The Southern Thing: Easy Day to Night Eye Makeup Transition

If I had to choose between my makeup and could only keep one item, it would be a very close call between mascara and eyeliner, so please don't make me choose! Those are the two that make me look awake and alive and somewhat presentable even if I just rolled out of bed. Years ago I felt I couldn't leave the house without a full face of makeup. That meant just a quick trip to the grocery store meant a multi step (long) routine. Now it's not necessary; I'm just glad I finally realized! My new makeup routine has been a time saver to say the least. Instead, the way I apply makeup is based on time of day and occasion and can easily be transitioned from day to night in three different looks.

Look #1 is a simple, everyday look with the bare minimum for looking refreshed. It's great for running errands, etc. I apply my favorite mascara, fill in the eyebrows, put a light layer of foundation, and I'm out the door. The most important step here is the mascara. I'm 100% sure I could never leave without it. Ever. I've tried them all, from high end expensive brands to the latest drugstore tube, but my go to is L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashses Mascara (L'Oreal Double extend is also a favorite too). It's the only mascara that lets me get away with the less is more look due to the full lash effect it gives. Curling them prior to application makes the lashes pop even more!

Look #2 is a more professional look, great for work, meetings, etc. The key is to combine mascara and eyeliner, but don't go too crazy with the eyeliner. You want to keep your eyes looking bright and open, so the less eyeliner the better. My trick is to use an eyeliner pencil that has the texture of liquid eyeliner, like the L'Oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner. This will allow you to blend the eyeliner for a softer look. To keep your eyes looking bright, you'll either want to only line your top lid, or line the bottom lid halfway, and blend. Lining the bottom lid from the outer corner to the center will give your eyes a fuller look.

Look #3 is my go to night look which is easily transitioned from a simple day time look and perfect for date night, girl's night out, or a night out on the town. This is my version of the smokey eye, but more neutral and less intense.

First you'll want to apply your eyeshadow base, eyeliner, and mascara (which will already be applied if you're transitioning from day to night). Next you'll need a light flesh tone shade of eyeshadow, a dark shade for the crease, and one color that is slightly lighter than your darkest shade. Apply your lightest shade (flesh toned) of eyeshadow over your entire lid, stopping at the crease. Layer from the outer side of your lid to the center with an eyeshadow shade slightly brighter than your darkest shade you'll be using for your crease. With your darkest shade, fill in your crease from the center point of your lid, to the outer part of your lid. Highlight your brow bone with your flesh tone shade to brighten up your eye, then work the flesh tone shade over the inner part of lid to brighten some more, working into the dark crease to blend. When you are finished, you should have your lightest shade in the inner part of your lid and under your brown bone, the darkest shade in the crease, and the slightly brighter dark shade blended down from the crease.

Since my makeup routine changes often, I like to keep my makeup in an organizer for easy access. Dividers that separate eyeshadow brushes from eyeliners are great since they are similar in size and hard to differentiate from when you're digging in a makeup bag. If you haven't already, organize your makeup, ladies, it will save you time in the long run from digging in what seems like a bottomless bag! I found some great organizing options and my favorite L'Oreal products during my trip to Albertsons last night!