Okay, so this entry has nothing at all to do with the sleeve or anything relevant to the sleeve, but I've had a few comments and PMs about this... so here it is. A very very basic make-up tutorial. Right now, it's eyes.

Click to enlarge

Above is a photo of 3 lovely friends who I've done make-up for. For these applications, however, I've used the same technique for each. I find it to be the most effective and simple way to suit most eye shapes and sizes.

For this, you will need 3 shades of eyeshadow. One should be a little lighter than your natural skin colour, and perhaps with a little shimmer (it can be matte if you like, it really doesn't matter, I just tend to prefer a slight shimmer for this shade).

The second can be any colour you like. If you want a natural application though, try to get with a shade that is somewhat close to your skin colour... yet a little different. It might be a gold, a bronze, a peachy colour, a taupe. If you're a little more adventurous try a lilac, an olive green, a pinky bronze, etc. If you're really adventurous, go with a bright blue, a yellow, a very obvious, thick gold, etc. It's up to you.

The third colour needs to be darker than the first two. If you're going natural, then I find it tends to work well as some sort of brown shade. If you're very dark-skinned, then a dark plum, a navy, a charcoal, etc may work well. If you're anything lighter than that though, a brown or grey works well for a more natural look (though, I personally find grey shadows to be a bit dated... a lot of elderly women tend to deal with grey shadows). If you're wanting something more outgoing, you might want a darker version of your second shadow. For example, if you chose an olive green, you may want to go with a dark brown, or maybe an even darker olive. If you went purple, you may want to find a violet. Just something darker than the other 2 colours. You can even go completely against "matching" colours as I did with the aqua-coloured lids above with a contrasting black shadow. Please remember that this will not create natural results.

For my own lids, I generally use a pearly off-white shade for the first shadow, a very pale pinky-bronzy for my second and then a medium brown for my third (for my everyday look).

Speaking of which, figured I'd add a "before make-up, after make-up) shot I took before I dyed my hair brown again...

Me, before and after make-up using this eye technique. 

As for materials, the make-up in the photo above (the photo of me, not the others) was done as a part of a make-up tutorial I tried to do a while ago, which included a video... but things went crazy and the video had some sort of error, thus the image and video were never used. Anyway, for the tutorial I had intended to use the footage for, I was using only CHEAP PRODUCTS and only using the brushes that came with the eye shadows... cheap eye shadow sponges on one end, a little cheap brush on the other.

If you've got money to spend or already have brushes at home though. While I can't take photos for it right now (it's drying and looks shocking while wet), I found a picture online to help explain the types of brushes I'd use for this...

Click to enlarge

See the light brown brushes? They're what I'd use for my eyes. I'd probably use the second biggest (the middle light brown brush) for both colour 1 and colour 2, with the smallest light brown brush (the furthest right) for my third colour.

If you're having trouble blending, or using bright colours, I'd definitely recommend a blending brush. Englarge the image for a good look, it's the third from the left.

Ignore the rest of the brushes, if people are happy with this basic eye tutorial I'll give further info on the rest of the face.

Anyway, as I said, you absolutely use the little sponges that come with shadows. Just make sure you wash them with soap and allow them to air-dry between uses, or at minimum, once a week (if only you are using them). If you're sick, or have any eye issues, definitely wash them daily, or buy a bag of disposable ones and chuck out after each use.

So... how to apply? Well, I made a little image for you...

This is not actual shadow; it has been digitally added.

Hopefully, you can see the 3 colours used.

NOW - for the BASIC EYE TUTORIAL

ONE I've got a light creamy colour under the brow bone and in the inner corner of the eye. Where I've put it on this photo, is where I'd stick it on the eye. Use your brush, dab in the powder, and dab/lightly stroke these areas.

Keep in mind you don't want a huge line of colour. This is to highlight the brow bone and inner corner of the eye, not to do anything more.

TWO Next, apply your second colour over the rest of your eye. Use a patting/dabbing motion to apply, then sweep to build up colour and blend. If you make a mistake, use a dry cotton bud to try and remedy your mistakes. If that doesn't work, a tiny bit of water on the bud will help. It's better to start off small and build up; it's easier to add more colour than it is to remove already applied colour.

NOTE: If the colour is a b right colour, it's better to avoid letting it reach the bottom of your eyebrow. Instead, extend the first colour right underneath the entire brow, not just the outer edge, and THEN use your second colour on the rest of the un-shadowed lid.

THREE If you've never gotten to know your eyes before, do it before even beginning this routine. Take a look in the mirror, and find the little indent between your eyeball (under your eyelid, don't actually go poking your eyeball) and your brow bone. THAT is where I want you to apply your third colour. For many, this will be where their lid naturally creases. Do not go over where the eyeball sits. Instead, follow that crease/indent and go ABOVE it. You should have a little line somewhere in the middle of your lid. TRY to make sure it's quite straight and follows the crease/indent well.

