From neutral day face to a sexy smoky eye
We never get tired of quick-change makeup tricks, especially when it comes to holiday glamour. Here's how to take 9-to-5 to all-night-long with minimal fuss for maximum impact. Just remember to use a light hand with foundation and concealer in the morning; you'll touch up your face before you shimmy out of the office.
 | The neutral day face Soft, neutral daytime makeup will give you the most change-up versatility. 1. Apply a medium earth-tone eye shadow all over the lid and under the lower lashline. Add intensity with a darker earth-tone shade smudged along the upper lashline and blended at the outer vee of your upper lid and into the crease. Highlight browbones with a pale cream or champagne shadow. Curl lashes and define them with a light coat of your favourite black mascara. |
2. Warm your complexion with a touch of peachy-pink blush along your cheekbones.
3. Top lips with a sheer gloss or tinted lip balm a couple of shades deeper in shade than your natural lip colour.
Tip: Prep eyelids with a primer such as CARGO EyeBase ($20 at Sephora) before applying shadow. Or use an all-over face primer such as Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer ($7.89 at well.ca), or DuWop Primerstone ($42 at Sephora), a powder formula.
 | The speedy smoky eye Smoky eye makeup is easier and faster than most people think, truly! This method is a simple three-step. 1. "Run a dark pencil eye liner along the inner rims of your lids for that extra smoldering look," says pro makeup artist Sylvie Mazerolle, who has worked her beauty magic with actresses Sarah Polley and Catherine Zeta-Jones. |
2. Smudge a fat line of dark eye shadow along upper and lower lashlines. Instead of black, try dark grey, chocolate brown, navy, dark green or plum. "If you have blue eyes, try a combo of greys and navy or golds and rich chocolate. If you have brown or green eyes, try pinks and deep purples, such as eggplant," suggests Mazerolle.
3. Blend a little dark earth-tone eye shadow into crease and up to just under the brow bone. And your smoky eye is done!
- -Use an angled brush to define brows with an eye shadow colour that matches your hair.
- -Refresh blush, but keep it subtle.
- -Switch to an almost-nude lipstick colour.
Tip: Go for a water-resistant eye liner, such as GOSH Velvet Touch pencil liner ($13 at Shoppers Drug Mart), Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner ($9.50 at drugstores), or Smashbox Jet Set Cream Liner ($25 at Shoppers Drug Mart and Sephora). Or try Lise Watier's Cat Eye Kit, which includes an all-over shimmery pale eye shadow, black khol eye pencil, black eye shadow, Métamorfix liquid (a drop or two turns powder shadow into a liquid-like liner with staying power), an eye shadow brush and an angled eye liner brush ($39/kit at lisewatier.com).
