#browcara

What I use.The first thing I ever learned to do was eye makeup. I have huge eyes, and I need to wear contact lenses because I'm severely nearsighted with a grade of 650 (eep!) so I figured I might as well take advantage of these factors. Here's what I usually use.

Sephora makeup palette. Inside are eyeshadow colors in varying shades of brown, shimmery beige, glittery gold, aqua green and aqua blue, plus four lip colors and a bronzing shade. I'd love to show you but it looks pretty messy in there, haha! It's the most overused item in my makeup kit.

Nichido eyelash curler. This costs less than PHP200. The area around the eyes is delicate, so I change eyelash curlers regularly to prevent bacteria build-up and possible infection. This is why I don't really see the point in buying ones that cost over a thousand bucks, especially when there are brands that do as good a job.

VOV Styler Browcara available at Suesh. VOV is a brand of Korean makeup available at Suesh. Again, a less expensive alternative to the pricey brow mascaras in the market, and a really indispensable part of any girl's beauty bag.

VOV Good-bye Eye pender Original gel eyebrow available atSuesh. Used under the browcara for filling in the eyebrows and creating the illusion of fuller brows. It also comes with its own applicator brush and mascara brush.

The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Auto Eyebrow. Used in the same way you would use a lip-liner: to outline the shape of the eyebrows and make it easier to fill in. This is a must-have for me; my left eyebrow has a tiny bald spot where hair stopped growing after I got a cut there when I was little.

The Face Shop Make Me Star waterproof gel eyeliner. For days when I'm in too much of a hurry to put on any makeup, I take 15 seconds to lace my lash lines with this and I'm good to go.

Maybelline Hello Kitty Volum Express black mascara. The reviews aren't exaggerated; this really can substitute for false eyelashes. I'm so loyal to Maybelline mascaras because they're not only affordable but so awesome at enhancing my eyelashes. The only time I wear falsies is when makeup artists put them on me, or on special occasions when my eyes need an extra oomph.

Maybelline Hypersharp liquid eyeliner. I've always found it easier and more comfortable to apply liquid eyeliner than gel or pencil. It lines the eyes more quickly and effectively, and the color stays instead of smearing around everywhere.

Putting on eye makeup does a lot of wonders for your look, even without full makeup on. If you don't believe me, take a look at last week's face makeup tutorial.

The "finished" shot, minus eye products. It will be our starting point for this tutorial.

Step 1. The first thing I do is outline my eyebrows to the shape that suits my face best, and also to fill in the bald spots here and there. This makes it easier for me to fill it in further.

Step 2. I use the Suesh eyebrow brush to apply the gel eyebrow filler.

Step 3. I dip a small Suesh eyeshadow brush in light brown shadow and swipe it all over my eyebrows. There are three reasons for this: to keep the eyebrows from looking too heavy, to blend all the fillers, and as a finishing powder to help it last longer.

Step 4. I brush on two coats of the brow mascara and let it work its magic. Browcara does wonders in achieving that balance between polished and natural-looking full eyebrows.

Step 5. Using a big Suesh eyeshadow brush, I sweep three monochromatic shades of shimmery shadow on my eyes, brushing it on in as if drawing a rainbow: for this tutorial chocolate brown all over the eyelids, beige from the inner corner of the eyes opening outward under the eyebrows as highlighter, and golden brown above the lash line to add dimension. And then it's blend, blend, blend! If you're feeling more experimental, you can use three totally different shades of main, light, and dark colors but that's for another tutorial.

Step 6. To make the eyes look more deep-set, I do a bit of contouring: make the eyes droop like so, and then use the eyeshadow brush to gently line the creases with dark shadow.

Step 7. Time for the fun part: lining the eyes! Don't fuss to much about getting it perfect; you can always get a cotton Q-tip and wipe off the mistake. The more you stress about it, the longer takes. The trick is to relax and just sweep it in one fluid motion—I usually get it right the first time like this. You can go for cat eyes, thick dolly eyes, or winged Asian-looking eyes, but for this tutorial, just something subtle.

Step 8. I apply brown gel eyeliner pencil on the rims and lower lash lines, drawing it so that the tip would meet with the tip of the liquid eyeliner to "shape" the eyes.

Step 9. Curling the lashes. I've gotten emails from young readers who are scared to use a curlash for the first time. Will it pull out hairs? Will it hurt? Not if you do it right: look down, scoop the lashes in between the pressers, and gently but firmly squeeze. Hold for about eight seconds while doing a few quick pumping movements. Do the same for the other eye, and then repeat. Also, don't attempt to do this in a moving car—I did once and lost a couple of lashes.

Step 10. Apply mascara on the upper and lower lashes. I usually start from the outer corner of the eye and work my way inwards. Start from the root of the lashes, then gently but firmly wiggle the wand up to the tips to "fan out" the lashes. If your mascara wand has tiny comb teeth like the one I have, it helps keep your lashes from clumping together and make them look thicker. Wait a few moments and then apply a second coat.

Japanese Candy contact lenses, SM Accessories. It takes me about 15 minutes to get from a bare face to this. It's not only quick to do, it also looks polished enough to wear to a meeting or a casual event. Plus, it's easy to transform from day to night by just applying more color!     See what a difference eye makeup makes? Here's your chance to win your own VOV eyebrow gel and eyebrow mascara. You can do one or more of these options: 

Reblog this post on Tumblr (1 entry)

Save the “Win This” image and copy-paste this on Twitter: “@sephshai x @SueshMupToolkit giveaway on http://lovechic.ph! I want to win this VOV eyebrow makeup set!” with the Twitpic URL (1 entry)

Save the “Win This” image on your phone and copy-paste this on Instagram: “@shailagarde and Suesh are giving away these VOV eyebrow goodies on http://lovechic.ph” (1 entry)

Post this on your Facebook, tag Love Chic and Suesh and copy-paste this status: “@Love Chic and @Suesh Makeup Toolkit are giving away this VOV eyebrow makeup kit! http://lovechic.com.ph” (1 entry)

Do all of the above (5 entries)

Leave me a comment on Disqus to let me know all that you’ve done. Include your social media usernames/links. I will be using a randomizer to pick the winner. You don’t have to do all of the above, but the number of entries equals the number of times I will enter your name in the database. More entries means more chances of getting picked.      To be eligible for this giveaway, you have to be following Love Chic and Suesh’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. Please leave this aspect of your accounts viewable; if I can’t check whether you have followed and/or liked, I can’t include you in the database because it won’t be fair to the rest. Please read and follow the instructions carefully to make sure your entry/ies qualify. Winner will be announced September 16 via Twitter. Good luck! :)