How to Apply Eye Makeup like the Pros

by Elizabeth Siegel


David Cook
David Cook


If you've ever considered swinging by a department store makeup counter every morning just to have your eyes done, you can now save yourself the trip. These makeup-artist tricks make it easy to get polished, professional-looking eye makeup at home.


Make your undereye concealer do double-duty. After covering up dark circles with concealer, dab a little on the inner and outer corners of your eyes to hide redness and dark spots, too. "Then tap a little over your brow bone," says makeup artist Troy Surratt. "It will make you look more awake."

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Play up your upper lash line. You can't go wrong with two coats of mascara and a bit of brown anything (pencil, powder, cream) smudged along your upper lashes. Apply shadow with a sponge-tipped brush, then use it or your fingers to blend, advises makeup artist Fulvia Farolfi.

But don't forget about your lower lash line. Lining underneath makes everyone's (yes, everyone's) eyes look bigger, says makeup artist Jillian Dempsey. "The key is avoiding harsh lines." The secret: Use a kohl pencil, then run a clean finger on top to soften it.

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Blend, blend, blend. You know how professional eye makeup always looks so perfectly blended? That's because practically every makeup artist keeps a clean, fluffy eye-shadow brush on hand specifically for blending. After you've finished your eye makeup, swipe the clean brush on top, moving back and forth like a windshield wiper. "Your shadow will look soft and worn in," says Dempsey. We like the Sonia Kashuk Medium Fluffy Eye Shadow Brush, pictured above.

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