Q: I have fair skin and have a hard time playing up my eyes and making them stand out without it looking like I have lots of makeup on. Is there something I can do to make them stand out without all the makeup?

A: For advice on enhancing your beauty while still looking natural, I went to Melissa Gibson, senior makeup artist for fab beauty brand M.A.C Cosmetics. Here’s what she had to say:

“Fair all around? You don’t have to play up your eyes with loads of eye makeup! Try sweeping a neutral colour with a slight sheen all over the eyelid. Use a dark shadow (black, grey or brown) with a small angle brush and line the upper and lower lash lines. Concentrate the most amount of product toward the outer corner of the eyes. You can even rim the inside of the lid with a like colour for a bit more drama. This allows you to play up the eye area without feeling like you have gone too far!

“Use M.A.C’s Shroom eyeshadow all over. Try Carbon, Print or Espresso eyeshadow with the #266 brush for lining.”

Q: What is the proper way to use trio eyeshadows?

A: Trio eyeshadows are a great way to reduce clutter in your makeup bag. I asked Sara Whittaker, Clinique’s National Education Director, for her advice on how to use them properly. Here’s what she said:

Eyeshadow trios usually consist of a light, medium and dark shade. They can be worn a few ways. Start with sweeping the medium shade on the lid area, from the lash to just before the crease, the lighter shade along the brow bone to highlight, and the darker shade in the outer corner and crease to create definition.

“Another way to use the trio is to blend the medium shade all over the eye area. Place the lighter shade just under the eyebrow, right on top of the medium tone. Take the dark shade and blend it along the lash line up toward the eye crease. This will create a soft yet smoky-looking eye. As always, finish the look with an eye-defining mascara. A quick sweep of Clinique’s High Impact Mascara in Black will deliver length, definition and volume all in one.”

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