Beauty: Moss Goddess

Alright!  Who wants to be the goddess of moss?  Sounds mighty appealing, right?  Well, I was just feeling clever and I like how it rhymes.  I also thought it would be appropriate since I'll be doing a tutorial using earthy green tones as opposed to brights.

The key player in our lesson today is Maybelline's ExpertWear Eyeshadow Quad in Emerald Smokes:

It's a little hard to see in this image, but each color has been conveniently labeled to give you a rough idea of where it should be applied.  Clockwise from the bottom left: Brow Bone, Lid, Crease, Outer Corner.

Other components I'll be using:

1. large flat shadow brush
2. medium flat shadow brush
3. crease brush
4. small smudge brush
5. small domed shadow brush
6. black pencil liner
7. black liquid liner
8. black eye shadow
9. mascara

As usual, I start with a primed eye.

Next, I'm going to use the large flat shadow brush to apply the "lid" color (a medium silver-khaki green) to my eyelid up to the brow bone.

Then, using a small flat shadow brush, I'm going to apply the "brow bone" color (ivory with gold shimmer) to my brow bone (duh) and under-eyebrow-arch area.

Once I've completed this step, I'm going to take my crease brush and apply the "crease" color (medium hunter green) to the outer half of my upper lid, just to the brow bone,  using even, circular strokes.

I'm going to grab my black pencil liner now (HIP Color Chrome) and line my upper lid halfway in from the outer corner.

Using the same pencil liner, I'm going to completely line my bottom lid.

Then, using my small smudge brush, I'm going to layer some of the "outer corner" color (espresso brown with multicolor flecks) right on top of the top lid eyeliner, blending and smudging as I do so.

Next using another smudge brush (or the same one that's been cleaned off), I'm going to layer the "crease" color right on top of the bottom eyeliner.

Then I'm going to take my large flat shadow brush again, and pick up a small amount of the "lid" color.  I'm going to blend it right along the edges of the "crease" color we just applied.  This will give the overall look a softer effect.

Once I've finished doing that, I'm going to use my small domed brush to apply black eye shadow to the outer corners of my upper and lower lids for added depth.

Then, using black liquid eyeliner (Prestige Liquid Glitter Precision) , I'm going to add a moderately winged line to my upper lid line.

I'm also going to add a little just on the outer corner of my bottom lid line.

To finish, I curl my lashes and apply mascara.

And there you have it!  The colors ought to be well-blended so that there are no harsh lines and the final result should resemble a gradient of all the colors we used.  I really like these quads because you have a complementary set of shadows in the same color family which takes the guesswork out of choosing colors to create a certain look.  The pigmentation isn't bad, and the color labeling is useful for those that are new to makeup.  Pricing is reasonable...I think you can find this set for $5 on eBay and about $7-8 at the drugstore.

Because of my very yellow/olive undertones, I find that these shades of green work with my complexion quite well.  

An earthy, subdued green smoke worthy of a woodland nymph. Wheee!