The eye is, in our view, the most expressive feature of the face. The eye is also the feature that the makeup industry has, for the last fifteen years, been most aggressively trying to re-shape. The eye has been contoured, smoked, cut, foiled, lined, unlined, lined-only-at-the-outer-corner, glittered, and glazed, and, in some recent iterations, made to look as though it had no makeup on at all.
The five looks below are, in our view, a counter-argument to the re-shaping — looks that respect the architecture of the eye, working with the lid, the crease, the brow bone, the lash line, and the brow itself, rather than against them.
The five looks are the ones we would wear for the morning, the dinner, the photograph, the meeting, and the long evening. The five looks are, in sum, the looks of the lacquered eye.
The lacquered eye is, in our view, the eye that has been finished. The eye, finished, is the eye that catches the light along the lid. The eye, finished, is the eye that holds the gaze. The eye, finished, is the eye that is, in our view, the most expressive eye of all.
One — the bare-lid mono
The bare-lid mono is the most discreet of the five looks. The bare-lid mono is, in our view, the look that the contemporary makeup industry has been most aggressively trying to make the only look. The bare-lid mono is, in our view, the look that is best understood as one option among many.
The bare-lid mono is, in application, two steps. The first step is a matte or satin shadow in a single colour, applied across the lid, blended at the crease. The colour should be, in our view, a colour that is one or two shades deeper than the wearer’s skin tone. The colour should not, in our view, be a colour that announces itself. The colour should be, in our view, a colour that the eye, looking at the wearer, sees as the skin rather than as the makeup.
The second step is, in our view, a single coat of mascara. The mascara should be, in our view, a lengthening mascara rather than a volumizing mascara. The mascara should not, in our view, be the focal point of the look. The mascara should be, in our view, the mascara that finishes the lash rather than the mascara that interrogates the lash.
The bare-lid mono is, in our view, the look for the morning. The bare-lid mono is the look for the office. The bare-lid mono is the look for the meeting. The bare-lid mono is, in sum, the look that supports the eye without competing with it.
Two — the lined-and-bare
The lined-and-bare is, in our view, the most editorial of the five looks. The lined-and-bare is the look that, in the hands of a skilled wearer, is the most controlled of the five looks. The lined-and-bare is, in our view, the look that the contemporary makeup industry has, in the last ten years, been most afraid of.
The lined-and-bare is, in application, two steps. The first step is the bare lid — no shadow, no contour, no colour, only the skin. The bare lid is, in our view, the most counter-intuitive step of the look. The bare lid is, in our view, the step that the wearer is most likely to skip. The bare lid is, in our view, the step that, when it is skipped, ruins the look.
The second step is the line. The line is, in our view, the most important step of the look. The line should be, in our view, a liquid or gel liner, applied close to the lash line, in a single, unbroken stroke. The line should be, in our view, as thin as possible. The line should be, in our view, a line that the eye, looking at the wearer, sees as the lash rather than as the line.
The line can be black, or brown, or plum, depending on the wearer’s colouring. The line should not, in our view, be a colour that announces itself. The line should be, in our view, a line that the eye, looking at the wearer, sees as the natural edge of the lash.
The lined-and-bare is, in our view, the look for the dinner. The lined-and-bare is the look for the evening. The lined-and-bare is the look that, finally, is the most finished of the five looks.
Three — the smoky-stained
The smoky-stained is, in our view, the most over-considered of the five looks — the one the contemporary makeup industry has, in the last twenty years, been most aggressively trying to re-interpret, and the one that has drifted furthest from its origin.
The smoky-stained is, in origin, a 1920s look — the look that the film studios of the 1920s and 1930s developed to make the eye, on black-and-white film, look defined. The smoky-stained is, in its original form, a single soft, dark colour, blended across the lid, with no line, no contour, no separation.
The smoky-stained is, in application, three steps. The first step is a satin or matte shadow in a single, dark, neutral colour, applied across the lid, blended upward to the brow bone — a colour two or three shades deeper than the wearer’s skin, soft rather than sharp.
The second step is the smudge, which is, in our view, the most important step of the look, and what differentiates the stained smoky from the drawn smoky. The smudge softens the edge of the shadow — a smudge that the eye, looking at the wearer, sees as the shadow rather than as the makeup.
The third step is a single coat of a volumizing mascara — the mascara that thickens the lash rather than the mascara that lengthens it.
The smoky-stained is the look for the late afternoon, the evening, and, finally, the most warm of the five looks.
Four — the glossy editorial
The glossy editorial is, in our view, the most counter-intuitive of the five looks — the one that, in the hands of a skilled wearer, is the most unforgettable, and the one the contemporary makeup industry has, in the last five years, been most aggressively trying to make a look.
The glossy editorial is, in application, two steps. The first step is a cream or liquid shadow in a single, deep, saturated colour, applied across the lid with the finger or with a synthetic brush. The cream shadow is, in our view, the most under-used product in the contemporary makeup market — the product that holds the colour on the lid without setting, and that allows the second step.
The second step is the gloss — a clear lip gloss or eye gloss, applied over the cream shadow, across the centre of the lid. The gloss is, in our view, what gives the lid the wet look, and what makes the look editorial.
The glossy editorial is the look for the evening, the look for the photograph, and the most finished of the five looks in the lacquered sense of the word. The lid, glossy, is the lid that catches the light. The lid, glossy, is the finished lid.
The glossy editorial is also the most fragile of the five looks — the one that, by definition, does not last. The glossy editorial is the look the wearer wears for the duration of an evening, not for the duration of a day.
Five — the lid-only
The lid-only is, in our view, the most minimal of the five looks. The lid-only is the look that, in the hands of a skilled wearer, is the most honest of the five looks. The lid-only is, in our view, the look that the contemporary makeup industry has, in the last ten years, been most aggressively trying to make a default.
The lid-only is, in application, two steps. The first step is a satin shadow in a single colour, applied only across the lid, with no blending at the crease. The line where the shadow ends and the bare skin begins is, in our view, the most important line of the look. The line should be, in our view, a visible line. The line should be, in our view, a line that the eye, looking at the wearer, sees as a deliberate choice rather than as a mistake.
The second step is, in our view, no mascara. The lid-only is, in our view, the only one of the five looks that does not require mascara. The lid-only is, in our view, the look that is, finally, the most architectural of the five looks. The lid, on its own, is the lid. The lash, on its own, is the lash. The two are, in the lid-only, separate.
The lid-only is, in our view, the look for the morning. The lid-only is the look for the office. The lid-only is the look that, finally, is the most quiet of the five looks.
The five looks are, in sum, the bare-lid mono, the lined-and-bare, the smoky-stained, the glossy editorial, and the lid-only. The five looks are, in our view, the looks of the lacquered eye. The eye, in each of the five looks, is finished. The eye, in each of the five looks, is architectural.
The eye is, in our view, the most expressive feature of the face. The eye is also, in our view, the feature that most rewards less rather than more. The eye, finished in one of the five looks, is the eye that is, finally, the eye that catches the light, holds the gaze, and supports the architecture of the face.
The eye, finished in any of the five looks, is the eye that has stopped performing against itself. The eye, finished, is the eye that has, finally, agreed to be looked at. The agreement is, in our view, the work. The work is what the eye is for.