This year, we decided to devote four issues to celebrating, investigating, and having a lot of fun with a single feature — and we started with the eyes for January 2018. It is our humble hope that this guide and the three that follow (on skin, hair, and lips) are ones you won't part with. They'll be packed with the absolute best products, salon and spa recommendations, serious inspiration, and as you will find below, the best expert tips. When Allure started in 1991, we pretty much invented eye-makeup tips and even we've never heard some of this brilliant pro advice. Presenting the 101 best eye-makeup tips, according to makeup artists, that we could find:
Apply colorful shadow to your lids and lower lash lines with a damp brush, then switch to a dry brush for the creases so the color fades away. — Nick Barose
Fix a broken eye shadow palette with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Move the shards back together, spray, then press lightly and let dry. — Francelle Daly
You can make any color eye shadow multidimensional by layering two textures of the same shade. Press a shimmering powder over a sparkling cream. — Mally Roncal
The old rule — to play up your eyes or lips, not both — is begging to be broken. Just keep your eye makeup and lipstick in the same color family and they’ll work together. — Nick Barose
Line your upper waterlines in black to define the eyes and the lower ones in beige to make your eye color stand out. — Francelle Daly
Brighten up your eyes by framing them with highlighter. Tap a champagne or gold cream above the tails of the brows and just over the cheekbones. — Mally Roncal
While your mascara is still wet, quickly push your lashes up with your fingers to curl them. — Sir John
To create the perfect wing, draw a dot about two millimeters up and out from the outer corner of each eye, then connect the dots to your lash lines. — Charlotte Tilbury
Using one color on the whole face — like dusting the same color blush across the lids and cheeks — is so pretty because it doesn’t look done up. — Gucci Westman
Using only creamy formulas — like golden-taupe or peachy-brown cream shadows — around the eyes gives you a really beautiful, dewy, healthy effect. — Diane Kendal
Press a shimmery cream shadow onto the middle of your eyelids, then swish it back and forth with a soft nylon brush for an easy blended look. — Jillian Dempsey
Play up your outer lashes for a cat-eye effect (that doesn’t require liner skills). Apply a lengthening mascara, then a volumizing formula to just the outer lashes. — Sir John
Wrap an ice cube in a cloth napkin, hold it under each eye for five minutes, then gently tap the bags under your eyes a few times to break up puffiness. — Jillian Dempsey
Makeup can't save the world, but it can help you feel assertive. Brush brown mascara through your brows to give them depth and strength. — James Kaliardos
Tap any color glitter over black cream shadow for reflective color. Put the glitter in the center of your lid as close to the lash line as possible. — Violette
Layer a coat of waterproof mascara — which has hold — under regular mascara and your curl will always last longer. — Mally Roncal
Apply concealer in thin layers and it won’t cake: Swipe a little on your finger, press it against the back of your hand to remove excess, then tap it on skin. — Laura Mercier
Wiggle your pencil into the roots of your lower lashes instead of filling in the waterline. A strip of harsh black on the lower inner rim makes eyes look smaller. — Pati Dubroff
Try these eye-makeup trends and tutorials:
When you squint, you get little lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Use the top one as your guide for winged liner. — Matin
Wear undereye masks, like gel patches, while you do your eye makeup. They’ll act as eye shadow catchers and depuff at the same time. — Patrick Ta
Coat your brows twice with brow gel and they’ll look fuller. Sweep from the tails to the inner corners, then, using what’s left on the wand, brush them back into place. — Maribeth Madron
Prep your lids with oil-free moisturizer, then press shimmery powder shadow on top. Your eye shadow will look 3D. — Pat McGrath
When it’s early in the morning — or anytime your eyes are red or pink — line the inside rims with a beige pencil, which acts like concealer for your eyeballs. — Pat McGrath
You can make any eye makeup look warmer — and sexier — by brushing bronzer through the creases. Dust a little around the perimeter of your face, too, to tie your whole look together. — Patrick Ta
Mascara wands with long bristles are good for getting into the roots of the lashes — and if you manage to really tint the roots, your lashes look even longer. — Tom Pecheux
Draw a cat-eye shape with gel liner, then paint over that with a waterproof liquid for intensity and opacity. — Michael Ashton
