Fall 2011: The Eyes Have It

Flipping through the stack of September issues on my night stand, one thing was abundantly clear, makeup for Fall 2011 is all about the eyes.  From striking shadows to winged eyeliner, the eye makeup trends for this season are bold and beautiful.

Polyvore Set Here.

In the upper right hand corner, we have the best eye primer on the planet (as voted by CHS readers), Urban Decay Primer Potion ($18).  Because if I am going to take the time to perfectly apply liner and shadow, it better stay and not stray.  And then, we have the eyeliners.  From cat eyes to the winged look to the full Cleopatra, we are drawing on the drama this season.  

In this set, we have a tube of Sephora Kohl ($12), a chunky crayon used to achieve a perfect smokey eye with minimal effort.  Then, we have the Buxom Inner Eyeliner ($14) so you can circle the whole lid in color with a feather-thin line.  Then the NARS Life Long Eyewear pencil ($23) in amethyst for a pop of color without being too over the top.  It also comes in emerald, sapphire and one of Fall’s hottest colors, dark teal.

Lastly, my must have product of the Fall, Josie Maran REM Pen 4-in-1 Liner ($32).  The pen contains a shadow, an eyeliner, and two applicators.  It also comes in a myriad of colors from purple to champagne, making it the perfect multi-tasker for your makeup bag.

Also in the eyeliner stack, we have a Brightening Stick from Sephora ($22).  Use the skinny end to line your lower lid, and the chubby end to highlight under the brow, under the eye and in the dimple near your tear duct.  Because all the liner and shadow in the world can’t save you if you look exhausted, so brighten up!

If eyeliner is too much for you, eyeshadow will be your best friend this Fall.  In this set, we have two palettes awash in Autumn color.  From Stila, the In the Light palette ($39) is the perfect mix of earth tones and shimmer.  From gold to slate to taupe, this palette has all of the Fall’s must have hues.

The second palette is from Josie Maran, the Beautiful Eyes ($36) contains five complimentary shadows in a purple color scheme.  The palette also comes in blue, nude, and smoke.  Purple is best for green/hazel eyes, brown is best for blue, and vice versa, and smoke would look lovely on just about anyone.

While eyes may be the thing this season, especially eye liner, if you jumped into the red lipstick pool with both feet last Fall, that trend is back again.  So hold onto your rouge lipsticks and scarlet glosses.  But if you decide to do a strong lip and eyeliner, make sure to keep the eyeshadow color and the cheek color very neutral.  No one wants to look like a bad Mary Kay experiment.  And if you need photos of the season’s hottest eyeliner looks, pick up Sephora’s fall catalog.