The Best Eye Makeup for Green Eyes

Photo: Getty Images

We get so used to using our favorite makeup that sometimes we fail to test new colors and find what could work even better — like shades that make your eye color really stand out. We spoke with Sonia Kashuk, a makeup artist and Founder of Sonia Kashuk Beauty, about which shades make green eyes even more vibrant.

When choosing eye shadow and liner shades, you want what’s opposite on the color wheel. “Reddish browns, coppers and violets will look amazing with green eyes,” Kashuk says. Her Sonia Kashuk Monochrome Eye Quad in Textured Mauve ($13.69, target.com) has four pinkish-violet hues that bring attention to the iris.

And if you love green shadows, choose the shade wisely. “Deep olive tones will make your eyes pop, while a brighter green will become the focus point rather than your eyes,” says Kashuk. The MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Antique Diamond ($20, maccosmetics.com) is an olive-silver mix with a creamy texture and shine that makes your green eyes stand out.

And for the lips, she says, “A pale lipstick will keep the energy on the eyes, letting your green really stand out, while a bright orange, [which] is very on trend right now, is a fun contrasting shade.” For light color on the lips, we recommend Sonia Kashuk Satin Luxe Lipcolor with SPF 16 Sunscreen in Nude Pink ($9.99, target.com).

Real Girl Makeover: “I’m Bored with My Straight Hair”

Photos: Ally Lindsay

It’s pretty much a fact of life that we’re never happy with the hair we’re born with. Curly girls wish they could just roll out of bed frizz-free; straight-haired ladies crave more body and volume. So when our latest Real Girl Makeoversubject, Kelly, explained she wanted to hit the refresh button on her shoulder-length locks, we could totally relate.

We whisked Kelly off to O&M. nyc, a new salon in New York’s Meatpacking District, for her big transformation courtesy of O&M Creative Director Janelle Chaplin. Kelly wanted to pump up her hair’s volume, but since she had been in the process of growing out a shorter cut, she didn’t want to lose too much length. Chaplin knew just what to do: “With the haircut, we did a very heavy front layer, a very ‘70s feeling. This created the illusion of more length and more volume,” she explained. A cut like this is “a great choice for blending in a growing out fringe, which can be a job in itself.”

To add life to Kelly’s color, “we illustrated some sun-kissed pieces through the ends,” Chaplin said. Once the cut and color were finished, Chaplin and her team styled the the hair to emphasize fullness, prepping with O&M Atonic Thickening Spritz ($25.95, originalmineral.com) before blowing out the hair and curling with a large barrel iron. A few spritzes of Surf Bomb Sea Salt Texture Spray ($23.95) gave Kelly’s hair added texture.

Photos: Ally Lindsay

Next, it was time for makeup. Since Kelly wasn’t used to wearing a full face (and doesn’t need to!), Make Up For Ever Managing Educator Jessie Powers opted to play up her eyes with neutral tones. “On somebody who’s not comfortable wearing a lot of makeup, you can give them the most impact by creating definition that frames the lash line,” Powers explained. To do this, she defined Kelly’s eyes with Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow pencils in 2E (matte brown) and 4E (matte gray) ($20 each, sephora.com), along with the brand’s new Smoky Extravagant Mascara ($24) on her lashes. In contrast to this past summer’s warm shades, “This fall is more about cool neutrals,” Powers said. Finally, she added color to Kelly’s face with a matte bronzer. “Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing bronzer; it’s just maybe more muted than it would be in summer.”

A few weeks later, Kelly is still in love with her new look. “I was so sick of my one-dimensional, dark, straight hair,” she said. Now, “The color is fantastic and much more flattering than the very dark brown hair I started with. I couldn’t have asked for a better change!”

Photo: Ally Lindsay

Credits:
Photographer: Ally Lindsay
Hair: Janelle Chaplin for O&M
Makeup: Jessie Powers for Make Up For Ever
Salon: O&M. nyc, 55 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY, 212-255-2445

Instant Makeover: This Eyelash Primer Prevents Mascara Clumps

Occasionally we come across a product that bestows an immediate glow, changing our look (for the better!) in an instant. Since we’d be remiss to keep them to ourselves, we highlight these genius finds in our Instant Makeover series.

I’ve never applied a mascara that didn’t last the entire day. I can always pretty much guarantee that I will look like a raccoon when I hop out of the shower at night. So when the Manna Kadar Lash Extending Primer ($12,mannakadarcosmetics.com) was brought to my attention, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But after only a few tries, I’ve noticed that the eyelash primer makes any mascara less clumpy. I’ve even experimented with a few. There are two or three mascaras I have that end up being really clumpy if I’m super careful when applying, but they provide such great length and volume that I just can’t get myself to throw them out. By applying the primer first, my lashes were separated and lengthened. This allowed the mascaras to follow the direction of the lashes, not clumping at all.

You can also wear the primer on its own as a clear mascara. It first applies white, but within seconds it dries to clear. I plan on using it solo for days that I want a really natural look or when I’m heading to the gym and I want my face to look makeup free.

How to Copy Jennifer Aniston’s Gray-Blue Eye Liner Look

Jennifer Aniston at the cocktail reception for her new film “Life of Crime.”
Photo: Getty Images

If you’re sick of wearing kohl-black eye liner, but don’t really have the courage to try a bright pop of color, take a page from Jennifer Aniston, who sported a dramatic-yet-not-too-dark rimmed eye to a weekend red carpet event.

