Makeup Look of the Day: Defining

American actress Gena Rowlands

 Rowlands in the '90s

This look is essentially a combination of two prior looks: Shimmer and Glamorous.  It's a lot of makeup but when done right, should look clean and rich.  It's called Defining because the eyes, lips, and contours of the face are all simultaneously being spotlighted.  It's also an appropriate look for all ages.  As you can see, Gena Rowlands wears the look flawlessly in both her younger days and as a mature woman.

Defining uses a golden blond eyeshadow on the lid and a neutral shimmery shadow for the browbone.  Personally I didn't have a golden blond eyeshadow so I ended up mixing shimmery bronze and soft yellow powder shadows together to come up with the shade I needed.  You don't need to always run to the store to get a color you don't have-- chances are you already have two shades that can be combined to make whatever color you need.

The look also uses black pencil eyeliner on the upper lid and black mascara on the upper and lower lashes.  The lips are outlined and filled in with a neutral pencil before applying a red cream lipstick.  Soft rose blush is applied generously to the cheeks and temples.

                                                                       PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Lilique Dome brush

The Defining Look is really dependent upon having the right brushes.  Get yourself a variety of brushes that serve different purposes.  I used a Lilique #400 Dome brush which costs around $15 and is used for translucent powder to be applied all over the face.  I also used an eyeshadow brush to blend the eyeshadow up and outward after applying it with a sponge-tip applicator. I like Sephora All Over Shadow brush, #22 (left).  A blush brush should be separate from your powder (dome) brush.  You don't want to get blush on the brush that you are going to use for powder.  The difference between blush and dome brushes are the bristles.  Whereas on a dome brush the bristles become gradually longer towards the center (shaped like a dome), a blush brush's bristles are all one length.  Brushes can be purchased at a drug store or from a more expensive department store.  However, I don't believe brushes need to be expensive in order to serve their purpose.  Thankfully there are a lot of options for different budgets.

Ultima II blush brush