Eyeshadow Tips for Asian Eyes
Makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor takes you through a shadow, liner, and mascara tutorial and shares some of his all-time favorite products for the eye area.
"Avoid the color-by-numbers effect," says Sotomayor. "Eye makeup looks best when it's geared towards your unique eye shape rather than where colors are 'supposed' to go. If your eye doesn't have a strong crease, you don't need to create one. Instead, take advantage of your lid space and apply a smoky ombre of shadows. Apply dark eye shadow at the lashline, a medium color on the lid, and the lightest color on the brow. Use a smudgeable pencil or an angled liner brush lash line and blend. Sometimes it's easier if you open your eye in order to get the liner to the inner corner. Next, apply dark shadow over the liner with a medium shadow brush to intensify the liner and smudge it. Follow with a medium shadow horizontally, just above the darker one, and overlapping a bit to create a fade. Repeat this technique with one or two more shades. The darkest shadow should be black, brown, or gray. The lightest color should be ivory, pale gold, or pearl. The medium shades can be anything you like. For the 2012 Met Costume Institute Gala, I used black, bronze, and rose gold shadows on model Liu Wen.
Curled lashes look longer than straight ones and they open up the eye. For long-lasting curl on naturally straight lashes, apply one coat of waterproof mascara, curl with an eyelash curler, and apply another coat of mascara. Non-waterproof mascaras often cause straight lashes to uncurl, similar to moisture undoing the work of a curling iron on your hair."
Keep reading for the eye makeup products Sotomayor swears by.
Photo: courtesy of Clé de Peau Beauté1/7"Many of my clients are appearing on television or on the red carpet, so I need to make sure that their concealer doesn’t budge. Warm this concealer with your fingertip and tap it under the eyes. Use a brush to blend it smooth and apply the lightest amount of loose powder to set it."
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer, $70. Nordstrom.com.
2/7An expert shares his tricks for creating the perfect smoky eye and curled lashes that last.
Photo: courtesy of Sephora3/7"Pencils should be soft enough to sketch and blend but firm enough to go on neatly. To make it stay in place, apply shadow in a similar color to intensify and set it."
Lancôme Le Crayon Khôl in Black Ebony or Black Coffee, $26. Sephora.com.
Photo: courtesy of Shiseido4/7"A good curler—like this one—will be wide enough to grab and curl all your lashes. Squeeze as close to the roots as possible before and after you apply your first coat of mascara."
Shiseido Eyelash Curler, $19. Shiseido.com.
Photo: courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent5/7"The inner corners of the eyes sometimes need a little extra brightening. One click dispenses the product into the brush applicator and hides any signs of fatigue. I also use it to highlight cheekbones, browbones, and occasionally the bridge of the nose."
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat, $40. Yslbeautyus.com.
Photo: courtesy of Maybelline New York6/7"The waterproof formula and fine-bristled rubber brush separates, locks them in place, and makes freshly curled lashes stay that way."
Maybelline New York One By One Waterproof Mascara in Black, $8. Walgreens.com.
Photo: courtesy of L'Oréal Paris7/7"These metallics are great to apply on the lid for a pop of color or to create a smoky eye that still has a bright-eyed effect."
L’Oréal Paris Infallible 24 Hour Eye Shadows, $8. Drugstore.com.
