Rookie

The inspiration. (Photo by Chrissie)

Nothing fits the theme of Paradise, and the vibes of Los Angeles, to me more than flowers. Inspired by Chrissie’s flower eye makeup in her April shoot, I decided to make a 3D flowered eye look.

Armed with some flowers from my mother’s garden, some bold makeup colors, a tiny pair of scissors, and some eyelash glue, I put this look together. You’ll need some patience to do it, but it’s not actually difficult. It’s a little bit Flower Child, a little bit crazy, and a lot awesome.

What you’ll need:

• A bold pink powder eyeshadow, like NYX Cosmetics’ Single Eye Shadow in Hot Pink ($5, drugstores or nyxcosmetics.com). (For all of this stuff, feel free to substitute whatever colors would look best with your flower petals.)
• A deep-violet eyeliner pencil, like Elizabeth Arden’s Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil in Black Violet ($16.50, department stores or elizabetharden.com).
• A bold purple eye shadow, like NYX Cosmetics Single Eye Shadow in Purple ($5, drugstores or nyxcosmetics.com).
• A small, stiff-bristled eye shadow brush.
• Your favorite mascara.
• Eyelash glue, like Ardell’s Lash Grip Eyelash Adhesive ($5, Sally Beauty Supply).
• Manicure scissors like these. You can find these at any drugstore for a few dollars. Small sewing scissors would work, too.
• Flower petals. Gerber daisies have ideal petals. I was NOT using Gerber daisies because I didn’t have any on hand, but lots of different flowers from a garden, a field, or a florist’s shop will work. Look for ones with petals that are long and narrow.

How to do it:

1. Cover your entire eyelid, up to the brow bone, with the hot-pink shadow. Smudge a little around your lower lashes too. I used my fingers to apply it because I’m MESSY!

2. Use the purple eyeliner pencil to line the entire outer rim of your eye; extend it outward a bit past the outer corner, and smudge it slightly.

3. Use the small eye-shadow brush to apply the purple shadow slightly above your crease, in a similar fashion to step four in my mod eyes tutorial.

4. Begin trimming the flower petals. You’ll need to snip the ends off and may have to do some reshaping. That’s why I recommend manicure scissors, because they’re so tiny and good for such fine work.

5. Apply the tiniest drop of eyelash glue to the back of each petal. You can smear it around with the tip of the glue tube to make sure it’s applied evently. Let it dry for about 20 seconds before sticking it on.

6. Stick the petals to your face! Place the smallest, shortest ones closest to the middle of your lid; while the biggest, longest petals will go at the outer corner (see the picture below).

7. Finally, add two coats of your favorite mascara.

I only did one eye, but I think it would look great if you did both. Try it at home and show me the results! ♦