Pretty Peepers

Studio 5 Contributor Holly Stone breaks down the best mascaras and reveal other must-have tools for the eyes.

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There are different eye shapes and colors but they all have one thing in common: the skin surrounding them. The skin around the eye area is different than the rest of the face and needs to be treated as such. You can create all sorts of illusions by using the right products in the correct way.

Eye make-up remover

Always use one formulated for the eyes. It will be more gentle and nourishing to the eye area. Try Mary Kay or L’Oreal eye make-up removers. Be sure to remove your eye makeup every night before going to bed. Leaving it on can lead to irritated, puffy eyes.

Eye creams

A must for anyone over age 21! Because the skin around the eye area is thinner, it loses elasticity quicker. Proper hydration will slow down this process. Using ring finger (this is your weakest finger and will cause the least amount of tugging), gently pat eye cream all around the entire eye. Do this morning and evening. Try Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum or L’Oreal Dermo-Expertise Eye Defense.

Eye Shadow base

To keep your eye shadow from creasing and lasting all day, use an eye primer. Apply after eye cream, before eye shadow. Brenda Christian’s Prima Firm (www.brendachristian.com) is a great help. It gives a “backlit” effect to your eye shadow.

Eye Shadow

Light colors advance, dark colors recede. If you want to look more alert and awake, use lighter colors. For a more dramatic, deep look, use darker colors. Keep lighter colors closest to lash line to avoid looking older. For a brightening effect, use a white eyeliner in the water well, or put a lighter color in the inside corner of your eye. The light will reflect giving an illusion of a twinkle in your eye.

Colors to wear should be selected to be harmonious with your personal coloring which is made up of your skin tone, eye color and hair color.

Eye Lash Curler

This step should be done, after eye shadow, before mascara. The curler must be held a minimum of 40 seconds to actually curl your lashes. Be careful of heated eye lash curlers because the heat dries out the lashes making them brittle. Best eye lash curlers: Shu Uemura (www.sephora.com) and Cinema Secrets Lady Wink (www.cinemasecrets.com)

Mascara

Choosing a good one is a total issue of preference. Can be selected based on two criteria: the brush, and the formulation. My personal favorite: L’Oreal Lash Out because it adds volume without sacrificing defining. Unless you have blonde eyelashes, black is the best color selection for most.

Extra Hint:

Don’t forget your brows. This is the most communicative part of the face and frames the eyes. Make sure they are groomed and shaped. If they are sparse, fill them in with a powder or pencil.

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Holly Stone is no stranger to business and the beauty industry. Starting as a model at the age of 14 she decided that she preferred to be behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera. She choreographed fashion shows, selected models for events and assisted her agency with make-up.

Her skill for make-up artistry quickly became recognized and the demand for her talent launched a career that would take her all over the country. She received a bachelor’s degree, and took a position as VP of Merchandising for Overstock.com. There she learned the business skills of resourcing, buying, marketing, and negotiating. She moved on to train in Los Angeles at AWARD, a leading make-up artist school in the west.

Today, with her business skills and her passion for the art of make-up, she manages a successful career as an educator and a veteran make-up artist of 16 years. She works in various media with actors/actresses, models, brides, and photographers. She is a consultant to several cosmetic distributors, spas, and salons where she teaches application and technique. She is a nationally recognized educator of cosmetic application and is a personal image consultant to people ranging from high position corporate figures to the every day woman.

Holly is the owner of Re-Creation Studio, School of Media Make-up Artistry and a regular contributor on Studio 5. For information about her classes, visit www.learntodomakeup.com.

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