Want Your Eyes to Take Center Stage?

Sometimes it’s the lightest shade that creates the most impact

A little black dress. Smoky eyeshadow. Black leather pants. A coal-colored cat eye.

In our society, black is the ultimate color of seduction.

And while the mystery and allure of black will never disappear, lately there’s a different color taking center stage in the beauty aisle of stores everywhere.

White.

And with the right tricks, this color can make your eyes mesmerizing. Here are some tips to get you started.

Put white liner along the waterline.

I love to wear black on my waterline (the area above your lower lashes) because it gives a sultry look. However, more and more makeup experts recommend using a white liner in this area.

For example, in an article in Elle, makeup artist Michael Ashton explains why white eyeliner makes your eyes look enchanting. He states:

“When used along the water line, it is a quick and effective way to make the eye look instantly more open, awake, and refreshed.”

The magical effect of white eyeliner is based on the same philosophy of contouring. For example, contouring functions on the principle that dark colors make areas of the face recede while light colors make them stand out.

This fact is why using white eyeliner on your waterline gives the appearance of larger eyes.

Use white eyeshadow on the whole lid.

The Beauty Thesis gives instructions on using white shadow on the lids to create a sculpted natural look.

They recommend putting a white shadow on the lid, a subtle brown in the crease, and topping it off with a thin line of black liner on the lashline.

Put white highlighter in the corners of your eyes.

I learned this amazing trick from my fifteen-year-old daughter. Put white shadow in a v shape at the inner corners of the eye. It’s a simple tip, but it really draws attention to your eyes. To kick the drama up a notch, pick a shimmering white. Celebrity makeup artist Molly Stern states in Redbook that “the highlighter’s reflective properties make your whole eye area look lighter.”

Put white shadow along your brow line.

Placing a white, slightly shimmery highlighter directly beneath the eyebrows creates lift, especially if you concentrate the highlighter along the peak arch of the brow.

The bottom line:

Makeup maven Pat McGrath says:

“Creativity is your best makeup skill, don’t be afraid to experiment.”

So play around with these tricks. I think you’ll be reaching for white in your makeup bag a lot more than you think.

If you enjoyed reading, you may like my writings below. If you’re interested, you can subscribe to get my articles or join Medium here to have access to my work and the work of other talented writers.