This season, metallic eye makeup gives both edge and sophistication, taking you from day to dusk with ease. No longer reserved for just gold, silver, and bronze, metal shades now range from feminine rose-gold hues to urban pewter shades. To keep your makeup time-appropriate, think light for day and bold for evening. To get on board with this trend, surf for inspiration by checking out spring's hottest metallic stares.
While smokey eye makeup is normally reserved for evening, wear this lighter version during the day for subtle sexiness. The best way to go about daytime smolder is to look for a slightly sheer shadow that builds upon application. For summer, work the daytime smokey look with a translucent gray eyeshadow, like the one seen on the Diane von Furstenberg Spring 2012 runway. To keep the color light, apply the shadow with a fluffy makeup brush as these brushes tend not to pick up dense pigments.
Get the Look: NARS Single Eye Shadow-Lhasa Lavender Gray $24
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your daytime gray shadow into the night, build on the same gray color with a denser eyeshadow brush. If using a smudge brush, you can even wet the brush with a few drops of water before dipping it into the shadow for a sultry-sleek look. For reference, note the dark gray/charcoal shadow seen during the Giorgio Armani's 2012 Spring collection.
Get the Look: Sephora Collection Classic Smudge Brush #14 $13
Photo: IMAXtree
If even the light gray feels too dark for your vibe, opt for a barely there silver hue like the one seen at the Herve Leger Spring 2012 collection. Not only is silver a great color for summer, the metallic hue will brighten your eyes while remaining an appropriate color for work. Try a translucent shadow that you can apply on the inner and outer corners of your lids by using your fingertips.
Get the Look: Lorac Eye Shadow/Liner Midnight Sparkle $18
Photo: IMAXtree
For the night, get inspiration from DSquared2's Spring 2012 show and work a more intense silver shade over your entire eye area. To keep your look practical and sexy and not overly costumey and editorial, skip the shimmer and glitter over the brows and instead focus solely on your lids. For long-lasting wear and heavier application, prep your lids with a water-resistant and crease-proof eye primer before applying your eyeshadow.
Get the Look: Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen $24
Photo: IMAXtree
Once seen as a mere consolation prize for 3rd place, bronze is now ranked equally among metal's elite duo: silver and gold. To keep your look fresh and daytime appropriate, take note from Matthew Williamson's Spring 2012 collection and work a soft muted bronze pencil into a winged tip. Finish off with a few coats of mascara, warm bronzer, and lip balm. Keep the rest of your face bare for a glowing look that feels young and modern.
Get the Look: Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes in Chocolate Lustre $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your metal from day to a smoldering bronze, apply a shimmery copper shade throughout your crease. Use Emilio Pucci's Spring 2012 as a reference for the ideal smokey bronze eye makeup. Not overly done but bold enough to stand on its own, be sure to keep your bronze contained through the crease. Brush a muted neutral hue over your brow bone to contrast and highlight the velvety bronze hue. For added drama, line your eyes with a black kohl pencil and apply several coats of mascara.
Get the Look: Sephora's Collection Prism Chrome Eye Shadow in Orange Facets $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To get No. 21's feminine look, apply a rose gold shadow over your lids and cheekbones. Use a light fluffy eyeshadow brush that will keep the color light and barely there. Because rose gold tends to become earthy and muted in matte versions, stick to a translucent shade that features subtle hints of shimmer. Additionally, since rose gold hues tend to favor warm skin tones, this hue best flatters light eyes and rosy skin types.
Get the Look: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Lit $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Like rose gold, copper hues tend to flatter faces with light eyes and rosy skin. However, unlike rose gold, copper tends to feel more sexy than sweet, and more bold than subtle. For an intense copper look, copy Herve Leger's Spring 2012 runway, a makeup look that feels both modern and avant-garde, the perfect combination for a hot summer night. Look for a coppery shadow with orange accents that will brighten both your eyes and face.
Get the Look: Makeup for Ever Aqua Shadow in Pearly Copper $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Once forgotten among the color masses and viewed as a murky hue, pewter is now used by the top industry makeup artists on celebrities and models alike. This spring, designers used the metallic shade to showcase their evening gowns and provide sophistication to urban grunge wear. At the Spring 2012 Badgley Mischka collection, pewter lined lids lent a hint of edge and fierceness to the elegant eveningwear and dramatic ball gowns. If you want to add further drama, smudge the liner all over your crease and apply several coats of black mascara.
