5 steps to flawless eye make-up

by Ginger Otis

If you're over 25, you'll probably remember (try not to cringe when you do) a time when you happily hit the streets with at least three different bright colours splashed around your eyes. Thankfully that look - along with wedge-shaped shoulder pads, too-tight curly perms and Madonna-inspired crucifix necklaces - died with the 1980s

Today's eye make-up trends are radically different, ranging from a 'nude' look to a 'smoky' effect to a 'clean' style. But while the colours and textures of make-up may change, one thing always remains the same - the basic construction of the eye.

Darrell Redleaf, a celebrity beauty expert based in Hollywood, California, says the key to a modern look is following five simple but elemental steps of eye make-up preparation and application.

'Most women will always end up applying make-up in the style that was in fashion when they came of age,' he explains. 'So if you started wearing eye make-up in the 1980s, then yes, you'll favour the three-colour look that was popular then - a light colour on the lid, particularly the inner corner, a dark colour in the eye crease and then a highlighter on the brow bone. That's a completely out-dated style.'

Redleaf suggests women do a little self-evaluation in front of a mirror with their eye make-up on and then compare their look to what's in the most current magazines appropriate for their age group. Also, he says, pay attention to what other women around you are doing - if you see someone with a look you'd like to achieve, break down her application style so you can copy it.

The Five Basic Steps

When working on celebrity clients, Redleaf saves the eyes for last. Before putting on any make-up, he says, prep the skin first.

Start with a clean canvas
Wash your skin following your normal routine. If you've got the time, Redleaf suggests putting some cold compresses on the eyes for ten minutes to reduce puffiness. Cold tea bags are great because they contain caffeine (which tightens capillaries, reducing blood flow to the area), or anything cold from the refrigerator (cucumber slices or an ice compress). There are also creams to reduce puffiness.

Once you've cleaned and prepped the skin, apply a very light moisturiser around the eye. Even oily complexions need this, Redleaf says, because the eye area has almost no oil glands. If the moisturiser seems too heavy for the delicate skin around the eye, blot it gently with a tissue. Never use a hand or body lotion. 'They're too greasy, for one, and also aren't meant for that, so you can tear-up if they get into your eye,' Redleaf warns. Let that set while you apply foundation and/or concealer to the rest of your face.

Assess your eyebrows
The most underrated element of a successful look, says Redleaf, is a good eyebrow: 'They are the frame of the face, and particularly of the eye area. There are trends in eyebrows, of course, but you always have to follow what's best for your features. There's a way to modify the brow so you are in style but also in harmony with your face.' If you've got Brooke Shields brows circa 1980, he says, get rid of them.

In fact, Redleaf tells women who want a new look to consult with a eyebrow expert before they start buying new make-up or trying to design a new style for themselves. The latest look in eyebrows is the gentle arch, a great asset for anyone over 30, he says, because it provides an automatic lift to the face.

Once you've got the right look, you need to work on upkeep. So, for step two, take a look at your newly shaped eyebrows. Redleaf works with a clipped-angle brush, a simple tool found in any beauty store, to brush the hairs down. If you see any strays that have grown-in, pluck them out, but be judicious - over-plucking is a major no-no. Take some taupe eye shadow (never use black, says Redleaf, even if you've got black hair or are dark complexioned; he swears you'll look like Groucho Marx) and, using the brush, apply a little bit of colour to the top hairs of the brow, dotting it along the high edge at the top of your arch. Do the whole brow, and then brush the hair back into place. Fill in any bald spots if necessary. If you've got unruly brows, set them with some eyebrow gel.

With your brows done, says Redleaf, you're halfway there. `You can do your brows and a little mascara, and walk out the door with a great 'clean' look,' he notes.

Acquaint yourself with that eye shadow compact
Before applying colour, make sure you've put a little concealer or foundation (the same shade you used on your face) across the eyelid, blending gently up toward the eyebrow. If you've got dark circles under the eye, concealer can go there as well, but be sure to blend carefully. This will hide any discolouration around the eyes and help 'set' the colour you're going to apply. Now it's time to open that compact.

Most eye-colour kits come with three, four and sometimes even five different shades inside. They are meant to be used together, says Redleaf, but not all at the same time.

