They don’t call it eye candy for nothing. Women are like kids in a candy store when surrounded by endless retail displays of eyeshadow, mascara, and eyeliner. But have you ever wondered why the product you shelled out big bucks for looks so much better on your best friend?
Taylor Chang-Babaian, a makeup artist in Los Angeles – her expertise includes working on set, on the runway, in print, and with private celebrity clients – has the answer. “The structure of and the space around your eyes both determine how you should apply eye makeup for the best effect,” says Chang-Babaian, author of "Style Eyes" (Perigee). “There are tons of products on the market but, unfortunately, very little education to explain how they should be used.”
While still a young teen, Chang-Babaian had solved the problem of her smaller-than-average eyes with eyeliner. As she became more interested in the beauty business as a career – she’s an 18-year veteran – she was struck by how many women she met who had only one way of doing their eye makeup.
For example, she explains, many women create a horizontal V-shape by connecting the eye shadow at the outermost edge of the crease with the eye shadow placed at the outermost part of the eyelid. However, she says the problem is that not every woman has an eye crease that’s deep enough to make that horizontal V-shape look great. “Many people assume that eye makeup does the same thing on every eye, and that’s absolutely not the case,” says Chang-Babaian, who’s also author of the makeup book "Asian Faces."
What’s the answer to a great looking eye? “For women to have eye makeup success, they need to know what kind of eye characteristics they have,” she says.
What are some of the biggest eye clues women miss?
Short distance from under the eyebrow to the eye crease. The less skin between these two areas, the less space available for eye shadow, says Chang-Babaian, adding that many gals are unaware they may have very little canvas in this area on which to paint. One of the biggest mistakes women make is applying eye shadow – particularly vivid shades – high above the crease right by the eyebrows, thereby creating a clownish look. These women should apply shadow close to the eyelashes, and only slightly above the crease.
Close-set eyes. If you can’t fit one of your eyes between the two you’ve already got, then you have close set eyes. One way to give the appearance of wider eyes is to have the innermost part of the eyebrow only slightly wider than the inner corner of the eye. However, she advises not to use a heavy hand when applying eyebrow powder to the innermost part of the brow. Accentuating this area could make you look angry. Another trick is using liner only on the outer half or third of the lid.
Straight eyelashes. “A woman’s best friend – especially women in their forties and beyond – is an eyelash curler,” says Chang-Babaian, adding that many women think their eyelashes are short, when they’re actually straight. “The minute you curl them, they look longer, which appears to lift the eye. The weight of the newly curled and mascaraed lashes appear to lift sagging lids, which makes the eye look more vital.”
Chang-Babaian acknowledges that it’s not uncommon for women who get eye-makeup makeovers to be disappointed with results that don’t suit them. Her advice: get inspired by runway or highly stylized looks, but then tone them down as you experiment. “Play around with it,” she says. “You know your face better than anyone.”
Coeli Carr is a health and fitness writer in New York City.
