5 Expert-Approved Eye Makeup Secrets

Emily Ratajowski blends warm and golden tones, mastering red carpet eye makeup.

1. Keep it light
Lining the inner rims of your lash line can look fantastic but sometimes it can have the effect of making eyes appear smaller. To counteract this Lucy Adams, beauty editor at marie claire Australia says it’s all about the colour choice. "Tracing the inner rim of your lash line with a light shade will give the illusion of a bright and larger eye."

2. Tame your brows
Clean and well-kept eyebrows will open up your face and will define your facial features. Brow expert to the stars (and us regular folk too) Amy-Jean Linnehan notes: "[When it comes to brows] It's important to think about your eye and face shape before anything else."

3. Create a smoky eye with an eye pencil
Hollywood makeup artist Melanie Inglessis (she works with Olivia Wilde and Rosamund Pike) says anyone can do a smoky eye well with the help of an eye pencil. Talking to Beautyeditor.ca, she said, “Roughly put it near the lashes and then blend, blend, blend with the warmth of your ring finger. Smudge it and do the same underneath the eye. Try not to go over the crease, or too far out or up; keep it safe within the rim of your eyes.”

4. Back to basics
Never underestimate the power of the original makeup brush: your fingertip, notes celebrity beauty blogger, Lauren Conrad. “Because of the heat of your skin, fingers make unbeatable blending tools. For covering under eye circles, I like to use a clean ring finger (the ring finger applies the least amount of pressure) to blend away the edges of the concealer,” she says.

5. Brighten your eyes
You’ve mastered moisturising and priming the face for a flawless complexion but don’t forget, your eyelids can benefit from some pre-makeup prep, too. “The brow bone generally protrudes and creates a shadow. To nix this, dab some concealer onto the inner corner of the eye and on the inside edge of the nose. Lightening the area inside the nose close to the tear duct, gives eyes a brighter, fresher appearance which makes you look great,” says Melanie Burnicle, makeup artist and Revlon ambassador.