Get the Look: Bare Minerals Round the Clock Water Proof Liner in 11 PM $15
Photo: IMAXtree
While smokey eye makeup is normally reserved for evening, wear this lighter version during the day for subtle sexiness. The best way to go about daytime smolder is to look for a slightly sheer shadow that builds upon application. For summer, work the daytime smokey look with a translucent gray eyeshadow, like the one seen on the Diane von Furstenberg Spring 2012 runway. To keep the color light, apply the shadow with a fluffy makeup brush as these brushes tend not to pick up dense pigments.
Get the Look: NARS Single Eye Shadow-Lhasa Lavender Gray $24
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your daytime gray shadow into the night, build on the same gray color with a denser eyeshadow brush. If using a smudge brush, you can even wet the brush with a few drops of water before dipping it into the shadow for a sultry-sleek look. For reference, note the dark gray/charcoal shadow seen during the Giorgio Armani's 2012 Spring collection.
Get the Look: Sephora Collection Classic Smudge Brush #14 $13
Photo: IMAXtree
If even the light gray feels too dark for your vibe, opt for a barely there silver hue like the one seen at the Herve Leger Spring 2012 collection. Not only is silver a great color for summer, the metallic hue will brighten your eyes while remaining an appropriate color for work. Try a translucent shadow that you can apply on the inner and outer corners of your lids by using your fingertips.
Get the Look: Lorac Eye Shadow/Liner Midnight Sparkle $18
Photo: IMAXtree
For the night, get inspiration from DSquared2's Spring 2012 show and work a more intense silver shade over your entire eye area. To keep your look practical and sexy and not overly costumey and editorial, skip the shimmer and glitter over the brows and instead focus solely on your lids. For long-lasting wear and heavier application, prep your lids with a water-resistant and crease-proof eye primer before applying your eyeshadow.
Get the Look: Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen $24
Photo: IMAXtree
Once seen as a mere consolation prize for 3rd place, bronze is now ranked equally among metal's elite duo: silver and gold. To keep your look fresh and daytime appropriate, take note from Matthew Williamson's Spring 2012 collection and work a soft muted bronze pencil into a winged tip. Finish off with a few coats of mascara, warm bronzer, and lip balm. Keep the rest of your face bare for a glowing look that feels young and modern.
Get the Look: Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes in Chocolate Lustre $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your metal from day to a smoldering bronze, apply a shimmery copper shade throughout your crease. Use Emilio Pucci's Spring 2012 as a reference for the ideal smokey bronze eye makeup. Not overly done but bold enough to stand on its own, be sure to keep your bronze contained through the crease. Brush a muted neutral hue over your brow bone to contrast and highlight the velvety bronze hue. For added drama, line your eyes with a black kohl pencil and apply several coats of mascara.
Get the Look: Sephora's Collection Prism Chrome Eye Shadow in Orange Facets $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To get No. 21's feminine look, apply a rose gold shadow over your lids and cheekbones. Use a light fluffy eyeshadow brush that will keep the color light and barely there. Because rose gold tends to become earthy and muted in matte versions, stick to a translucent shade that features subtle hints of shimmer. Additionally, since rose gold hues tend to favor warm skin tones, this hue best flatters light eyes and rosy skin types.
Get the Look: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Lit $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Like rose gold, copper hues tend to flatter faces with light eyes and rosy skin. However, unlike rose gold, copper tends to feel more sexy than sweet, and more bold than subtle. For an intense copper look, copy Herve Leger's Spring 2012 runway, a makeup look that feels both modern and avant-garde, the perfect combination for a hot summer night. Look for a coppery shadow with orange accents that will brighten both your eyes and face.
Get the Look: Makeup for Ever Aqua Shadow in Pearly Copper $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Once forgotten among the color masses and viewed as a murky hue, pewter is now used by the top industry makeup artists on celebrities and models alike. This spring, designers used the metallic shade to showcase their evening gowns and provide sophistication to urban grunge wear. At the Spring 2012 Badgley Mischka collection, pewter lined lids lent a hint of edge and fierceness to the elegant eveningwear and dramatic ball gowns. If you want to add further drama, smudge the liner all over your crease and apply several coats of black mascara.
