Like most girls, when I started wearing makeup, eyeliner was my best friend. It went all the way around my eyes in the blackest black that was sold. I thought I was doing myself a favor and making my eyes look the best that they could by outlining them. But then one day, I realized that it actually made my eyes look smaller and it wasn't doing my natural beauty any favors. So, I stopped lining all the way and just started wearing it along the top lid with the occasional cat eye.
A few years later, I got really into eyelash extensions. I still love them and think they work wonders for photos and video, but I've always appreciated my natural lashes and again, I wasn't being authentic. So I stopped getting my eyelashes done and started embracing a more natural me.
While I had lash extensions, I had stopped wearing eyeliner, period. It was too much with the false lashes, they really stood on their own feet. I figured after I stopped using false lashes I would go back to lining my top lid... Only to discover that by lining my lid, it made my natural lashes appear shorter than they really are and made my eyes appear smaller. So I reevaluated my makeup routine and realized that minimal really is the way to go.
With the right products, like the new Maybelline Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara from Walmart, and a few tricks, you can give yourself that doe eyed look without the maintenance and cost of eyelash extensions or the need for eyeliner. For some, especially those who wear a lot of makeup, it might take some getting used to. But the less makeup you wear the more you'll come to appreciate and embrace your natural beauty.
Here is how I get my doe eyed look-
Start with the Maybelline Brow Precise Shaping Pencil and fill in your eyebrows. (I've also been working on more natural brows, but that's another post for another day.) You might find the look a little harsh, so next, take your angle brush and using an eyeshadow that matches your natural hair color- soften the look of your brows by topping it with a powder. In both steps, be sure to use a "stipple" technique so that your strokes match the natural movement of your eyebrow hair.
Next, using a fluffy blending brush, apply your highlighting eyeshadow from lash line to brow. Then using a mid-tone color and an eyeshadow sponge, cover your eyelid from lash line to the crease.
*Note- I used one of the Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow Trios for my shadows.
*Tip- to add width to your eyes, use the highlighting shadow and your sponge and apply the shadow in the inner corner of your eye and under the lower lash line.
To finish your shadow, use your crease brush and your crease eyeshadow (it should be the darkest of the three, but still go with a color that will create a natural shadow rather than a dramatic one) and brush the shadow into the crease of your eyelid.
Now for the mascara- when applied correctly, mascara alone is more than enough to make anyone's eyelashes do the talking, without the need for extensions or false lashes. Using the new Maybelline Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara, apply a coat from the root of the lashes to the tip. My trick here is to use a mirror that is laid flat on a table and make sure I really coat the base of my lashes.
I love Maybelline's Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara, because not only is it volumizing, but it also delivers a dramatic volume of a 45° lift! Plus, it's the world's first ever push up brush with patented cup-shaped bristles that scoop, coat, and lift lashes.
Next, I turn the mascara brush vertical to make sure I cover every tip of my eyelashes to maximize their natural length. I finish by repeating these steps multiple times. This is where the magic happens and my eyelashes go from average to extraordinary.
*Note- You may have noticed that I didn't apply mascara to my lower lashes. I find that this too closes off my eyes and I maximize the space by leaving them bare.
By following this routine, I have gotten more compliments on my eyelashes than ever before. Strangers and friends will often stop me to compliment my eyelashes, and it's all done by enhancing their natural beauty rather than by painting on layers of eyeliner or gluing on extensions.
What tips do you have to enhance your natural beauty?
