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If you’ve got hooded eyes, then you know what a challenge applying eye makeup can be. While everyone else seems to just sweep on a fierce cat-eye, you’re trying to figure out how to keep it on, let alone apply it. Sure, some of the most popular young celebrities today, like Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lawrence, have hooded eyes, and their eye makeup manages to look fabulous all the time, but they also have the benefit of countless makeup artists at their beck-and-call. Lucky for you though, there are some simple tips you can use to make your hooded eyes really pop!

• Primer is your best friend – This is the single most important element of applying makeup for hooded eyes! Since your upper lid tends to fold over and hide your lower lid, any eye makeup you apply there is likely to be rubbed off quickly by the friction, so primer (like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, or Benefit Stay Don’t Stray) will provide your products with loads more staying power. Apply from base of lashes to just below the brow bone and blend in, then allow to dry before applying any other products.
• Brows – You might not realize it, but unkempt brows can actually make your hooded lid look even heavier. Likewise, an over-plucked brow creates the appearance of more lid space, which draws attention to your hood. If you are unsure about the best shape for your face, go to a salon. They can help you get the basic shape established, so then all you will have to do is maintain. To keep them filled in, the best eyebrow makeup is usually powder, applied with a stiff angled brush. Powder often looks more natural than pencil, but the best brows usually combine both! Try a combo of Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Wiz and Smashbox Brow Tech.
• Use smudge-proof, water-proof liner and mascara – Again, if you constantly wrestle with disappearing eye makeup, the formulation of your products could be the culprit. You might have shied away from “smudge-proof” or “water-proof” before, but there are such great products out there, like the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, that go on smoothly, blend effortlessly, and, most importantly, stay on! If it’s the removal of those smudge-proof and water-proof liners and mascaras that has you fretting, a product like Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover will quickly and gently wipe your eyes completely clean.
• Shadow placement – This is probably the second most important element in hooded eyes makeup, right behind using primer. With the sagging skin of hooded eyes, typical eye makeup tutorials often don’t apply to you. But don’t lose heart! You just need a slightly different placement technique. The goal is to camouflage the hooded skin to create the illusion of a more balanced, open eye using light and dark color placement (light colors bring forward, and dark colors recede). So, after your lid primer is dry, sweep a light, shimmery shade all over the lower lid. Next, apply a darker, matte shadow into the outer V (extending it a bit up and out). And now for the real magic…looking forward, with your eyes relaxed (so you can clearly see the hood), sweep a darker matte shadow in and slightly above your crease (yes, onto the lower part of the hood). In a light, windshield-wiper motion, bring the shadow about half way in, then connect it with the shadow in the outer V. The darker shadow will help to recede the skin of the hood. Always remember, if you’ve got hooded eyes, always have a matte shadow pallet handy!

The first false lashes actually hit the silver screen in 1916, when legendary movie director, D.W. Griffith, gave a wig maker the directive to create lashes so long they would touch a starlet’s cheeks when she fluttered them or looked down.  Human hair was carefully weaved through gauze and then stuck to the lid with a type of cosmetics gum.

We’ve certainly come a long way since then! Falsies are more popular than ever, put to daily use in the routines of many makeup mavens. But, thanks to the huge number of lash brands, styles, and types on the market, finding the best lashes can be challenging, even for the most practiced among us.  If you manage to get your selection right, not only will the lashes look fabulous, but they should hold up through multiple wears (with the proper care).  So, just to make your work easier, we’ve taken a closer look at some of the most popular brands in every price range.

Ardell – Ardell false eyelashes are readily available online and in most drugstores. The company began in 1971 and has grown to one of… if not the… biggest false eyelash brand in the world.

• Types of lashes: Natural, Glamour, Accent, Individuals (some semi-permanent styles), and Rhinestone (more exotic and daring styles, colors, accented with small rhinestones ).
• Real or synthetic? According to the Ardell site, “The majority of Ardell strip lashes are made from 100% sterilized human hair. Some strip lashes may be made with synthetic fiber similar to human hair due to intricacy of particular style and addition of rhinestones.”
• Lash glue or special directions? Some lashes may have a small vial of false eyelash glue Online they offer both clear (Lashgrip Strip Adhesive) and black glue (Lashtite Adhesive). While Ardell does offer Lashfree Remover, no special eyelash glue remover is necessary.
• Price point: $3 – $6
• Overall selection: Huge. Literally. You could wear a different lash almost every day of the year.
• Overall reviews: By far, some of the best false eyelashes you can find in a low price-point. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive everywhere we looked online. Some consumers complained that when buying the lashes online, the product they received did not match the picture. Other complaints dealt with application… but in our opinion, that’s really operator error, not a problem with the lashes themselves.

Eylure – Eylure lashes, also, are readily available both online and in your local drugstore. Founded by David and Eric Aylott,  Eylure has been a trailblazer in false lashes since the 1940s. In the beginning, their products were mainly used on stage and screen, by the 1960s, the Eylure lashes hit the mainstream.

• Types of lashes: Natural, Lengthening, Texture, Volume, Definition, Exaggerate, Dramatic, Party, and Brown lashes.
• Real or synthetic? After a long, frustrating search online, we’ve decided that unless the product specifies “100% human hair,” that they are most likely a good quality synthetic.
• Lash glue or special directions? Some packages my include a small vial of eyelash glue, but they also have eyelash adhesive made especially for their strip lashes (Lashfix), clear and black eyelash glue (Superfix)… but any eyelash glue should work. Eylure also offers “Lift Off” eyelash remover, though any oil-free makeup remover should work as well.
• Price point: $4 – $10
• Overall selection: Aside from a massive range of styles, colors, textures, and effects, Eylure offers some “celebrity” styles, from such notables as Katy Perry and British favorites Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, and Nicola Roberts.
• Overall reviews: The majority of reviews we found online were very positive, however, there were some consumers who found mistakes with packaging (two visibly different lashes in the same package), and some had trouble maneuvering the thicker more voluminous lash varieties (complaints that the lashes were too stiff and would not bend).