Get the Look: Bare Minerals Round the Clock Water Proof Liner in 11 PM $15
Photo: IMAXtree
While smokey eye makeup is normally reserved for evening, wear this lighter version during the day for subtle sexiness. The best way to go about daytime smolder is to look for a slightly sheer shadow that builds upon application. For summer, work the daytime smokey look with a translucent gray eyeshadow, like the one seen on the Diane von Furstenberg Spring 2012 runway. To keep the color light, apply the shadow with a fluffy makeup brush as these brushes tend not to pick up dense pigments.
Get the Look: NARS Single Eye Shadow-Lhasa Lavender Gray $24
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your daytime gray shadow into the night, build on the same gray color with a denser eyeshadow brush. If using a smudge brush, you can even wet the brush with a few drops of water before dipping it into the shadow for a sultry-sleek look. For reference, note the dark gray/charcoal shadow seen during the Giorgio Armani's 2012 Spring collection.
Get the Look: Sephora Collection Classic Smudge Brush #14 $13
Photo: IMAXtree
If even the light gray feels too dark for your vibe, opt for a barely there silver hue like the one seen at the Herve Leger Spring 2012 collection. Not only is silver a great color for summer, the metallic hue will brighten your eyes while remaining an appropriate color for work. Try a translucent shadow that you can apply on the inner and outer corners of your lids by using your fingertips.
Get the Look: Lorac Eye Shadow/Liner Midnight Sparkle $18
Photo: IMAXtree
For the night, get inspiration from DSquared2's Spring 2012 show and work a more intense silver shade over your entire eye area. To keep your look practical and sexy and not overly costumey and editorial, skip the shimmer and glitter over the brows and instead focus solely on your lids. For long-lasting wear and heavier application, prep your lids with a water-resistant and crease-proof eye primer before applying your eyeshadow.
Get the Look: Laura Mercier Eye Basics in Linen $24
Photo: IMAXtree
Once seen as a mere consolation prize for 3rd place, bronze is now ranked equally among metal's elite duo: silver and gold. To keep your look fresh and daytime appropriate, take note from Matthew Williamson's Spring 2012 collection and work a soft muted bronze pencil into a winged tip. Finish off with a few coats of mascara, warm bronzer, and lip balm. Keep the rest of your face bare for a glowing look that feels young and modern.
Get the Look: Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes in Chocolate Lustre $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To take your metal from day to a smoldering bronze, apply a shimmery copper shade throughout your crease. Use Emilio Pucci's Spring 2012 as a reference for the ideal smokey bronze eye makeup. Not overly done but bold enough to stand on its own, be sure to keep your bronze contained through the crease. Brush a muted neutral hue over your brow bone to contrast and highlight the velvety bronze hue. For added drama, line your eyes with a black kohl pencil and apply several coats of mascara.
Get the Look: Sephora's Collection Prism Chrome Eye Shadow in Orange Facets $15
Photo: IMAXtree
To get No. 21's feminine look, apply a rose gold shadow over your lids and cheekbones. Use a light fluffy eyeshadow brush that will keep the color light and barely there. Because rose gold tends to become earthy and muted in matte versions, stick to a translucent shade that features subtle hints of shimmer. Additionally, since rose gold hues tend to favor warm skin tones, this hue best flatters light eyes and rosy skin types.
Get the Look: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Lit $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Like rose gold, copper hues tend to flatter faces with light eyes and rosy skin. However, unlike rose gold, copper tends to feel more sexy than sweet, and more bold than subtle. For an intense copper look, copy Herve Leger's Spring 2012 runway, a makeup look that feels both modern and avant-garde, the perfect combination for a hot summer night. Look for a coppery shadow with orange accents that will brighten both your eyes and face.
Get the Look: Makeup for Ever Aqua Shadow in Pearly Copper $20
Photo: IMAXtree
Once forgotten among the color masses and viewed as a murky hue, pewter is now used by the top industry makeup artists on celebrities and models alike. This spring, designers used the metallic shade to showcase their evening gowns and provide sophistication to urban grunge wear. At the Spring 2012 Badgley Mischka collection, pewter lined lids lent a hint of edge and fierceness to the elegant eveningwear and dramatic ball gowns. If you want to add further drama, smudge the liner all over your crease and apply several coats of black mascara.
Get the Look: Bare Minerals Round the Clock Water Proof Liner in 11 PM $15
Photo: IMAXtree
Via: Runway Inspiration: Heavy Metal Eyes Shine for Day and Night