Makeup Workshop Lessons: Eye Shadow Design

I have a love-hate relationship with my eyes. Since I am yet to decide if I want my identity known by the strangers of the internet, I shall keep my face a secret for now. I might later decide to reveal my face, I am still convincing myself it's worth the hassle. For the meantime, I shall post photos of this lovely woman whose eyes look exactly like mine:

Our eyes are "uso" at the moment. Well, at least for the past decade since the popularity of East Asian TV series like Meteor Garden and Koreanovelas and Jdoramas. I, of course, feel honored to have eyes that are currently glorified. Ten, twenty, fifty years from now though, when the trends have changed and society has begun disliking my eyes the way it glorified flat butts in the 80s and now mock and hate 'em... I am not sure if I am blessed at all. 

Especially that eyes like mine are filed under "PROBLEM EYES" in the makeup industry. Unlike our deep-set, multi-dimensional, large-eyed sisters, we have a flat, uninteresting canvass that doesn't hold much color. I've had about a dozen horror stories from Makeup Artists who did my face and tried AGAINST MY WILL to put normal eye makeup on my non-normal eyes, resulting in me looking like a panda/witch/kontrabida, like sooo:

What is up with makeup artists not listening to their clients when they say a look doesn't work for them? See, this is perhaps my biggest makeup advocacy. I want women to speak up and not just silently begrudge their makeup artists. We, as clients, have worn our faces for the past decades, no amount of makeup training can make makeup artists better acquainted than us in establishing what works and what doesn't for our specific face. No means no. I have walked out of a wedding and a pageant all because I ended up looking horrible because makeup artists wouldn't listen when I tell them my face has a way of looking like a witch at the slightest hint of dark eyeliner/eye shadow and over-concealing of the eye area. You think I'm exaggerating. Here's the normally breathtaking Leighton Meester, after an encounter with a savage makeup artist:

We don't share the same eye issue, but this is what happens when somebody fucks up your eyes. Wouldn't you walk out on a pageant/wedding too if somebody did this to your face? 

Leighton Meester, done right:

I shall discuss proper eye makeup for Monolids/Hooded/Problem Eyes at a different post. What we learned from the workshop is basic eye makeup for generally normal eyes with considerable crease area and depth. Here are the steps:

1. Prep eyes. Apply PRIMER. This is important for us Filipinos, we tend to have oily or sweaty eye lids, thanks to our hot weather and humidity. Set primer with NEUTRAL EYE SHADOW. 

2. To enlarge small eyes, use LIGHT BROWN EYE SHADOW WITH SHIMMER. The idea is to draw light to the eyes to enlarge the area. To minimize the appearance of large or protruding eyes, use MATTE EYE SHADOW.

3. Apply the proper type of eye shadow by PRESSING THE PIGMENT UPWARDS instead of brushing the powder on the eye lid. As in the photo above (took it from the internet, the handouts from the workshop are blurry), apply A POP OF COLOR - whichever is best suited for the client's complexion, eye color, event, and age - at the outer 1/3 of the eye lid. 

4. Apply a DARK SHADE at the crease of the eye. 

5. Apply a LIGHT/ SHIMMERY SHADE at the middle area of the eye. Blend, blend, blend away all harsh lines and intersections. 

6. Apply HIGHLIGHTER at the brow bone (IF it's not too protruded, this is rare in Filipino faces, though) and at the inner corner of the eyes. 

7. Eye shadow (pop of color/dark/light shade) may be applied to the lower eye area if the look is event- and age-appropriate and suited to the client's features.

8. Use black EYE LINER at the upper lashes. Thickness should depend on the size and intensity of the eyes. The bigger and rounder the eyes, the thicker the liner. Smaller eyes don't look good with thick eye liner. Apply eye liner at the bottom lashes if a more intense look is the goal. WHITE EYE LINER may be applied to open up the eyes and make them look brighter.

9. CURL LASHES (cult fave Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curlers are recommended, I use Revlon, they work just as well) and apply MASCARA. Apply mascara at the lower lashes too if client has no bag and circle issues. Apply FALSIES and then apply loads of mascara to make the falsies stick to the lashes.

Ms. Donna's final product:

I'm not really a big fan of the look. The girl and I have similar eyes, and this look made her look old and intimidating. This normally looks awesome on Latina, Caucasian, or Persian eyes, on stage, in photos, and up close in real life. But then again, it's probably just me and my biased views. My cousin did this same look on my face during the workshop, and I ended up going to the bathroom to wash it off. I didn't like looking scary. My beauty peg had always been fresh, light, and blooming, I guess it's because it's the only kind of look that works for us Chinitas. I'll leave you with my beauty pegs:

Parting words to makeup artists ~ up there is how you do Chinita eyes, down below is how you do NORMAL eyes. See how Chinita eyes are special and look good when they're not forced to look like they're deeper-set/wider/larger? Learn to respect faces for what they are.