How To Make Your Peepers Pop!

by BR Kellie

I gave myself a fright the other day. There I was happily straightening my hair, paying attention to not sizzling my fingers while dealing to my curls and waves, then BAM. I looked at myself - properly - in the mirror.

Was I sick? Was I tired? No. And no.

I'd simply forgotten that I'd yet to apply my eye makeup. My peepers were not popping. And it made me realise just how much I took forgranted the magic of makeup.

So what are the ways ways can we put some pep in our peepers so every second person doesn't ask us 'are you okay?', 'not getting enough sleep?', or the blatant 'get away from me you sickened creature!'? Read on...

Hydrate

Dry eyes are dull eyes, and often red eyes. To combat this either grab moisturising eye drops (ask your pharmacist for their recommendation) and apply them before putting on your makeup, or leaving the house on those makeup-free days. Alternatively placing a warm (not hot) flannel over your eyes can give some relief.

Minimise

Puffy eyes (assuming they're not genetic) can be dealt to by applying something cold to the area. Teaspoons in the fridge is an oldie but a goodie. I'm a huge fan of gel eye patches for their depuffing and hydrating abilities. Or you can pop a couple of cold teabags over your eyes and treat yourself to a fifteen minute relax (this method can also help with red eyes and help reduce dark circles too!).

Speaking of dark circles... a colour corrector can work wonders. The trick is to look for a colour corrector in a shade of yellow, peach, orange or red (depending on your skin tone) in order to balance out the blue/purple of one's undereye shadows. This can be a little scary if you're not used to it, and I'd recommend a YouTube tutorial, like this one from All Beauty By Sarah, to get a more in-depth explanation of colour correction and how to make it work for you.

Frame

With the eye basics done, it's time to put some emphasis on your eyes. First, frame the area by tending to your brows. Pluck any strays, then brush them with a spoolie and fill them in with a powder/pomade/pencil/tinted gel for a polished look.

Shadow

Next up: eyeshadow. Keeping it simple can still make a huge impact. Simply define your crease with a colour a few shades darker than your base tone, then sweep it along your crease line. Next, darken up the outer corners with an eyeshadow a few shades darker than the one used in the crease. Then pop on a lighter, pearlescent shade from the centre to the inner corner of your lids. 

Enhance

Before going in with mascara, grab an eyeliner and line the top of your lash line, making it thicker as you reach the outer eye. A good tightline along the base of your upper eyelid works to thicken your lashes and make them look more open. (Fun Kellie fact: the idea of tightlining gave me the heebie jeebies, but after watching Wayne Goss do it and make it look easy, I gave it a crack and never looked back. And as I have hooded eyes and eyeliner doesn't show up on my lids all that well, this is a GREAT way to open up the peepers.) When lining your lower lash line do take it easy, as too much can make your eyes look smaller - especially if you're going in with a dark shade. However a little liner worked from your outer lash line to a third of the way in can create a marvellous eye-opening look. Lastly? Grab a nude or white eyeliner and apply it to your lower waterline for a more wakeful look.

Finally, grab your eyelash curlers and pump your eyelashes to create a more lifted look, ready for you to add mascara. Which mascara you use is really up to you, but if it's got a lengthening and volumising formula it will give more of an eye-opening effect.

Next thing you know you'll be looking in the mirror thinking 'wow, I look not remotely sick, not remotely tired, in fact I look as fantastic as always!'.

So there you have it, the basics of creating an eye-opening look. So, do tell, what are your tips and tricks for making your eyes look more awake? Sharing is caring!