I’ve had 29 years to nail down my personal style, and the one thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t fit into one specific box. I mean, I know what I like: lots of jewelry, a good pair of jeans, vintage tees, a fun pair of shoes… Shall I go on? (Just kidding; I’ll spare you.) I tend to stock my closet with those staples, but I’ve gotta have other things on my rack for the days I wake up feeling more girly or more edgy.
The same is true for my makeup routine—I’m a less-is-more kinda girl, meaning I usually stick to my tinted moisturizer, mascara, and a subtle wash of color on my lids. But now that a new season has arrived, I thought it made sense to have a few other options in my back pocket, so I enlisted makeup artist Zaheer Sukhnandan to come up with a few unique looks to inspire me on the days I want to make more of a statement. (PS, best of all each look is under $30!)
I love a good smoky eye, but I tend to stay away from them because I have extremely sensitive peepers that tend to react poorly to wearing too much eye makeup. (It may or may not have to do with the fact that I tend not to do a thorough removal job come the end of the evening—whoops.) I could see myself doing this for a special night out with friends, though; I’m a sucker for a glossy eye. "This look is great for a super-quick makeup change from day to night. Blend a warm shadow in your crease, smudge some black liner along your lashes, and top it off with a bit of gloss,” says Sukhnandan.
To be clear, this makeup has me feeling everything but blue (and has me wanting to get a pixie cut). I think I’ve worn blue shadow once in my life; I’ve always felt that it doesn’t look good with my eye color, but this look is proving me wrong. I love the subtle shimmery metallic flair, (it looks great in the sunlight or under the lights at a bar) and the way the shadow is layered on and used underneath as a liner. "I used a small detail brush to create an almost liner-like effect on the lower lash line, and highlighted the inner corners to make her eyes extra bright," explains Sukhnandan.
I’ve become obsessed with yellow (in my clothes, on my nails…), and now I clearly need the hue on my lids. Don’t quote me on this, but I feel like yellow shadow—at least the way Sukhnandan uses it—is universally flattering. It helps that he paired it with clean, fresh skin with a peachy blush to add some warmth, and minimal (blue!) mascara, but this is something I’d totally wear during the day on the weekend. I’ve already got my outfit planned: high-waist denim jeans, a white off-the-shoulder top, floss heels, and a beaded bag, obviously.
If you’re a less-is-more kinda of person (or if you simply want to ease into color), this one’s for you. The fact that Sukhnandan created a look that can be done in less than five minutes and have you looking this pulled-together and on-trend is truly a godsend. Clean skin, nude lips, and a fresh pop of green to the inner corner of eyes is the summer look that’ll get people to turn their heads, and I’m totally here for that. Pro tip: "Use a white concealer to apply a base on the inner corners for the shadow to sit on; it’ll really help the color pop and last longer,” says Sukhnandan.
Call me cliché, but anything having to do with the French and their beauty routines really gets me going. So yes, I’m totally drawn to this perfectly Parisian look. From the hair to the subtle shadow to the lashes and rich berry lips done in a way that just screams I had a hot makeout sesh, it’s the ultimate date-night look. All you need to do, Sukhnandan says, is dab the lipstick onto the center of your lips and blend and soften the edges with a small blending brush: "Blending the lipstick past your lip line is a great way to cheat your lip shape and add volume without it looking too harsh or overdrawn.” To add more depth, pat a little black eye shadow onto the center of your lips and blend outward.
Monochrome makeup looks have been making moves, but it’s almost always done with coppery tones. For summer, however, I’m loving the cotton-candy color splashed across lids and lips—especially since it turns out you only really need one product to make it work (thanks for the tip, Sukhnandan). So what I’m trying to say is that this look goes out to all those trying to cut their routines way down. Okay, you also need a large fluffy brush to apply the color to your lids, but technically that’s a tool, not a product, right?
