You can change the shape and look of your eye without the need for plastic surgery. Just keep a little eye liner handy to do the trick.

There are two types of eye liner: pencil and liquid. Which one you use is up to you. A pencil can be sharpened or dulled to give a thin or thick line, depending on how well defined you need your eyes to be. You can smudge well with your finger for a sultrier look. With a liquid pen, you have a little less control but the line is usually darker and bolder than you can achieve with a pencil. For dramatic looks, the pen flows easier.

Getting the Look

One look that is in is the cat eye look. It is the trend with prescription eyewear and fashion sunglasses as well. With eye liner you can achieve a subtle upturn to the eye or a more dramatic one. The look plays well with natural, neutral make-up tones as well as splashes of color.

Subtle: After applying your eye make-up, grab your eye liner of choice. Begin with the upper lid, close to the lashes about halfway across the lid. Start to trace the lid line towards the outer edge of the eye. Before you lift off your pencil or pen, flick it upwards to create a swish at the end of your eye liner line. On the lower lid, begin at the middle of the lid line and move towards the outer edge of the eye.

Gaining momentum: You can grab the attention of everyone around you (even in the office) with this look. Instead of a tiny flick of the eye liner pencil at the edge of your upper lid, extend the line towards the outer edge of your eyebrow line. Keep it clean and even. Avoid putting any eye liner on the lower lid.

Bring on the night: How about a double line for maximum effect? Extend your eyeliner with a thicker line along the crease where the outer edges of the upper and lower lids meet. Then add a second bold stroke that extends out from the eyebrow crease straight towards the edge of the brow, leaving a small space between the two lines. Another option is to create a bolder upward line by using a thicker eye liner stroke (easy with a liquid pen) across the upper lid and then carrying it upwards to a point at the outer edge of the brow. Again, neglect the lower lid to emphasize the eye.

Eye liner frames the eye in subtlety or boldness. Which will you choose this season?

What Are the Shapes That Know Us Best?

Here is a quick rundown of the different types of facial shapes: round, square, oblong, oval, diamond, triangle base side up and triangle base side down. Take a look in the mirror. Using a piece of soap or lipstick, trace the shape of your face from forehead to chin and back again to see which best describes you.

What Frames Do I Need?

The order of the day is contrast. If you have a square face, you don’t want square glasses. They will only accentuate the features that you want to minimize or hide. Since you’ll be wearing glasses all the time, let them help you by creating the illusion of the face that you want. The focus is on the eyes and you want it to be as favorable as possible.

Let’s look at each facial shape and how to choose the best style of glasses:

• Round: The face is curvy with no definite angular lines. To bring a bit of angle to the face, choose frames that are angular and narrow. Glasses that have a clear bridge piece give the illusion of wider set eyes. Another good shape is rectangular frames.
• Square: Soften your proportions with narrow frames in an oval shape. Choose ones that are wide but on the thinner side depth wise.
• Oblong: To make your face appear shorter, choose a frame that is thicker but not overly wide. Don’t be afraid to choose a decorative frame that has designs on the temples as well as temples that are different from the color of the frame itself. Consider frames that have a lower bridge to shorten the look of your nose.
• Oval: This face shape is often the most desired because of the balanced proportions. To honor that, choose frames that are no wider than the sides of the face. Try walnut-shape frames or frames that are in proportion as far as depth and width.
• Diamond: To soften the cheekbones and play up the eyes and chin, try a throwback fashion – the cat-eye shape. If you don’t want to look like the school marm, then opt for rimless glasses or frames with a lot of detail work across the top.
• Triangle base side down: The idea is to play up the top of the face and give it depth. Add a splash of color to your frames. If you like, choose a cat-eye frame for emphasis.
• Triangle base side up: The idea is to downplay the top of the face. Try rimless glasses or those that are wider at the bottom than the top. Lighter colors can minimize the top of the face.

What frames will suit you best? If you have been wearing the wrong type all these years, you’ll be surprised what a difference the right frame makes to your look.