How To Make Your Eyes Look Amazing, With Minimal Effort

In the beginning, I was a mascara only girl. Then, I discovered a love of eyeliner. Just a few short years ago I took the plunge and became an eyeshadow fan. Even though now I'm all about ALL the makeup, it's been a slow evolution. Even since starting this blog, I’ve gone from a girl who was afraid of lipstick to a grown ass woman who rocks a bold lip with pride. The point is, people change, and I’ve changed into an eyeshadow lover. It used to scare me, but I’ve discovered now that I actually like myself in eyeshadow, and I have found an everyday look that is not only flattering, but also SUPER simple to pull off. You don’t need to know about blending or shading or where your eye crease is. It’s a great go-to for makeup newbies, or those looking to dip their toe into eye-enhancement without looking like a kid that got into their parent’s makeup stash.

You’ll only need a few* products for this look, and it’s easy to jazz it up if you’re looking for something a little more dramatic. Lately in LA it’s been about a million degrees, so I’ve been sticking to really neutral makeup, just in case my face ends up sliding off and I want to avoid looking like a panda in messy drag.

Step one is the easiest. I take my latest love, Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather in Creamy Beige (review here), and slap some of that on my eyelid. I absolutely love Color Tattoo eyeshadows because they’re so, so easy to use. I like to use my (clean!) ring finger and just swipe on some color till I’m happy with it.

Step one is complete! I told you it was easy. Next it’s time to whip out an old favorite, the Naked Basics Palette. This lil’ sucker is a powerhouse when it comes to providing, well, basics that we eyeshadow wearing women need in our arsenals. I use the shade Naked 2 on a Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush and just apply it in tiny circles on the outer corners of my eye. Because the Deluxe Crease Brush is kind of large, this circle motion means that it gets into your outer eye crease as well as the outer corner of your eye. No shading or blending needed. The brush basically does it for you. NOTE: Sometimes I like to use one shade darker in the palette (Faint), in which case I need to do a little blending and it’s not so simple. Adjust accordingly!

At this point I like to add a highlight shade to my eyes, using my Sephora Small Shadow Brush #15. I bought this brush on clearance a while ago and it’s no longer sold. They don’t even have an alternative small shadow brush, which is odd. Anywhoo, I use this with Venus from the Naked Basics Palette to add highlight to my browbone and the inner corners of my eye. Highlighting is one of those makeup steps that’s easy to overlook, but once you get in the habit of doing it, you may not be able to live without it. At least that’s been true for me. Highlights and tightlines TILL I DIE.

You’re in the home stretch now, just add a little eyeliner. This step is completely optional, as your peepers are already lookin’ GAWJUS, but I’m an eyeliner gal through and through, so to me it’s necessary. Because I’m trying to avoid any heavy-duty makeup during this most sweaty of seasons, I’ve been reaching for Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Scorch. If I’m feeling a like I want a little more emphasis on my eyes I’ll use Demolition, and if I want to go even more gorgeous I’ll opt for Rockstar. (I recently did a post on my favorite Urban Decay 24/7 liner shades, which you can read here.)

*I maybe sort of misled you. There are slightly more products at work to created the look in the photos. I curled my lashes using my trusted Shu Uemura eyelash curler (review here), then I layered Diorshow Waterproof and Dior Addict It-Lash (read more about my mascara layering technique here), and finally I tightlined my upper waterline with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero.

I’m loving this look lately, and because it’s so easy, I can wear it even on my laziest makeup day (my really lazy days are no-makeup days, as the Lord intended). It can be adapted to work with pretty much any color, and you can pull it off with just a few products. I’ve listed what I mentioned in the post below, but if this appeals to you, try it with whatever you have on hand! After all, that’s how I came up with this ridiculously simple look in the first place.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Leather Eyeshadow in Creamy Beige: $4

Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette: $29

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Bruse (comes as part of the Starter Kit): $18

Sephora Professional Small Shadow Brush #15 (This one is no longer available, but there are SO many brushes just like this one out there, and you can even use your fingertip to add highlight shades)

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners: $20

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler: $20

Diorshow Waterproof Mascara: $25

Dior Addict It-Lash Mascara: $26

Lipcolor is Revlon Colorburst Laquer Balm in Flirtatious: $8