When I think back to the time I first fell in love with make-up and its art form, color was definitely front and center. I remember as a young girl how my eyes lit-up the first time I walked up to the MAC counter… all that color! Can I wear them all at once? Would that be too much? The gleaming emerald green and golden eyeshadows, the velvety fuchsia lipsticks and vibrant blushes. I was hooked, this was my kind of candy store! Color washed over me, with excitement and creative thoughts started swirling in my head. I still have my very first MAC eyeshadow I purchased, and it brings me right back to that happy place every time I look at it,, “Humid” eyeshadow will always have a place in my heart!

Color cosmetics aren’t for everyone, but has been making its way back into the mainstream of today’s modern make-up looks. Brand names such as, Anastasia Beverly Hills down to Mary Kay are manufacturing color-rich palettes. I have to admit, I myself have toned-downed the colorful eyeshadows. I’ve matured into using the timeless neutral earth-tones, but I still crave the ever-so-often pop of color. I believe there are no rules with makeup. It’s all about self-expression, confidence and simply feeling your best. Now, there is something to be said about taste and taste-level, so keep this in mind, because I can’t help you there!

Here are a few suggestions to introduce the Pop:

- Try using a colorful eyeliner in-place of a highly pigmented, colored eyeshadow. This will have a more modern/minimalistic feel. Keep eyeshadows on the matte/satin finish with soft earth-tones to off-set the colored eyeliner being used.

- Try a cream eyeshadow underneath the colored eyeshadow, pressing the color over the cream. This will have a more intense look. Concentrate mainly on the eyelid, blending the two together, and work it upwards into the crease.

- Try a simple wash of color. Apply a concealer/eyeshadow primer to your eye area. Then with a fluffy bending brush wash the color across your lid and blend into the crease. This has a soft, more ethereal look to it. Shimmer/frosted textured eyeshadows would look great (I did not say glitter)!

Eye Shadow X9: Purple Times Nine by MAC Cosmetics $40.00

- Not keen on the eye makeup? This is where I encourage the use of a saturated lipstick and vibrant blush. Layer blushes. Start off with a more neutral shade, and then pop the more vibrant one over the top. The out-come of layering blushes is beautiful.

Lippie Stix by Colourpop Cosmetics $30.00. If you haven't tried these lipstick, you're missing out! Available only on-line

- Finish these looks with curled eyelashes and lightly-to fully-loaded mascara.

Always make sure the skin is evened-out with a tinted moisturizer or a preferred foundation before doing anything else. You don’t want to have blotchy, unevenness to the skin because it can compete with the color you are applying. Adding blush or a bit of bronzer will take away any starkness and give a liveliness to the over-all look.

Writing this has given me the urge to pull out some old eyeshadows I haven’t used in a while, what about you? Time to play! I might even try to find my “Humid” from MAC. Please feel free to leave comments or questions you may have. I’d loved to hear from you!

Pop of Color

— Shanie Crosbie —