No pair of eyes is the same, so McKenna avoids a one-size-fits-all formula. Instead, she provides tips for how you can evaluate your unique set of peepers.

Consider Your Color

Eyes come in a variety of shades, so depending on whether you boast green, blue or brown, different colors of eye shadows and liners will create different effects. The envied green-eyed ladies should look to deep plums and other purple hues to bring out their eyes.

For the blue-eyed beauties, throw away the idea that blue shadow will bring out the blue in your eyes. "What will really make your blue eyes pop more is to do something in kind of a rusty, bronzy red. You'd be surprised how much blue will pull out," McKenna says.

The brown-eyed girls have the luck of the draw because they can wear anything and look great, McKenna says. Like the rule for blue eyes, however, brown will make the eyes pop the least, so McKenna recommends using a bronze shadow instead.

Shadow to Your Shape

Just as eyes vary in color, every pair is part of a different face, so some eyes are wider set while others are closer together. The rule of thumb to creating the illusion of perfect proportions is to "emphasize what you are trying to create," McKenna says.

For eyes that are closer together, exaggerate the outer half or outer third to "visually pull your eyes out a little further," McKenna says. But for eyes that are wider set, put the focus on the inner lid, closest to the bridge of your nose. To create that emphasis, use darker shadows and liners on the focal points, and apply lighter shadows to the parts of the eye and lid you would not like to spotlight.

Remember that this same technique holds true for small and large eyes. Dark liners both above and below the eye can make your eyes look smaller, but a dark liner on just the top of the eye can create the appearance of a larger eye.

Play around with the Process

McKenna recommends starting every makeup application to the eye just like you should start with the rest of your face. Apply a primer to create a more lasting canvas for your art, and then put on a neutral shade to make that canvas blank and ready for color.

To start your masterpiece, put on your liner starting from your eye's outside corner. As you line your lid, try to get as close to the lashes as possible. "Try to wiggle either your eye liner brush or your pencil into your lash line," McKenna says. For thicker, fuller lashes, apply a little liner on the inner rim of the lashes.

If you'd like to experiment with different color liners, McKenna recommends to turn any shadow into a liner with a little bit of water. Dip your eyeliner brush into water, put your desired shadow on the brush and apply just as if you were applying eyeliner.

This technique can help you introduce new colors into your makeup repertoire by creating a more subtle line. As you become more adventurous and color-confident, you can begin to use the color as a full shadow instead of just a liner, McKenna says.

After the liner, apply your shadow and always, always curl your lashes, McKenna says. The most important piece of advice, however, is just to have fun. "Just play with it. It's makeup," McKenna says. "The worst thing you could do is have to wash your face and start over."

For more information or to schedule a session with McKenna, e-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call her at (513) 236-6197.


PHOTO CREDITS

Photographer: Tine Hofmann
Model: Heidi McKenna