Last year I was so stoked to host my sister in law, Cindy Allen and my niece, Megan DeMoss here in New York.  While both ladies are Indiana natives,  Megan now lives in Atlanta doing her residency at Grady Hospital.  Today I’m going to take you through how I work with smiling eyes, namely on Megan.  Megan sent this photo to me yesterday straight from the hospital.  As gorgeous as she is here, we’ll call it a before photo:

As it goes in New York I had to attend photographer, Mike Ruiz’s, Pretty Masculine book launch while they were here and of course it was a great opportunity for me to makeup a very willing Megan for a night out.  Here is the result and how I got there.

Megan is a gorgeous woman.  Broad smile, full cheeks and great skin.  In the first photo you’ll note her eyes are what I call, smiling eyes.  They have a happy,  childlike quality to them, so joyous.  Megan on the other hand made comment she thought they were small. Now I ask you.  Would you rather have small eyes or smiling eyes?  But I digress.

What I find with smiling eyes is that it is often best to use a darker colour.  I hear some of you gasp and say.  ”But won’t that make smiling eyes look smaller”?  And the answer is a resounding yes……  If used in the wrong places.  However I have a few tricks that will help you find an easy way to make your smiling eyes look bigger.

Since this makeup was done is our living room Megan didn’t have a mirror. And although she trusts me there was hesitation when I told her I was using black and purple eyeshadow.  Quite a normal reaction for anyone who isn’t accustomed to having ones makeup done.  I assured her she would look beautiful and not like Vampira (Although I think Vampira looks amazing but that’s for another post).

Here’s what you’ll need to do and if you stick around there’s a youtube at the bottom of how I do it.  When you start, it’s best to be looking directly into the mirror with a relaxed expression i.e don’t arch your eye brows.  Firstly I like to prime the eyes with Laura Mercier’s Eye Basics.  Then with your brush loaded up with a black eyeshadow dust onto the area where your bone recesses, not where your actual skin folds.  This will open up your eye.  I’ve marked it on this makeup I’ve done on Karlie Kloss, who shares the same type of smiling eyes.

 Once I had thoroughly blended the black.  I went over it with a vivid purple eyeshadow, Lancome’s Amethyst Glam.  Giving the black an almost ‘midnight in moonlight’ colour.  I also used the darkest purple colour from this palette to smoke out the underneath of the eye.  I find it softer when doing a smokey eye to not use the black underneath.

The next step is filling in Megan’s brow.  This is another transformative step.  Staying within your own shape but filling it to the outer edge of your natural shape.  My favourite brow product is also from Laura Mercier.  Brow Powder Duo.  It’s quite distinctive in these next two shots of mine.  The first shot I’ve left the brow completely bare.  I love these looks for high summer.

This next shot the brow is mega intensified for a very different look.  I have only spot concealed as I showed you in this previous post  Kardashian Kool Mercier Magic.

And finally the shot we’ve all been waiting for.  Megan in her post Daily Dimmick-ness just shot on my point and shoot camera.  From fresh to sophisticated in 30 minutes.  Smiling eyes and all.  Needless to say Megan stepped out into the rainy night with a spring in her step.  And as far as I’m concerned there’s nothing more beautiful than seeing a woman with a spring in her step.  Now THAT’S  a sign of beauty.

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