Thread: Eyeshadow and makeup questions

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I could go on forever about makeup! <:-)>
Your first quesiton: with a red costume you have a couple of options.
A standard "smoky eye" goes well with all colors.
MAC has a great paint called "flame" which I use with red costumes and pair it with gold glitter eyeliner.
I also use the compliment which for red is green. That adds a fun touch. Your makeup doesn't always have to match!
Another is going with browns/neutrals with a touch of glittter. It will have the appearance of gold on stage.
I don' t think there is any rule as to how much makup one should have. I have TONS cause I love it. I typically use MAC but any counter will give you tips and do your makeup for you if you call them and make an appointment. I get mine done twice a year to get fresh ideas and new stuff for new costumes.
hope that helps!
xoxo,
-NJ

I didn't learn make-up until I was 28 or so and needed to for dance. What helped:

an eyeshadow base is your friend.
invest in some good brushes, they'll make make-up make more sense.
buy making faces or face forward (books)
look on-line for tutorials

To me what you need as standard is a brown or greyish deep "neutral", a white, cream or offwhite shade for highlight and lid, and black or very dark brown (or possibly a very dark navy), black mascara, black or brown eyebrow pencil or shadow. If your colouring suits warmer shades, go for warm versions, if cooler (like me) go for cool. This is all you need for a look that will go with every costume in the world ever because it is effectively neutral. You can play around with the proportions - whether you go for light on the lids/inner corners, neutral all over the lid, neutral just in the socket, dark only at the outer corners and as liner, dark in the socket, etc.

From here you can add to your kit with glitters, different colours etc, but to be honest every time I wear coloured eyeshadow I regret it. Of course, I am Teh Old.

I get all my make up from a website called Aromaleigh. It is all top quality mineral makeup, and has some of the most absolutely fabulous eye shadow colors! The forums are pretty active, and there are tons of picture of people's eye make up and tutorials.

Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics & Aromatics: Pure Mineral Makeup: Creatively & affordably formulated with the finest quality mineral pigments.

Rachel

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Practice practice! Don't wait until you have a gig to get your make-up the way you want it, practice when you have time to spare and no clock pressure. Photograph what you like, and take notes on what you did.

Look at photos of people (in make-up!) who look like you, or who you want to emulate. Try to mimic their make-up.

Someone posted links to you tube make-up tutorials. I am sure you could search there and find some 'live' help, too.

I don't think you need tons of make-up at your disposal (ha! I can almost feel my partner glaring at all the make-up I have in our bathroom and laughing at me as I type this). Get some basics, play, and see what happens.

If there's a MAC counter or a Sephora store nearby, go and ask questions. I love the chance to quiz make-up artists (and probably pestered Azh to death with all my questions during Raq the Camera). Had my make-up done by a MAC artist a couple of weeks ago and found some colors I wouldn't have thought of that work well on me, plus some new application techniques and brush advice.

No worries, I love the questions and offering suggestions. I don't know everything so questions and challenges help me find answers and it adds that much more to your own knowledge and experience.

Ask away!

Red and gold cossie? I'd wear red and gold eyeshadow - but I probably could use some help in this department!

it's too bad you are no longer in puna..i think we would have gotten along great:)

i'd say copper or bronze

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Zorba, you know where to find me. ;0)

BreaMorgiane, black might sound crazy but not so much; it just depends on the application. Latriamou is quite light-skinned and it did not make her look like she was beat up. ;0)

Originally Posted by Azhia

Zorba, you know where to find me. ;0)

BreaMorgiane, black might sound crazy but not so much; it just depends on the application. Latriamou is quite light-skinned and it did not make her look like she was beat up. ;0)

Word. Black eyeshadow may seem daunting, but I just discovered that it looks absolutely smashing in venues with dim lighting. Shows up great in pictures!

The key to mastering black eyeshadow, I find, is to create some nice dimension with other colors and textures. I like to do a nice wash of metallic steely gray (MAC's Knight Divine is beautiful), a nice shimmery off-white as a highlight, and "smoke" a pigmented matte black (MAC Carbon) into the crease and outer corners. Then, go crazy with your eyeliner. Scary faux lashes optional ..g.:

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BreaMorgiane,
I'm in Montréal. :0)
It has been suggested above. Totally go into a MAC store and tell them what you need (emphasize you want the bare basics, not to go all crazy, and be very specific about what look you are after) and they will hook you up.
Or just take me makeup shopping with you and I'll hook you up. ;0) Didja get my PM?

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M·A·C Cosmetics

Maybe there's something about what MAC stands for on their website?

I'm pretty sure it's Makeup Art Cosmetics.

Wow, Brea, you moved from Puna to Chisholm? You poor thing!

Anyway, I'm right there with ya. I missed that week in Girl School and am pretty hopeless when it comes to knowing what to apply where. I manage to get stuff on my face for performances but it's several shades below "Wow!"

Went to a Clinique counter a few years ago when I first started belly dancing. The woman thought I was a stripper and seemed to find it amusing that I would need some color suggestions. She didn't impress me much with her skill, but then my skin is difficult to dress up well.

Are MAC salespeople actually trained in makeup artistry? Do they know how to work with faces that are not young, and not smooth?

MAC retail personnel are trained makeup artists. They undergo an "audition" when they apply for a job with the company. If they're good, they should know how to work with all types of clients.

A lot of people who work at regular makeup counters do not understand the aesthetic of ME dance performers so when you go to a counter (any counter), rather than tell them you are a BD, tell them that you perform or dance (to help them determine what types of products to use for durability) under [fill in the blank: well-lit, dark w/ lots of shadows, outdoor, large stage, etc.] conditions (to help them figure out intensity of application: how dark you need it, what kind of contouring/highlight, if you need false eyelashes, etc.).