He explains: 'The old look, as we mentioned, was highlighter on the brow bone, which is the area right underneath your eyebrow, then the darkest shade on the crease of your eyelid - that's the area underneath your brow bone. And then a midrange light colour went on the lid itself, with a little bit of darker colour on the outer edge to give that kind of wedge shape to the eye. Now, the opposite is done. We don't put a dark colour where we have a natural shadow - and the crease creates a natural shadow. So the dark colour goes on the lid itself, with a little gentle blending upward, and a taupe or some other lighter colour goes on the brow bone. We usually only use two colours, not three.'

For a clean day look, good for the street or the office, Redleaf uses a medium-tone taupe or other neutral colour on the lid, blending gently upward into the crease. For women over 30, he says blending upward right above the middle of the eye - where the iris is when you're looking straight ahead - will give you another automatic lift to complement the arch in your eyebrows. He uses a lighter tone for the brow bone and blends it carefully, stopping at the eye crease. If you like eyeliner for the daytime, Redleaf suggests using it sparingly to create a gentle curve of emphasis that follows the contour of your lash line.

If you're going out for the night, you might want to take the darkest shadow and apply it to the lid, blending it a little bit into the crease, and then use a neutral tone for the brow bone, blending it downward into the crease. For added dramatic effect, Redleaf suggests lining your eyes with a kohl pencil. The basic tip for night-time eyeliner is to keep it right at the base of your upper lashes and line across the upper eyelid. You can also add extra glam by lightly lining around your lower lashes. If you want to do the rim of the lower eye, stay right on top of your lower lashes - don't pull the eyelid out and line inside on the delicate tissue.

'For night-time,' says Redleaf, 'the idea is to really go crazy, have fun with that eye compact, find out which colours you want to use and enjoy them - but while mixing and matching, don't break the cardinal rule. Darker colour on the lid, not in the crease!'

Curl those lashes
An eyelash curler, far from being the medieval torture device it resembles, is among the most effective and underused tool in a woman's beauty arsenal. There are numerous brands that range in price. The difference, says Redleaf, is minimal but important.

'The more expensive curler has the same basic mechanism and achieves pretty much the same effect, but it's wider; it gives a gentler, more natural curl; and it won't pull your lashes out on the sides,' he says. 'The less expensive ones do sometimes pinch and pull, and that's not good - eyelashes take a long time to grow back.'

When using the curler, insert your fingers into the handles like you would with a pair of scissors. Open the handles as wide as possible and bring the curler, which is contoured to follow the brow bone, to your eye. Your eyelashes fit through the small aperture at the base of the handles. Manoeuvre your lashes through the opening and then close the handles, squeezing firmly.

Redleaf first goes to the base of the lashes and gives the curler a good squeeze. Then he slowly opens the handles, brings the curler farther along the lash just a fraction, pumps it again and continues doing that to the end of the lash. The effect, he says, is a natural but enhanced upward curve - not the harsh 'crimped' look that comes from applying the curler just to the base of the lashes and squeezing hard. Don't curl the bottom lashes.

Apply mascara the right way
Once you've got the curl, you need to emphasise it with mascara. Redleaf goes for the straight stuff - no lengthening, thickening or curling mascaras needed, thank you very much. He wants a simple mascara that puts on colour for definition, and that's it.

'When you see a mascara that's saying it can thicken or lengthen or curl your lashes, what they're doing is making something that's got a lot of fibres that cling to your lashes,' he says. 'That makes clumps and can give a very gloopy look. It's also prone to flaking and falling off, which makes women look tired and aged.'

For the daytime, says Redleaf, don't apply mascara (or eyeliner if you can avoid it) to the bottom lashes or lid. It will give you a cleaner look without as much flaking, and at the end of the day you won't look exhausted.

For the night-time, go all out and accentuate every lash you have.

The best way to put on smudge-proof mascara is to tilt the chin up slightly and the head back slightly and lift your eyebrows up, like you're asking a question. That makes it easy to run the mascara brush along the length of the upper lashes from the base to the tip without smearing.

Follow those basic step preparations, says Redleaf, and no matter what the trends - glossy versus matte, nude versus smoky - you'll be able to apply any type of make-up.

His final tip for women: 'It's lid or lip. You can't have both.' In other words, if you're going to go for a glam eye, use a subdued lipstick. If you want a big red pout, downplay the eye make-up. 'If you don't, you're going to end up looking like a showgirl,' Redleaf says, 'and unless you really are a showgirl, that's never a good thing!'