floyd sort of way.

There are several ways you can color your eyebrows. I usually use a small stiff-bristled eyebrow brush to apply eyeshadow, using the edge of my makeup sponge to very gently blend the outside edge. This is the most natural looking way to color your brows, but only works if you still have some of your own to start with. You can use any color eyeshadow to match or complement your hair or outfit or whatever. Usually I let the color-scheme of the rest of my makeup dictate my eyebrow color. If I’m trying to be relatively normal, I’ll match my hair color (auburn, at the moment), if I’m being monochromatic goth-girly I’ll go black, and if I’m being my standard glittery self I’ll use whatever strikes my fancy (dark green and purple are two faves.) For a more dramatic look, line your brows with kohl eyeliner pencil. Use the little cone-shaped spongey thing on a stick to blend the pencil lines until they lose that crayon-like uneveness. Try a combination of powder and pencil. I often powder my brows first, then do the inner end and top edge in pencil to really define the brow. You can draw that little Siouxsie-esque Egyptian square edge thing by your nose w/ a pencil, again blurring the edges until everything blends together. To be still more dramatic, use liquid eyeliner to line your brows (probably your best bet if you’re starting from scratch.) You’re on your own here, as I’m really not very good with liquid eyeliner, and have never even attempted doing my brows with it.

Take your time with your brows, paying special attention that they look even (not that they _are_ even, mind you, because they never really will be. Just look at your entire face as a whole and see if they _look_ even). As always, start small–you can always add more. If you do put too much liner on, lick a Q-tip and wipe off the excess, or carefully drag the edge of your used makeup sponge across the outer edge of your brow. Also, be sure that your eyebrows are long enough for your face. If your eyebrows are too far apart, your nose will appear wider.

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EYESHADOW: The most common form of eyeshadow is pressed powder. It’s easy to use and doesn’t make much of a mess, but you may still want to tap or blow excess shadow off of your blush before you apply it. You can also find eyeshadow in little pots of loose powder, which is kindof a pain in the ass to work with, but often worth it (especially in the case of mica-based shimmery powders. See my Glitter page for more info on the glory of mica). Dip your brush in the powder, then tap the excess off into the container lid. Repeat as desired, using the little bit you’ve got in the lid (you can dump any unused powder back into the container when you’re done). There are also eyeshadow pencils and creme-to-powder eyeshadows, both of which I find to be an incredible bitch to get on evenly and a challenge to blend. If anyone has any tips on using them effectively, I’d love to hear them. Eyeshadow pencils do make lovely eyeliners and lipsticks, though.

Before you start putting on eyeshadow, pat a bunch of excess powder under your eyes. That way you can easily brush away all the little bits of unwanted eyeshadow that will fall on your face while you work. You might actually want to dab some powder under your eyes before you do your eyebrows if you’re lining them with powder.

This is where your creativity really kicks in. Possible eyeshadow motifs are endless, but here are a few basic ideas to start you off.

1) Cat Eyes:Start off with a light background color, usually white, but silver, grey, yellow, pink, light green etc. are also good, depending on your mood. Using your contour brush (the one with the angled tip), apply a darker shade of eyeshadow along the crease, starting at the outer edge, and tapering/lightening toward the inner point. Sweep the color in a vaguely-triangular, upward-pointing pattern. Blend with larger eyeshadow brush. Repeat with a still darker shade in a smaller arc, so that the lighter shade will show up behind it. You can repeat this step with as many shades as you like, extending in a gradually lightening triangle all the way to your brow bone, or you could make your entire eyelid from edge to browbone one color, with only black in the crease to define it. You can also try reverse cat-eyes, which is the same basic idea, except concentrating on the inner rather than outer corner of the eyes (gives you a rather silent-movie-heroine sort of look).

2) Raccoon Eyes: Your basic goth look. Once again, try starting out by covering everything in white. Now color your eyelid from the lower edge to the crease with any color you choose (traditionally black, though I would reccomend a darkish grey instead.) Blend a bit into the white. You could also try adding a cat-eye type stripe of darker color along the crease.

3) New Wave Stripes: Choose several complementary colors in graduated stages of darkness (when I do this, I usualy use yellow, mauve-ish lavendar, and red). Start at the inner corner with the lightest color, and apply it in a solid, vertical (yet angled slightly outward,) stripe from inner corner of eye to inner tip of eyebrow to approximately a third of the way horizontally down your eyelid. Repeat with the next lightest color, adding another vertical stripe next to the first. Repeat with the last color, ending with a vaguely circular bit that connects your outer eyebrow tip with the outer corner of your eye. A little confusing without a picture, I know (I’ll try to get access to a scanner soon, I promise!) Just think “80′s”. This is the one time that you probably don’t want to blend the edges together.

White eyeshadow (or silver) especially shimmery white eyeshadow really makes the eyes stand out when you apply it to the inner corner of your eye. Similarly, try brushing some along your browbone, just under the brow.

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EYELINER: There are two basic kinds– pencils (sometimes called kohls), and liquid. Liquid tends to look more professional, but can be incredibly tricky to put on evenly. The only kind I can manage to not smear everywhere is Almay’s I-Liner. It comes in a little pot with a long, thin lid and a felt pen-like tip. The long handle lets you grip the liner closer to the tip, allowing you more control. Pencils, on the other hand, are a lot easier to put where you want them, but they tend to cake up and go on unevenly. To fix that, smudge the line with either your little cone-shaped spongey thing on a stick (that’s what it’s there for,) or a Q-tip (or your finger, in a pinch). You can also rub the cone spongey in eyeshadow, and use that as a more subtle and easily blended eyeliner. You can also turn any eyeshadow into liquid eyeliner by dipping your eyeliner brush in water and dragging it over the eyeshadow.