Taj- I moved from Puna to Duluth, actually. Still a big shocker!! ..g.:

I think I missed all the weeks of Girl School actually.

I'd really like to find a MAC store; I've only seen one and that was in Minneapolis. I'll have to do a road trip soon...

Originally Posted by BreaMorgiane

Taj- I moved from Puna to Duluth, actually. Still a big shocker!! ..g.:

I think I missed all the weeks of Girl School actually.

I'd really like to find a MAC store; I've only seen one and that was in Minneapolis. I'll have to do a road trip soon...

If you can't find a MAC store, or a MAC counter in a department store, how about playing with some youtube tutorials? I get a kick out of the ones done by panacea81, but there are a lot more. You can try some of the techniques these makeup artists use, and see what products and colors they use that you might like. MAC and other cosmetics can be ordered online.

Originally Posted by BreaMorgiane

Taj- I moved from Puna to Duluth, actually. Still a big shocker!! ..g.:

I think I missed all the weeks of Girl School actually.

I'd really like to find a MAC store; I've only seen one and that was in Minneapolis. I'll have to do a road trip soon...

How's the belly scene in Dulut'? I lived in Mpls/StP for 20 years (sadly didn't study BD while there, for which I will forever kick myself), and got up that way quite a bit. Lovely country; Superior is my fave Great Lake!

I second the suggestion of YouTube tutorials. My only problem with the ones I've seen is that they tend to use specific cosmetics (a lot of MAC, actually) and don't give you ideas about substitutes.

Originally Posted by Monica

Someone posted links to you tube make-up tutorials. I am sure you could search there and find some 'live' help, too.

I typed in: 'how to create smokey eyes'
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
A problem with this is we all have different eye shapes,
so you will have to play with this to find whats best for your eye shape.
(that's if you want smokey eyes!)

Originally Posted by Egyptdancer

I typed in: 'how to create smokey eyes'
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.
A problem with this is we all have different eye shapes,
so you will have to play with this to find whats best for your eye shape.
(that's if you want smokey eyes!)

Correct. And not all eye shape, placement, size, or face shapes work with general smokey eye applications. Out of 24 belly dancers during this most recent Raq the Camera, I believe I did smokey eyes on only 3 dancers.

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Hey Brea--next time you get down to Mpls, there are MAC stores all over down here. There's one in uptown, one in the Mall of America, and ones in the Macy's stores at Southdale and Roseville, among other places. :-)

You're quite pale, but I think you can probably pull off some pretty strong/dark eye color if you use it with highlights and BLEND, like the others said. If you wanted to start with something fairly neutralish and not overly strong (to work up to the strong colors/harder makeup application), but that would still have a little color and be something other than gold...in MAC I might suggest taking a look at the colors Cranberry, Embark (a dark brown...), and Gleam (kind of a neutrally pinky tone with a sheen). Maybe try something like this: put a base of Gleam over the whole lid and under brow area. Put Cranberry over the outter 2/3 of the eyelid, sweep up a little into the crease and out toward the outter edge of your brow. If you want to warm that up, you can also add in one of the golden tones (like Antiqued or another bronze color). Use Embark on the outter 1/3 portion of the lid and crease and extending out a little, lining into the crease a little. Be sure to apply the Cranberry and Embark liberally (read: dark) and don't worry if they look a little blocky right now because it will all smoothe out when you blend. Then put a narrow bit of white (or almost white) along the line right under your eyebrow (and possibly in a dab at the inner corner of your eye if your eyes are deep set or close together looking). Now take a blending brush and blend, blend, blend it all together in a motion that sweeps out toward the outter corner/brow corner. Finally, dampen a wedge brush (or even a pointed shadow sponge applicator from a drugstore eyeshadow kit) and use Embark to line the lashes (maybe upper and lower) or to intensify the brown anywhere you think you may need it. Then apply your eyeliner and touch up as necessary.

I can't believe I'm offering eye makeup advice. I missed MANY days of Girl School myself, and have been struggling to play catch up for the past few years (as Christina can attest--she heard me in the green room berating my liquid eyeliner for it's uncooperative nature at the Sahra Saeeda show Saturday night...;-) But...after much work/practice, I'm finally getting better (Azhia, I may actually even have pictures to post soon of my progression in learning Arabic eyes technique!)

Now...what I need is a trip to the MAC store to see if they're making a good black or near-black eyeshadow with a brown undertone. (The one I saw last time turned out to be too grey/cool in undertone, esp. when it blends....)

Originally Posted by aamel_MirahAmmal

I can't believe I'm offering eye makeup advice. I missed MANY days of Girl School myself, and have been struggling to play catch up for the past few years (as Christina can attest--she heard me in the green room berating my liquid eyeliner for it's uncooperative nature at the Sahra Saeeda show Saturday night...;-) But...after much work/practice, I'm finally getting better (Azhia, I may actually even have pictures to post soon of my progression in learning Arabic eyes technique!)

Now...what I need is a trip to the MAC store to see if they're making a good black or near-black eyeshadow with a brown undertone. (The one I saw last time turned out to be too grey/cool in undertone, esp. when it blends....)

Yaay! You go, sweetheart!! Brea, good advice from MirahAmmal.
I'd love to see your Arabic smokey eye results.
As for your near black with brown undertone, try blending MAC "Carbon" (their mattest, blackest black) with any of their velvet or satin brown shadows. I'm a big fan of blending to create dimension and your own colours.

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