The mega eye shadow palette I had in high school included a wonderful canary yellow color that had one of the best textures in the set (the navy blue and deep purple were horribly stiff and unblendable, while one of the greens developed a hard surface almost instantly, which had me digging in with a tiny spoon). As a result I experimented with a lot, which surprisingly didn't rattle my mother too much leading me to decided that yellow eye shadow was my thing. Then the eighties ended.
Funny enough, the inclusion of a yellow eye shadow in the recently launched Viseart Warm Matte palette almost stopped me from buying it, but in the end my adoration of the other palettes I have from the brand has won, and I did want to play again. Then came Lisa Eldridge's brilliant video How to wear yellow eyeshadow - and look great! and it has inspired me further. Of course, I had to put my own spin on it to adjust not just for my coloring (about half a shade lighter and less yelow than Lisa's model, Farhanah), but also eye shape, and let's face it: age. The biggest difference here is that Lisa used a primary yellow while the one in Viseart's Warm Mattes is tinged with an orangey mustard that makes it easier to wear and , in my opinion, more sophisticated. If you want a true bright sunshiny yellow in a better texture than the MAC one Lisa used (see all the falldown in the video that appeared like a pollen explosion until Lisa cleaned it up), Viseart offers it in their Matte Editorial palette (I don't have it. For now), but I've seen swatches of a similar concept from NYX, Sleek, and Urban Decay.
Here's what I did:
Face
I applied the thinnest layer of Smashbox classic Photo Finish primer. My face was already well-coated in an SPF50 (Hada Labo), so I just wanted to make sure I had something between that and my foundation.
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 5.5
Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer in Light/Medium under the eyes, to get rid of any green/blue/purple that clashes with the eye shadow. I didn't feel the need for any additional concealing, so I used none, and have completely forgotten to set or finish anything with powder, which was a mistake. My under eyes creased significantly after two hours. My bad.
Eyes
Here's the main event.
NARS Eye Shadow Base (applied considerably less than Lisa did because the eye shadow didn't need a thick or tacky base).
Viseart Warm Mattes: #1 all over the mobile lid, with a lay-down flat brush. I actually built up the color a little bit, because on my dark lid it was more muted than desired. Maybe I should get the Editorial palette. I covered most of the mobile lid from corner to corner, then mixed #2 and #3 for the crease the way Lisa did with her Huda palette. I don't have the latter and don't plan on getting it. I think.
Learning from Lisa's on-camera mistake, I decided to use a brown liner from the start. Laura Mercier Creme eyeliner in Espresso is discontinued, but Bobbi Brown and everyone else seem to have an alternative. It doesn't matter which, just pick a rich dark brown. My trick for faking a wing on deep set lids is to start it way before the actual end of the lid, thicken it as I go and finish before the lower part of the brow bone creates the abyss of despair known as my eye socket. Your mileage may vary.
Since Farhanah and I were not born in the same century, I didn't put anything on the lower lash line.
Mascara: Lancome Grandiose. It's official. I love it much more than the Extreme version. I had to go through multiple full size tubes of each, but the regula Grandiose gives me fluffier lashes.
Brows
Suqqu powder. That green one.
Cheeks
An ancient Chanel limited edition spring blush picked randomly from my drawer. Any warmer pink/peach would do, and you probably have more options in that color category than I do. Pay attention to the application in the video. It makes all the difference.
Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighter in Bronze, which I bought the second I watched the video for the first time. I skipped it initially (I bought Kitten) because I thought it was too orange and glittery. It's not. It's a summer gold, slightly metallic, which I now apply using an old Shu Uemura fan brush. It's goat, I think, and gives the lightest yet even finish.
Lips
Mac Prep&Prime lip primer (see age difference), then I copied Lisa's work exactly: MAC Whirl pencil all over the lip and a good coating of By Terry Baume de Rose.
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SotD Atelier des Ors Iris Fauve
I skipped jewelry other than a vintage ring that matched my nail polish. A yellow eye shadow is more than enough.