Again, use your imagination in applying your eyeliner (extravagant eyeliner is, afterall, one of the trademarks of gothic makeup). One of the gothy-standbys is to line your entire upper and lower lids in black eyeliner, ending in little points in the corners (or very dramatic points, if you so choose.) This looks good in either liquid or pencils if it’s properly executed (just be aware that if you use liquid eyeliner under your eye, it’s almost guaranteed to run, especially if you’re sweating. Remember to check yourself in a mirror and touch up often. I usually use pencil on the lower lid, and liquid on the upper). For a less obvious look, you can line either your upper or lower lids, or both, stopping before the inner corner (and blending well, if you’re using a pencil). Be aware, though, that lining only your bottom lid can make your eyes appear smaller. If you have problems applying your liner evenly, try making a few very small lines across your lid, and then connect the dots. Don’t feel obligated to use only black! There’s a world of color out there, many of which are suitable even for the least glittery-goth! Try smudging purple-y (or green, or whatever,) eyeshadow under your eyes with that spongey thing (would somebody PLEASE find out what the proper name for that thing is?). Red can be quite fetching, as well. If just the eyeshadow isn’t enough for you, try applying a thinner line of black over it. This is an especially good idea if you’ve lined your eyes in red–it’s a very cool, spooky look, but red eyeliner alone tends to shrink your eyes (not to mention give you that ever-so-attractive heroin chic look).

You might be tempted to extend your eyeliner into all sorts of curlie-cues and embellishments. Some jaded old goths think this sort of thing is silly, but I say go for it! Just please follow a few guidelines to avoid ridicule. First of all, be creative. The eye of Horus (especially Death’s single curly bit), Crow Makeup, Dawn’s three tears, and Marilyn Manson’s downward-swooping eye things have been done TO DEATH! Also, don’t think that you must be symmetrical. It often looks more polished if you do a few big sweepy things on one side of your face and balance it with a similar-themed but much smaller thing on the other side (not to mention trying to get eyeliner-designs even on both sides is a PHENOMENAL pain in the ass.) For some creative lining ideas, check out my links page for “When Gothic Eyes are Moping”. Finally, if you do decide to get artsy with the eyeliner, for gods’ sakes learn to use a liquid! Yes, it takes a steady hand and tons of practice, but trust me–pencil drawings on your face look wretched. If you can’t draw in liquid, just don’t bother. If you’re really adventurous, you can try the raccon eyes detailed above in solid liquid eyeliner (Think Queen Mab in the recent made-for-TV movie _Merlin_). Probably not worth the trouble, but is quite striking if you pull it off. Whenver you’re using liquid eyeliner, remember not to open your eyes all the way until the liner is completely dry. Use a hair dryer if you’ve used a lot of liner. If you do smudge your liner, or get the liquid uneven, or make any other mistakes, remember that spit-soaked Q-tips are your best friends. Oh, yeah, and no matter what type of liner you’re using, it’s easiest to apply it if you tilt your head back and look through half-closed lids. If you close your eye completely the lid will get all wrinkley and make it more challenging to get the liner even.

A quick note about white eyeliner. Theoretically, when used on the upper lid instead of black liner, white attracts light and “opens up” the eye, making it appear larger. I don’t like it. ::shrug:: Try it sometime, though, it might surprise you. Light silver ought to do the trick, too. You can also put white liner on the inside edge of your lower eyelid (just inside the lashes) to make your eye appear whiter, your pupils more dilated, and generally make you more attractive. It’s a little tricky to apply (try gently pulling the skin under your eye down to move the lid away from your eye a bit), and many professionals recommend that you never ever line your inner eyelid (apparently you may clog your tear ducts or other nasty stuff.) In my experience, you probably don’t want to try it if you have sensitive eyes (unless you want your eyes watering nonstop,) otherwise you’re _probably_ okay. I’ve known people to put black on their inner eyelid, which does make one super-spooky, but also tends to make you look squinty. I also know one person who lined their inner eyelid in red, which was truly startling, and not entirely in a good way.

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To apply mascara, first wipe the excess stuff off of the brush (the side of the tube works well). Starting with your top lashes, use a firm but gentle side-to-side motion to get in between your lashes. If you want your lashes longer rather than thicker, brush from the back to the front, making sure to reach all of them. Repeat underneath your upper lashes, then on top of your lower ones. For darker lashes, you may want to re-dip the brush after each set of lashes. Next, use your eyebrow brush/eyelash comb to pick out any clumps and seperate any lashes that got stuck together. If your lashes still aren’t big enough, apply another coat (hurry! It’s less likely to clump if you don’t let the mascara dry between coats.) Try not to apply mascara directly to your eyeball, and never pump the brush up and down in the tube (it traps air bubbles which can dry the mascara out). Once again, clean up any mishaps w/ a Q-tip.

Colored mascara can be really fun, but I don’t like the way it looks on its own. I either add a layer of color only to the top of my upper lashes, or to the very tips of all of them. ::shrug:: Once again, that’s just my personal preference. You’ve gotta decide what works for you.

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