Sweep a large, fluffy (and bare) eye shadow brush over your finished eye makeup to blend and soften powder shadows. — Jillian Dempsey
Tap a lip balm over the center of your lids to add a healthy- looking shine that makes you seem more awake. — Yadim
To get perfectly clumpy lashes, use waterproof mascara (the stiffest kind), then carefully pinch your lashes together with tweezers. Add one more coat using the tip of your wand. — Peter Philips
For the softest — and easiest — winged look, diffuse eyeliner pencil just past the outer corner of the eyes with a domed shadow brush. — Pat McGrath
Gold sparkle on the eyes brings light to the face (and complements matte lipstick). Apply a gold cream around the inner corners or across the lids. — Tom Pecheux
Dash a brown pencil between your lashes to create invisible liner, and add brown mascara for a natural look. — Quinn Murphy
Emphasize winged liner — and open up the eyes — by putting mascara just at the outer corners, right where the wing is, instead of all the way across the eyes. — Diane Kendal
Run an angled eyeliner brush over the tip of your pencil, and press it along the roots of your upper and lower lashes for a thin, precise line. — Diane Kendal
Put concealer under your eyes, then pat it down with your fingers or a brush to blend. Rubbing wipes concealer to the side, leaving dark shadows exposed. — Vanessa Scali
Brush golden-taupe powder through your creases, then tap highlighter on the center of your lids. It’s an easy way to frame your eyes. — Pat McGrath
Hold your mascara wand vertically and run it across your lower lashes. They’ll never turn out spidery. — Sir John
A shimmering nude shadow can brighten up your eyes as long as it’s a touch darker than your skin tone — if it’s lighter, it looks frosty. — Troy Surratt
Liquid lipstick — in beige, brown, or fun colors — has a velvety texture that’s the most beautiful thing ever on the eyelids. And if you rub your eyes, it won’t move. — Violette
Swipe a shadow stick along your upper lash line a few times, then smudge the line halfway up your lid with a finger to fake professionally blended shadow. — Mark Carrasquillo
Heavy liner weighs down small eyes. Remember: The thinner your liner, the more open your eyes will look. — Mally Roncal
Shadows and liners with a bit of shimmer always stand out more than matte ones on dark skin. — Nick Barose
Pressing too hard with your mascara leaves wand marks on your lids. Use a light touch, and clean up any mistakes so you don’t look like you put your makeup on in a car. — Jillian Dempsey
Brows can change your whole face — plucking the arches gives an instant eye lift. It’s not rocket science, but it works so well, it bears repeating. — Charlotte Tilbury
For a smolder-y eye, blend brown pencil over your lids, then top it with shimmery brown shadow. — Diane Kendal
Warm metallic shadows, like copper or gold, pick up gold flashes in the iris and really light up cool-blue eyes. — Charlotte Tilbury
Put the most brow filler (whether it’s powder, pencil, or gel) on your arches. You want them to be darker than the tails or inner corners for a natural look. — Maribeth Madron
Wiggle mascara into just the roots of your lashes to frame your eyes in a no-makeup makeup kind of way. — Pat
Avoid concealer on the lower lash lines, where almost everyone has fine lines. The second you smile, it’ll crease. — Sandy Linter
Instead of safe brown shadows and pencils, try amber. It’s a warm nude, which makes it look sultry, and the orangey undertones emphasize green eyes. — Charlotte Willer
After you’ve got black mascara on your upper lashes, add a colorful one (like burgundy or blue) to just the tips. It brings attention to your eyes, even though it’s subtle. — Pati Dubroff
Comb your brows straight up and trim only the longest hairs. Stagger the length as you go so your eyebrows don’t get a crew cut. — Kristie Streicher
For a classic look that's a no-brainer, sweep bronze shadow across your lids, then add a thin line of black and lots of mascara. — Linda Cantello
Lay down the shape of your eye makeup with pencil first, then add powder on top. — Pat McGrath
Using bar soap and a spooley to keep your brows brushed upward is an old trick from the ’60s that will never let you down. — Megan Dugan
Colorful eyeliner is an easy way to experiment with bold shades. Add a matte taupe powder to the crease to frame the eyeliner and make it stand out even more. — Pati Dubroff
When concealer gets crinkly, tap it with your finger or — better yet — a little eye cream to smooth it back out during the day. — Tom Pecheux
Make eyes appear wider by pressing eyeliner into just the outer third of the lash line. — Maria Verel
Go over your liner with a cotton swab dipped in moisturizer to give your pencil a cooler, lived-in effect. — Diane Kendal
Brightening your brow bones with a little concealer — instead of shimmery shadow — makes your bone structure look prominent, without obvious highlighter. — Kate Lee
