EYESHADOW:

This is where you can really get creative! There are endless possibilities when it comes to making up your eyes - your imagination is the limit. Before applying any eye colour, make sure that you have powdered the area and there is no oil for your shadow to slip and slide around in.

For a basic eyeshadow look, take a large eyeshadow brush and sweep one colour over the entire lid and blend well into the crease of the eye. Now take a highlighter and pat your brush just under the arch of your brow to add more dimension to your simple look. There may have been some eyeshadow fallout under your eyes and on your cheeks, so take a fan brush and gently sweep the colour away.

There are a few ways to deal with fallout; one is to hold a fan brush under your eye to catch any eyeshadow during application, and the other is to apply loose powder under the eye that can be swept off the face with a fan or powder brush once you have finished applying.

For that sexy smoky eye look, start with lining the upper and lower lids of your eye with eyeliner, blending well with a small liner brush. Now take a crease brush or an eyeshadow brush and follow the crease of your eyelid, then create a little wing at the outer corners of your eyes - this can be rounded or pointy. Now apply a light layer of eyeshadow on the upper and lower lash line - keep blending and applying till you are happy with how it looks. You should now have a fabulous looking, well blended outline that needs to be filled in for the smoky effect.

To add more definition and interest, you can take a lighter shade of eyeshadow and fill in your upper lid using a larger eyeshadow brush, sweep any excess off your face with a fan brush - now you are ready to hit the town!

Wings are a great way of creating a dramatic look, or creating the illusion of wide set eyes for women whose eyes are closer together. Use an eyeshadow brush and blend your shadow upwards and out to create a winged effect, adding colour and blending as you go - you may want to use an angled liner brush to create straight lines. To soften the edges, take a blending brush and blend your colour till the edge disappears.

Foiling is a technique where your eyeshadow or eyeliner is applied wet. Metallics and shimmers love to be foiled - they create a more intense colour and last longer than a dry application. Foiling is also a wonderful way to save on eyeliner - mix a small amount of eyeshadow with your liner brush and apply like you would an eyeliner pencil.

Never dip a wet makeup brush into your makeup - bacteria can only grow in a moist environment, so keep your powders dry, and mix your colours in the lid, or on a mixing palette.

For women with small eyes or a small upper lid, using a lighter shadow colour or a shimmer will make the area appear bigger, and opens up the eye. Mature women should avoid shimmers and metallics as these tend to sit in the wrinkles around the eye area - shimmer shows all flaws!

Whilst creating your eyeshadow masterpiece, remember to check to see if your eyes are matching. You don't want to end up with wonky looking eyes, or one heavily applied and the other not so much.

Using complementary colours when applying eyeshadow can really help to create a beautiful contrast between eye colour and pigment. Using the opposite colour to your eyes on the colour wheel is an easy way of choosing eyeshadow colours - if you have blue eyes, browns and golds really make your eyes pop!