Be the Life of the Party or the Belle of the Ball

 
There are few places outside of the runway where extreme hair and makeup can be seen. But even harder than finding somewhere to showcase your cutting edge look is creating it.

For a bold look, try L’oréal’s HiP (high intensity pigments) eye shadows. These loose eye shadow powders come in 12 vibrant and eye-catching shades.

Mandy Allen, an esthetician at Michael and Company Salon, created a cutting edge look just by using metallic green and orange pigments on her model’s eyelids and eye pencil to draw designs along the model’s cheekbones and between her eyes.
 
So maybe you don’t want to wear feathers for eyelashes or put your hair in multi-colored spikes. You can still create an eye-catching alternative look that turns heads when you enter a room. Allen, along with Mary Strotman, stylist and up-do queen at Michael and Company, have some basic tips and tricks even you can do at home!

Strotman says hair trends right now are all about texture. Styles are soft, windblown and not too straight. One of her favorite styles, which she affectionately calls her “Phoebe,” starts as a low-slung ponytail. But instead of just the simple, sophisticated ‘do, pull the ponytail just off center – and keep it low! We aren’t recreating ‘80s side ponytails here! Gather your hair into a loose bun and pin it in place, leaving some of the pieces loose and flying about.

Another way Strotman says you can put your hair up is by pinning up sections of your hair with bobby pins. Start by pinning the front pieces up at the crown until you have all of your hair up. A trick to keeping the bobby pins in place is to twist them as you put them in your hair. Strotman opens the pin before grabbing the hair with it, then twirls it around and secures it in place. Twisting the bobby pin helps not only helps hold your hair in place, but also keeps it going in different directions. After you have all of your hair pinned up, it will look pretty crazy. Style it more by moving your hair around until it you like it. 

If you want to create a more full, old-fashioned type look, Strotman makes a loose roll at the nape of the neck. It keeps the hair loose around your face and makes a nice, sophisticated, messy ‘do in the back. Here’s how you do it:

1. Gather all of your hair at the nape of your neck, like you’re doing a low ponytail.
2. Hold your hair in one fist and wrap your hair up and around your fingers, tucking the ends under.
3. Use bobby pins to secure and style the roll.

Strotman says that another way to spice up your up ‘do is to play with color. “Don’t be afraid of it,” she says. “It can give you more volume and body.”

 Allen also has some tips on how to spice up your makeup to add a little of the unexpected:

• Try the Marilyn Monroe glamour line on your upper lid. Using black eyeliner, make a thick line on your upper lash line, and extend the line up and out just to your brow bone. “It’s like making a check mark,” Allen says. It makes your eyes look more open and gives you a glamour girl look.
• You can also contrast your eye shadow with your eye color. Allen suggests using neutral tones to make your blue eyes pop, pastels for your brown eyes, and golds, coppers or anything with a red undertone for green eyes. “And don’t waste your money on eye primer,” she says. Instead, use some of your foundation and apply your eye makeup while it’s still wet.
• Apply your eye color according to your eye shape. Allen explains that there are two main eye shapes, contour and classic. If you have a contour eye, you can still see your eyelid even when your eye is open. If your eye has this shape, you should wear your darkest color in the crease of your eye and put more neutral medium shades on your lid and under your brow. With a classic eye, you should wear your darkest shade on your eyelid and a neutral color on your brow bone. Allen says the key to killer eyes is blending, blending, blending.
• Add some false eyelashes. You don’t have to go all out with feathers or porcelain doll lashes, but you can add some to define your eyes. Use false lashes to fill in gaps or just thicken’em up a little. Just gluing in smaller pieces of lashes one at a time looks more natural than putting on a big, long strip.

Whether you want a show-stopping attention-getting look or just want to add a little flair, just remember the most important beauty tool: confidence!