D-Eye-Y:Under the Sea

This is the color combo that restored my faith in blue eyeshadow! A childhood in the 80s instilled in me a healthy fear of the baby blue monster, and when I began my career as a makeup artist in the mid-90s, I stayed as far away from the stuff as I could. Frankly, it was too soon- we needed time to heal. One day, the brand I worked for (ironically nicknamed Mama Blue) launched a brilliant matte Crayola blue eyeshadow that screamed "Try me!" and my world was turned on its head. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but since my line wasn't exactly known for their vivid shades, anything beyond the normal subdued spectrum was game for me!

It's been several years since I took the leap into the big blue with that vivid Crayola color, and I'm happy to say, my forays into the wild blue yonder gave me the tools to cure many people of their abhorrence of the azure, terror of teal...condemnation of cyan. OK I'm done.

Needless to say, when Sugarpill Cosmetics generously sent me a package of their goodies to try, I was thrilled to see that a few of the shades in the assortment were perfect for one of my favorite looks. This look has always reminded me of the ocean; bright blue where the sun hits the shoals, cool kelpey green in the depths, with mysterious glimpses of what I like to imagine could be the flash of mermaid fins (so much nicer to me than slimy, scaly fishes!)

The great thing about this look is that it's super fast to do- the analogous colors gradate easily from one into another, so you don't have to spend a ton of time blending.

• After priming the entire lid, apply a matte bright yellow to the inner 1/3 of the lower eyelid.
• Using a small, dense brush, apply a vibrant kelly green to the remaining portion of the lid, leaving just a bit of bare skin at the outer corner.
• Use the same brush (after wiping it clean) and lightly blend the horizontal line between the yellow and green, being careful to leave a bit of the unadulterated yellow at the inner corner of the eye.
• Next, take a vibrant mid-tone blue and apply it to the outer 1/3 of the eyelid.
• Using a fluffy shading brush loaded with a bit more of the blue, extend the color up into the outer V area, blending it lightly with the green in the middle.

How far up you choose to bring your color will vary based on your eye shape and comfort level. Since my eyelid is quite small and I have a good amount of space from crease to brow, I like to extend my color slightly above my crease. If you have more lid space, or you're a bit color shy, you may choose to keep your shadow mostly on the lid, blending just slightly into the crease for dimension.

• To soften the top edge, use a skin-toned powder on a clean fluffy shading brush and swipe left to right over the edge where the colors meet bare skin.
• Apply a deep blue liner to the outer half of both the top and bottom lash lines.
• Using a tiny smudger brush, dust a shimmering gold on to the tear duct and inner half of the lower lash line.
• With the same brush, go back to the inner corner and extend the gold from the tear duct up onto the lid, following the line where you blended the green into the yellow.

I have to interject here- I generally try keep shade descriptions in my tutorials kind of ambiguous (it's so not necessary to rush out and buy the exact one I have- use what you own!) but I have to gush a bit about Sugarpill's Goldilux. I am so glad Amy sent me this shade! I have tons of golds; I'll admit, I never would have purchased this one on my own. For the most part, I find most golds eminently dupeable. Sure, some are more antique gold, some closer to bronze, but essentially the finish is the same and I find myself grabbing for whichever is nearest. Goldilux, however, is different from any other gold shadow or pigment that I own. It's an intense, metallic true gold, which is nice on its own, but what sets it apart is its twinkle. Goldilux's shimmer particle size is so fine that it blends in perfectly with the pigment, resulting in maximum wattage without visible chunks of glitter. It's just plain gorgeous. Now, resume tutorial:

• Again, using a small smudger, blend the vivid blue shadow over the liner along the bottom lash line. Moving inward, lightly blend the blue into the gold at about midpoint.
• Swipe on a quick coat of black mascara on the lashes, or falsies if you're feeling fancy, and you're ready to go!

Product List:

Base: Too Faced Shadow Insurance (or Urban Decay Primer Potion- I use them interchangeably.)
Inner Lid: Buttercupcake Pressed Eyeshadow (all shadows used are from Sugarpill Cosmetics)
Middle & Outer Lid: Midori Pressed Eyeshadow

Outer Lid, Outer V & Lower Lash Line (Outer): Afterparty Pressed Eyeshadow
Lower Lash Line (Inner), Tear Duct, and Inner Corner: ChromaLust Loose Eyeshadow in Goldilux
Top Lash Line and Waterline: Blue Jay Duo Eye Pencil (Vincent Longo)
Mascara: Diorshow in Nior/Black
Brows: Automatic Brow Pencil Duo in Soft Brown (Estee Lauder)

Natural Brow Powder in Light Brown (Merle Norman)

Brushes:

MAC 239 (small dense eyeshadow)
MAC 222 (fluffy, domed shader)

Lancome #10 (small smudger)

*Pro Tip: I actually used my finger for this part! Shocking but true; sometimes you can't beat a clean digit for dense application. While it's generally true that brushes give you more control over the placement of your color, using your fingers helps you become more comfortable with your bone structure, which helps you learn where to place color.