The problem with festive holiday fashions is that they can "upstage" an unadorned face.
So Jill Chambers, a makeup artist and hair stylist at Ogden's Profiles Salon and Day Spa, and an instructor at Ogden-Weber Applied Technical College, offers this tutorial on how to create the ever-popular makeup look called the smoky eye.
"It's a smoky, sultry evening look, that can really make eyes stand out," said Chambers, who also has worked for the Utah Film Commission, providing camera-ready faces for such celebrities as Jane Seymour, Collin Raye, Tracy Lawrence and Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey.
"But the smoky eye is not good for every eye shape," Chambers said. "And on small, almond-shaped or deep-set eyes, it can make eyes look sunken."
Here are the steps to three-shade smoky eyes:
l Cover the entire eye area with a foundation or primer, which will help makeup adhere better and last longer.
l Before mascara, consider using an eyelash curler, once close to your lids and a second time closer to the tips of your lashes. Next is mascara. For fuller looking lashes, let mascara dry between coats. For longer-looking lashes, apply the next coat before the previous coat dries.
l Apply eyeliner just above lashes on upper lid, and smudge. For a more dramatic look, you can apply the same dark liner below lower lashes, plus on the inside edges of your lids that touch when your eyes are closed. Or, to give the illusion of more clear, wide-opened eyes, you can use a white liner on the inner lid surface, right next to the eye.
People with close-set eyes can make their eyes seem farther apart by ending eyeliner at the iris area, and smudging it in, rather than lining the entire lids.
l Cover the entire upper eyelid area in your lightest shadow shade. Chambers picked a whitish gold for model Mercedes Humphreys, 19, of North Ogden. People with older skin should choose matte shadows rather than shimmery ones, which can emphasize crepeyness.
l Brush your medium eye shadow shade just above the crease in your eyelid. Chambers used a neutral brown, blended for subtlety, to create the illusion of a more pronounced crease and sculpted brow.
l Apply a thin line of your darkest shadow -- Chambers chose a mossy green -- on your upper lid, on and just above your upper eyeliner area, and blend. Use the same dark shade to create a subtle, horizon "V," extending out from the eyeliner to the outer corners of the eyelid, then back into the area just above your natural eyelid crease.
l Use your darkest shadow to stipple a circle on your eyelid, above your iris. If you are concerned the darkest shadow will make your eye look too sunken, you can "fake" a smoky eye by using your medium or light eye shadow shade for the blended circle area above your iris, Chambers said.
l Use foundation or concealer to even out natural shadows between your nose and your eyes, if desired. Refresh your eyeliner if needed.
l For an extra pop, apply individual false lashes, a practice popular with brides. The lashes can look more natural than heavy mascara, and if they fall off, losing a lash is better than losing an entire spidery strip of lashes.
l Additional tips: For more intense eye colors, apply shadow with a brush or sponge applicator that is damp. Smudged lines are better than clean lines for a sultry look, and good blending is crucial to the look. If you apply too much makeup, remove some with a dry sponge. If you're doing high-drama eyes, keep the lip tones nude.
And make sure your final look is an enhanced you, not a makeup that upstages your natural beauty.
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