FALL MAKEUP FROM THE RUNWAY TO REALITY

Twice a year, all eyes fall upon New York City, Milan, and Paris as some of the most prestigious designers in the world showcase their new collections. Catwalks are adorned with beautiful models, stunning hair and makeup, loud energetic music, and a star studded guest list to boot. But did you ever wonder how you could execute these makeup looks yourself in a way that's wearable for real life? Translating these color concepts from the runway to YOUR face is a lot easier than you think. It's about taking a fabulous shade or the dewy skin that you see and incorporating those simple ideas into your next application. For the most part, the 2012 Fall shows were surprisingly understated in terms of makeup, however there were a few that stood out in a very theatrical way. Decide which feature you'd like to play up this season and downplay the rest of your face to keep things balanced,  Use the suggestions below to make your new Fall face a fabulous one!

 THE COBALT SMOKY EYE
photo by Imaxtree

Intense blue hues like Cobalt, Navy, and bright Turquoise are very popular this season. And although the designers debuted this daring eye in a very avantguard way, it doesn't mean that we can't tweak the look a bit so that we can all wear this beautiful color.

Apply your favorite cream or powder shadow carefully onto eye lids and bring under the lower lashes to create a halo effect. Be sure to feather out the edges and blend so that the finished effect looks smoky, airy, and undefined. Stay clear of the brow area because color here will make the look way too garish. Finish with 2-3 of black mascara and maybe add a small amount of brow color if needed to finish off the look.

BOLD STUDDED BROWS


How ridiculous we would look if we glued a solid strip of jewel encrusted tape to our brows! Definitely effective for the stage but certainly not in real life. Instead, using either a brow powder or pencil, fill in your brows so that they look slightly more prominent but not cartoon-like. For evening, accent them with tiny crystals to add a little sparkle. My suggestion would be to choose very small clear, gold. or silver studs and, using a tweezer and a drop of eyelash glue, place them onto the outer corners of your brows or even follow the entire shape for a dazzling effect.

GOTH BLACK AND ORANGE EYE
photo by Olivier Claisse/Firstview 

You could probably get away with this eye makeup on Halloween but I'm thinking there are not a whole lot of other times where it would be well received. Black and orange might initially seem like a scary combination but really it all depends on how the colors are used.

An idea would be to apply a clean liquid or kohl black line along the upper lash line, extending it just a bit beyond your lash line. Next, using a marigold or orange shade, softly mirror what you just did below the lower lash line. This duo liner technique will create a sleek appearance but without the heaviness. Also, you can fill in your inner eye line with black as well for a more urban contrasty effect. With this look, keep brows and the rest of your face as simple and low key as possible.

ICE QUEEN WINGS
photo by Olivier Claisse/Firstview

We really can't think of winter without thinking about it's common counterparts snow and ice. For me, there's something so captivating about shimmering white on the eyes this time of year. It creates a cool crisp accent that is instantly appealing. The key thing to keep in mind is to select either a powder or cream shadow that is sheer. You want your eyes to reflect light and look as though they're multi-dimensional instead of heavy and opaque.

There are several ways in which this shade can be applied...The first is a "wash" onto either the eyelids or from the lid up to the brows, covering the entire area all at once. Second, you can take a very thin small angle brush and paint the white on as eyeliner above upper lashes. Lastly, you can apply touches of it around the inner teardrop area to open up the eyes and add light to them. Finish off all looks with black mascara, a flushed pink or bronzed cheek, and a sheer understated gloss or lip stain that is in the same color family as your cheek color.