At the Toronto International Film Festival, makeup artist Leslie Lopez colored the rims of Jennifer’s eyes with the new NARS Transvaal Eye Paint ($25, narscosmetics.com), which is a gray-blue color—a perfect complement for Aniston’s blue eyes. Lopez especially loved how the color was so similar to Aniston’s grayish-teal Vivienne Westwood dress. She finished off the look with NARS Laos Matte Multiple (not available until Spring 2014) for a nude-pink lip.

The Beauty Gurus of Pixiwoo Share Their Makeup Must-Haves

Samantha and Nic Chapman of Pixiwoo.

The sisters/makeup artists behind Pixiwoo have won legions of fans through their video makeup tutorials on YouTube (more than a million subscribers and counting!), and now, they’re embarking on a new venture — a line of cruelty-free makeup brushes called Real Techniques. We asked the beauty gurus, Samantha and Nic Chapman, about everything from their favorite makeup trends to the beauty products they simply can’t live without.

What are your favorite makeup trends we can look forward to seeing?
Samantha Chapman: I always like to see an orange lip. I think it is definitely tougher [to pull off] if you have more pale, pink-undertone skin, but you can use a different texture of orange. You can use a sheer [orange lipstick] and build it up as much as you can, and I actually think using a lip pencil on its own is a much more flattering way to wear it, because that opaque color of orange can be just too strong for someone as pale as me.

What are the biggest makeup mistakes you see women making?
Sam: Well there’s quite a few. Brows are huge, but you can’t just go in there with a dark eye shadow or a dark pencil. Go a couple shades lighter with your eye shadow or pencil so it looks more natural. Using bronzer to contour just looks like an orange stripe. Bronzer should be used all over the face, not as a contour. Wrong color foundation is just a classic. Don’t test it on your hands or your wrists — it should match your jaw.

What is the most overrated makeup product?
Sam: I think it really depends on your face and your skin. I don’t think every woman needs a primer, for example. If you find that your foundation does slip off, then yeah, you do need it.

What are your favorite beauty products of all time?
Sam: MAC Face and Body Foundation ($35, maccosmetics.com) is such a brilliant all-around product. It’s not a foundation I wear every day, but it’s a foundation I alway have in my kit, because you can use it on legs and body. As a makeup artist, you’re responsible for all visible skin, and something like that is great. You can change the texture of it quite easily. The more you rub it, the thicker it gets, so it’s a great one for legs. Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($60, giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com) is brilliant. It photographs really beautifully. Any of the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow products. They just knock everything else out. Illamasqua Skin Base ($42,sephora.com) is nice if you want a more ethereal finish. It photographs beautifully.

Nic Chapman: Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation ($47, bobbibrowncosmetics.com). It’s nice and glowy. I quite like cream products, because I’m now about to turn 33, so I want anything slightly creamier, unless I’m working all day, then I want it to stay put, so I’ll use a powder. I like Chanel Bronze Universal ($48, chanel.com) [also known as Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base]. It gives a lovely radiant glow. There’s a little bit of color, but it’s still creamy, so it doesn’t look like you’ve got too much on. Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel ($22,anastasia.net). They do some really great colors. I love the NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks ($26,narscosmetics.com). If you want that bright orange that’s going to last, the NARS one is great, and it comes in a pencil.  Concealer-wise, I’m loving Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfecter Eye Roll-On [available in the UK].

Sam: If you’re not on a budget, Creme de la Mer Concealer ($70, cremedelamer.com). Kevyn Aucoin concealers ($48, neimanmarcus.com) last forever. They come in 15 shades and you mix and match. I can use these as foundation, add a bit of moisturizer to sheer it out. Those are amazing and worth investing.

Instant Makeover: This Texturizing Spray is Better Than Dry Shampoo

Occasionally we come across a product that bestows an immediate glow, changing our look (for the better!) in an instant. Since we’d be remiss to keep them to ourselves, we highlight these genius finds in our Instant Makeover series.

I’m a dry shampoo hater. No matter which brand I use, the stuff always seems to make my hair gunkier than when I started — not exactly a fix for second-day styling. But there’s a new product that’s everything I ever wished dry shampoo could be: BlowPro TextStyle Dry Texture Spray ($19.75, blowpro.com) minimizes oil, fluffs up hair and gives it grip, but also leaves strands soft and brushable with zero sticky residue. Not only is the spray brilliant for prepping hair for braids and chignons, I’ve been using it daily to plump up my sideswept bangs and prevent them from getting stringy. Its effects actually last for two whole days thanks to its Lastingflex Technology which combines starch, silica and flexible polymers to give hair “memory” (I assume it’s remembering the best hair day ever). Plus, the scent is so nice that three separate people have asked me what perfume I’m wearing. I dare you to find a dry shampoo that can do that.

Keri Russell Matched Her Makeup to Her Outfit, and It Totally Works

Photo: Getty Images

Coordinating your eye makeup with your top isn’t always the best idea — oftentimes it can look too matchy-matchy. But beauty rules were made to be broken, and Keri Russell did just that when she paired metallic blue eye makeup with a shiny blazer at an event in New York over the weekend. We think she pulled off the statement look like a boss.

Photo: Pacific Coast News

So what made her makeup work? Instead of wearing a wash of blue shadow all over her lids, Russell just used blue-violet eye liner on the inner thirds of her eyes. The rest of her eye makeup is all neutral grays and silvers. The effect is bold but not in your face. We’re totally trying her look this week — how about you?