It should be bolder at the outside than on the inside. In fact, I recommend you don't make this line all the way across your eye, but rather fade it down as you get closer to the inside of your eye.

Then, use the outer edge of that line, and bring it back to your lash line in a sideways "U" or "V" shape (depending on your preference. I like a slightly more rounded end, but some people like a more pointed "wing."

I also like to take this colour slightly along the lower lash line, only just, and fade it before reaching the middle of the lower lash line. This is optional of course, I just find it adds something.

FOUR Blend like a mad woman! You don't want streaks of seperate colours, you want them to blend at least a little. The more natural the look, the more blended you want. What you're doing is creating shape by contouring the shape of your eye and highlighting the parts you want to bring forward.

If the look is dramatic, I still like to blend, as you can see in the first photo with the black/aqua combination. It's not sharp lines, there is still some blend.

Make sure both eyes look good both opened and closed. Some make-up artists think that closed is more important, but I believe it's better to make them look pretty open, as that's hopefully how you'll spend most of the while wearing it. Make sure they look even... if not, keep fiddling to they do.

FIVE Time to add the finishing touches!

BROWS
For me, filling in the brows is an essential job. You can find powders and pencils specific for this job, but otherwise, you can simply use an appropriate shadow colour.MAKE SURE THE SHADOW IS MATTE, NOT SHIMMERY.

What shade you choose really depends on your actual colouring. I like to choose a shade that (believe it or not) is actually a tiny bit lighter than my naturally BLACK eyebrows. Using black shadow is very dramatic and I think it looks too over-the-top for me.

For blondes, a light-brown shade is usually nice, though make sure it's not too red-tinged. Dark brunettes look good with a medium-to-dark brown. A dark brown works well for the darkest of brows, in my opinion. For those who are more red-headed (if your brows are red), a reddy-tinged light brown tends to work well. The tinge should only be slight, or else you'll look like a clown.

I use an angled brush for this. If you can't find an angled brush or can't afford one, then using a pencil might be a bit easier than using powder. Be careful not to draw thick lines on though, or it'll look over-the-top and very unnatural.

Filling in your brows completes the look, and also can perfect oddly-shaped eyebrows or bald patches.

Using a brush and a clear mascara on your brows can also work well if your brows tend to get messy!

MASCARA
I assume that most women know how to apply this. I like to lower my lids and tilt my head back so my eyes can still be open and I can see, but there's less change of them touching my eyelid and smudging.

For a natural look, if you've got fair-coloured lashes, you might find a dark brown give a good result. If you've got black lashes, or simply prefer that look, definitely avoid brown mascaras.

I apply by starting with the wand ABOVE my lashes, and wriggling the ward down to the tips of my lashes, then putting the wand under my lashes, and swiping up to the tips. This ensures a good coating, especially for those with lighter lashes (missed patches are easily seen on light-coloured lashes, not so much on dark).

I then dab my lashes with the wand very gently on my lower lashes. I don't swipe down them as I find I risk accidentally bumping the mascara wand onto my skin and having to fix that up, and that they look quite spidery. I have very long lower lashes though, and they're quite dark anyway.

If you have pale or sparse lower lashes, I'd recommend being very gentle and swiping downwards. If you do smudge your face, wait until it dries, then dab it off with a wet cotton-tip.

EYELINER
For a natural look, pick a dark brown pencil. Put your finger at the outer corner of your eye and pull it taut, sideways (like you'd do if you were, and yes, I am aware this is a bit un-PC but I can't think of any other way to put it... like you would if you pretending you were Asian). Then gently run the pencil from the outer corner, to the middle of your lashline. Once you get the middle, let you skin go (stop pulling it taut) and GENTLY pencil to the inner corner. I prefer the look to taper in, so that the inner corner has very little liner on it at all, while the outer corner is thicker.

For a more dramatic look, I'd do the same thing, but with a black pencil or gel/liquid liner. Gel/Liquid is trickier for an unsteady hand though so be careful.

If you want, you can also add a very light line ot the lower lashes. I like to them SMEAR it with my fingertip, so it's not too bold, and simply creates a slight shadow.

Alternatively, use an angled brush, dab it onto your eyeshadow palette in the third shade you applied, and run that to the middle of your lower lash, tapering in so it's thicker and more vibrant on the outer edge, and barely visible at the inner corner.

And, there you have it! Hopefully a look you're really happy with and that's easy to do every morning, as well as when you're going out.

I play around with my make-up looks of an evening before I shower to test out new techniques, and it might require a bit of playing around to perfect the look, but I really hope this tutorial is somewhat helpful!