Easy Eye Makeup Extras (Quick Additions That Make All the Difference)

Awhile back, I did a post covering some of my favorite time-salvaging beauty tips that are go-to strategies for looking polished but getting out the door in a hurry. In the interests of providing a comprehensive look at things, I thought it might be fun today to look at the flipside. That is, little additional steps that can make such a difference in enhancing the look of your makeup. This is especially true of eye makeup, which often gets an underserved reputation for always being overly complicated and time consuming. Yet, there are many ways to quickly add just that little bit of extra flair and dimension to your eye makeup.

Double-dip Mascara: This is a tip passed on to me by my soul sister—applyyour mascara completely to one eye and then dip the wand back into the tube before moving on to the other eye. Doing this remoistens the brush and also clears it from any more hardened pieces of mascara that may have flaked onto the brush when applying to the first eye. This also helps prevents the lashes from clumping or sticking together at the tips since every swipe of mascara will be fresh and new and not gummed up with excess product on the brush. And this especially makes a difference as your mascara nears the end of its life.

Use Both Black and Brown Eyeliner: For anyone who goes for an extra-wide doe-eyed effect for their eye look, using both a black and a brown eyeliner in one makeup look can really make a difference. Apply the black liner across the top lashline, making sure to wriggle the pencil really at the base of the lashes as you sweep across to make the lashes look extra thick. Then, for the bottom lashes, use the brown eyeliner. Brown eyeliner, especially a cool-undertoned ashy brown, will not look that contrasting from black, but the overall effect will be less intense and make the space of the eye appear wider. Black eyeliner, while impactful, can sometimes close in the eye,. especially when the eyes are smaller or naturally set closer together. By putting a slightly less strong color on the bottom lashes, the eye will be appear more open overall while still adding definition and balancing with the black liner on the top lashline.

Apply White or Other Pale-Colored Shadow to the Center of the Lid: This applies to any intricate eye look, but especially a classic smoky eye, where everything is else is intense and smoldering. Just a ring finger-sized tap of a pale color (matte or shimmery, is up to you, though a shimmery silver is a favorite of mine), will help your eye color be shine out further from within the haze of black or whatever other deeper colors you choose. This keeps a dark, dramatic eye from becoming muddied or messy-looking or closing down the size of the eye, which is especially helpful if you have smaller eyes or a hooded eye shape and more complex eye makeup might make those eye shapes look smaller and droopy.

Sometimes, one simple step is all it takes to elevate a look from pretty to perfection. These tiny add-ons to your makeup will spice up the look of your eyes no matter for any occasion, no matter what other makeup you pair them with. There may not always be enough hours in the day to do a full-on smoky cat eye with false lashes. But any one of these tips, or even all three combined together can give the eyes extra gorgeous glamour In no time!