Revlon –While Revlon the company began in 1930, marketing their unique nail polish and lipstick, the Revlon false eyelashes are a more recent addition to both the brand and to the contenders of the best false eyelashes battle.

• Types of lashes: Revlon Runway, Revlon Fantasy Lengths, Revlon Beyond Natural, Individual, and Volumizing.
• Real or synthetic? All of the lashes appear to be synthetic-only.
• Lash glue or special directions? Most packages come with a small vial of their Precision Lash Adhesive, some are glue-on, and some are “self-adhesive” (the adhesive strips already in place on the band of the lashes is water-resistant and latex-free). You can also buy the Precision Lash Adhesive separately.
• Price point: $4 – $6
• Overall selection: Not a lot to choose from here. Since they can be found in some drugstores, they might work in a pinch if you couldn’t find Ardell or Eylure. We are hopeful that they will offer more selection as time goes on and/or demand rises.
• Overall reviews: Again, since they are relatively new to the false eyelash market, there aren’t that many reviews to compare… but the ones we did find were very positive.

Dolly Wink – Launched by Japanese one-time teen model/pop star Tsubasa Masuwaka, Dolly Wink eyelashes were once only known to false lash insiders and fashion-conscious women of Europe and Asia. Thanks to the internet, though,  Dolly Wink has gone world-wide, becoming a cult favorite as one of the  best false eyelashes available.

• Types of lashes: With names like “Dolly Sweet,” “Sweet Girly,” “Natural Girly,” and “Sweet Cat,” Dolly Wink doesn’t really have types of lashes as much as they have different styles of one main type. There are approximately 20 different lashes, all either full strips or demi lashes, and all very natural looking, delicately spaced, layered, and of graduated lengths. They are strategically longer both horizontally and vertically, creating the appearance of longer, larger, doll-like eyes. Dolly Wink also sells natural-looking bottom lashes.
• Real or synthetic? While there are eyelash extensions branded as “Dolly Wink” available to salons, the eyelashes you can buy online (Amazon, Ebay, etc.) are made from synthetic hair.
• Lash glue or special directions? Thankfully, no special protocol here. Apply with regular eyelash glue, and remove either with lash remover or oil-free makeup remover.
• Price point: $17 – $30
• Overall selection: While what they do have is lovely, the overall selection is not broad in terms of either styles or types of lashes available.
• Overall reviews: We honestly could not find a blatantly negative review of the Dolly Wink products. Any slightly-lower-than-top-star ratings were mainly from consumers not practiced in false eyelash application.

And the winner is… For a wallet-friendly, readily-available, good-quality variety, our bet is with Ardell. We like that they use real hair in the majority of the lashes, and the price-point says that experimentation with different looks is definitely doable.  Huge selection and availability also! They truly are the best false eyelashes for the buck!

Want to really push your fashion forward without having to buy a new wardrobe? One of the best ways to do that is to pick a new trend that you want to follow and add some great accessories and key pieces that will pump up the rest of your clothing options.

One of the best trends to stick with is the metallics trend – while metallics have never really gone out of style, there are times when they become more popular and with the return of metallic lipsticks, that time is now.

Here are a few ways to add metallics to your wardrobe this season:

Shine From The Feet

Aren’t brave enough to wear an entire metallic outfit? Start from the feet up. Wearing a bit of shine on your feet helps you to feel put together and a little funky without going over the edge. The great thing about shoes is that you can do whatever you want with them, because there is a chance that most people won’t see them.

Metallic sneakers make a great option to increase that fashion of a casual outfit. They are just funky enough to make you feel a little bit better about your jeans and t-shirt or even your leggings. Make sure you don’t scuff them up too much and always wear appropriate undergarments if you wear them with a skirt or dress – they are reflective.

On the other hand, you can go metallic with a great pair of heels. Everyone woman should own a pair of sturdy metallic heels – they will heighten any LBD, any skirt, and even a pantsuit. Make sure they are sturdy and that they have a good quality material on them – otherwise they can look a bit trashy.

Keep Warm

Metallic coats are warmer than other types of coats because they attract the sunlight – especially that strong winter sunlight. Now, when selecting a metallic coat, you don’t want to go with something that looks like vinyl. Instead, you want to choose a coat that has just a little bit of shimmer in it.

Push the Limits

Every woman needs a skirt or two that makes her feel like an absolute beauty. A metallic skirt in a crinkle pattern is very on-trend right now and will always be a classic look. Whether you want to dress it up with a cute top or dress it down with a t-shirt and sneakers, it will always look amazing.

Make sure to get a steamer or take it to a dry cleaner, however, as these often get a bit wrinkled due to the material most designers use for metallic skirts.

Of Course, Lipstick

Of course, the reason we are all talking about metallics again is because metallic lipsticks are back on the market. Once again, it is very easy to go wrong with metallic lipsticks. Buy from a brand that you know and always carry around a pocket mirror to reapply if need be. There are different types of metallics, including glitters, liquids, and even matte metallics. Your best bet? Start with a fantastic metallic nude lipstick and work from there.

Don’t be afraid to shine and get ready for the glitz and the glam of every season.