Powder formulas with a slight shimmer blend more easily — and look more natural — on the skin than matte shades. — Vanessa Scali
If your lids are oily, prep them with blotting papers. Your mascara and eye shadow won’t smudge throughout the day. — Nick Barose
Blend matte taupe shadow over the lids and under the lower lashes to create depth that’ll detract from puffiness under the eyes. — Jillian Dempsey
If your lashes are straight, curl them before and after applying mascara. Give your mascara a few minutes to dry in between. — Mai Quynh
Dust whatever is on your cheeks — bronzer or blush — over your lids to give them a little depth. It works on bare lids or over your shadow. — Violette
Dab gold cream shadow on your brow-gel spooley and comb it through the brows to give them a healthy-looking shine. — Mally Roncal
The best concealers have peachy undertones that neutralize the blue tint in most dark circles. Avoid anything that looks remotely yellow — it’ll stand out on skin. — Jillian Dempsey
Drawing a crease on monolids can look heavy. Smudge a dark shadow along the top lash lines and fade it toward the brow bones to add depth. — Mai Quynh
Instead of putting concealer right on undereye puffs — which makes them stand out more — put it in the creases below your bags and your skin will look more uniform. — Pati Dubroff
Colorful liner brings light to deep-set eyes. — Matin
Unless the ends of your brows dip far below their inner corners — which can drag down your eyes — leave their length alone. — Joey Healy
Iridescent cream shadow gives eyes a pretty, wet finish. Smudge it on with your fingers. — Fulvia Farolfi
Conceal dark shadows around the inner corners of your eyes, then blend a little concealer down the sides of your nose for seamless coverage. — Pati Dubroff
Using two liners — black on top, brown on the bottom — to define your eyes is just incredibly sexy. — Tom Pecheux
Apply a colorful shadow over a pale cream one and the color will look super vibrant. Put it on top of a dark cream shadow and it’ll look smokier and cooler. — Sarah Tanno
For wide-set eyes, tap highlighter over the outer corners of the lids; for close-set eyes, tap it on the inner corners. — Matin
Place shadow first where you want the most pigment — the center of your lids or outer corners — then blend from there. — Troy Surratt
Eyelash curlers need time to work — press yours against your lashes for 10 seconds longer than normal and your curl will last longer and look better. — Grace Lee
Colorful eye shadows look amazing on dark skin, especially when the color is super saturated. Pick creams and powders with oomph. — AJ Crimson
If mascara weighs down your eyes, focus on the middle of your upper lashes and go easy on the outer corners. — Jillian Dempsey
Lining the waterlines in dark blue gives the same effect as black in a less severe way and emphasizes the lighter flecks in brown eyes. — Charlotte Tilbury
Eye crayons allow you to build intensity really quickly without having to layer and layer — and they won’t fall and flake like powders. — Nick Barose
Anything with red undertones — metallic ruby, ruddy bronze — is dazzling against green eyes. Pair it with lots of black liner so you don’t wind up looking tired. — Charlotte Tilbury
If you line your lower lash line, run a clean finger over the pencil to soften it up. — Jillian Dempsey
If your eyes are downturned, skip mascara on the lower lashes — it can drag your eyes down. — Troy Surratt
Never. Over. Pluck. Brows are the pillars of the face. — Charlotte Tilbury
Have tons of cotton swabs and oil-free makeup remover on hand to clean up winged liner. — Mai Quynh
Everyone needs a black cream shadow with shimmer — in one second, you can smudge it over your lids for instant smokiness. — Nick Barose
For a rock and roll look, rim your eyes in black pencil — and really lay it on thick — then diffuse the pigment up and out with a domed shadow brush. — Pat McGrath
Put concealer on last to help prevent shadow from dripping down. Set the concealer with a little powder. — Aaron De Mey
If your smoky eyes just aren’t smoky enough, use whatever pencil or powder you’re working with to connect the upper and lower lash lines with a V at the outer corners. — Jillian Dempsey
Run a wide, flat concealer brush over the tip of a black pencil, then pat the pigment along your upper and lower lashes for a diffused smoky effect. — Diane Kendal
- Revive your mascara throughout the day with a heated lash curler, which activates the waxes so you can re-curl your lashes. Push the curler (carefully) against the roots of your lashes, then use your finger to press them up as they cool. — Peter Philips
A version of this article originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Allure. To get your copy, head to newsstands or subscribe now.
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