Look! 5 new things to do with your eye makeup, courtesy of New York Fashion Week

Well gosh—New York Fashion Week has come and gone, did you even realize? I’m going to blame my tardy coverage on the Grammys, Valentine’s Day, and then a killer magazine deadline this week. (The article I was working on? It was about beauty foods. And well, I was guzzling Coke and ate an entire bag of pretzels while writing it. Ironically.)

Anyway! I got back on track today, looked at all the backstage beauty pics, and decided it’s eye makeup that is speaking to me. Well, there’s lots of other stuff too, obvi—the usual red lip, full brows, flawless skin—but in terms of makeup looks that are actually NEW (ish) and won’t look too out of place on the street, the eyes have it.

Here are five ideas if you’re itching for a new look:

1. Try a sheer wash of lavender from lashes to brows.

Let’s put aside the fact that Daphne Groeneveld could coat her entire face in this purple eyeshadow and still look gorgeous. I don’t think you necessarily need to be model-esque to pull off this look (at Jill Stuart). Really! Although taking the shadow all the way up to the brows continues to be the most on trend way to do your shadow these days, you could just blend it to just slightly above the crease. The key is that it’s taken all the way around the eye (i.e., underneath the lower lashes) and is all soft and diffused and blendy.

2. Leave a gap between your liner and lashes.

One of the things I love about beauty and fashion is that a lot of the time, if you just wait long enough your “don’ts” will become “dos.” Such is the case with this eyeliner look (at Jen Kao). You know how makeup artists  (and moi) have been saying for, like, EVER that you should draw your liner on as close as possible to your lashes? Well, apparently that’s all changing, because this wasn’t the only show where eyeliner got graphic and edgy like this, with an intentional gap. Sadly, I don’t think I’m cool enough enough to pull it off.

3. Smudge your shadow underneath your eyes.

I rarely meet a trend I don’t like, especially a Marc Jacobs trend… but even I will admit that this one’s a toughie for real life. One false move and you’ll end up looking like this guy:

That said, I’ve been loving the new focus on the lower lashes for some time now, so let’s not through the baby out with the bathwater. I don’t recommend going quite as heavy and/or smudgy as this model, but I DO endorse trying your liner on the lower lash line and not the top. And Urban Decay makes this kick-ass brush for blending.

Or, you know, you could just forget to take off the eye makeup you wore last night—and voilà! Mission accomplished.

4. Add a little silver highlight to the inner corners.

This concept’s not really so new, maybe, but it IS a trick I often forget. Along with concealer, nothing’s better at brightening the eyes than a highlight at the inner corners. Nothing! However, what’s new here (at Cushnie et Ochs) is that it’s not even trying to be subtle. I used to wear various shimmer prodz to get a natural-looking beigey shine there, but this silver is quite deliberate and meant to be noticed.

5. Swap your grey smoky eye for a green one.

Is this gorgeous or what? And now, suddenly, I want to wear eye makeup again. Thanks, Jason Wu! Two things to note here: the green, obviously, which is M.A.C Smudge Minted Eye Kohl with an eyeshadow called Club layered on top. I don’t think I’d wear it with the clothing this model’s got on, but how incredible and dramatic would this look against a darker, solid colour for evening? The other important news is in the shape. Like we’ve been seeing for a while now, it’s all about extending the shadow out in a diagonal direction for a cat-like effect. It lifts your features too, by the way—like a mini eyeshadow facelift.

Yay makeup!

What’s your usual eye look?
Do you like any of these ones?
Which one will you definitely NOT be wearing?