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Smoky eyes are a great makeup trick to have in your back pocket whenever you’re looking for a sophisticated look to amp up a fancy outfit. However, smoky eyes can be difficult to master without looking gothic or like a raccoon gone wrong. Fortunately, there are several tips you can use to achieve simple smoky eyes that look great without spending hours at your makeup table.

1. Know the Light to Dark Gradient

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One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to achieve a smoky eye look is smudging dark eyeshadow across their entire lid. Although the finished product of a smoky eye is supposed to look dark and dramatic, that doesn’t mean that a thorough application of black and dark gray eyeshadow all over your eyelid is the right way to go. In fact, much of a successful smoky eye application involves lighter eyeshadows.

The best thing to remember when attempting a smoky eye look is that, horizontally, the colors should start light at the inner corner of your eye and get darker as they blend outward toward your lash line. Vertically, your eyeshadow colors should start darker at your eye’s crease and get lighter as they blend upward to meet your brow bone.

An easy way to make sure you’re applying the right color eyeshadows to the correct places on your eyelid is to mentally divide your eyelid into thirds horizontally starting at your eye’s inner corner and vertically starting at the crease of your eyelid. Select three different eyeshadows. Apply the lightest shadow to the horizontal third of your eyelid nearest your eye’s inner corner and to the vertical third nearest your brow bone. Swipe the middle eyeshadow onto the middle horizontal third and the vertical third between your brow bone and crease. Finally, apply the darkest eyeshadow color to the horizontal third nearest the outer edge of your eye and the vertical third within your eye’s crease to finish the smoky look.

2. Use the Right Brushes

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Using the right brushes can make or break your achievement of the perfect smoky eye. Use an eyeshadow sponge applicator or a rounded brush to apply the lighter and middle eyeshadow shades in their respective places on your eyelid.

However, when applying the darkest eyeshadow to your crease and around the outer edge of your eye, always use an angled brush. Applying the dark eyeshadow with an angled brush helps you wield greater control over where the eyeshadow goes and keep the eyeshadow in place.

The angled brush also allows the eyeshadow to swipe on with a more intense, pigmented appearance and prevents fallout of the dark eyeshadow onto your cheeks or other parts of your eyelid that can ruin the look. Using a rounded brush or sponge applicator to apply the darker eyeshadow makes it difficult for you to keep control of where the eyeshadow is going and leads to a messy look.

3. Don’t Forget to Blend

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Sufficient blending is a key element of successful smoky eye application. If you use the tip above and apply varying shades of eyeshadow to separate thirds of your eye and do not blend your eyeshadow enough, you will end up with a choppy look that does not achieve the desired sophisticated and sultry appearance of smoky eyes.

After you apply the different colors of eyeshadow to your eyelid, use a larger rounded eyeshadow brush to blend. Swirl the brush in a circular motion in between the different shades of eyeshadow you have applied in order to blend the colors together and achieve a smooth, balanced look.

Make sure to swirl the brush with a light touch and do not press too hard while blending to prevent smudging the colors together and ending up with a muddled appearance.

4. Smoky Doesn’t Equal Black

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When most people think of a classic smoky eye look, they think of dark gray and black. However, smoky eyes do not have to include black or dark gray eyeshadow at all and can be achieved with varying hues of any color. In fact, for beginners in the realm of smoky eye application, applying a successful black and gray smoky eye can be extremely difficult and end up looking too sharp and dark.

When you first start out attempting smoky eyes, try a different color family instead. Brown and blue are common colors for smoky eyes that are great for beginners to try. Just make sure you have three shades of the color: a light, almost-white shade, a medium shade, and a dark shade. By using a different color family than black, you can achieve a classic smoky eye look that has a bit of a unique twist and is easier to apply without looking too harsh or severe.

5. Pick Colors That Complement You

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As stated above, smoky eye looks are not limited to a certain color family. You can experiment with different shades of any color you want to create beautiful smoky eyes. However, it is helpful to pick colors that complement your personal eye color in order to achieve the best-looking smoky eye possible. If you have green eyes, try blending different shades of purple to create a plum smoky eye. For blue-eyed beauties, gold and brown shades look best. If you have brown eyes, try different shades of blue or navy to bring out subtle colors in your eyes.

You should also make an effort to pick colors that complement your skin tone as well as your eye color in order to get the best results. If you have very fair skin, avoid using colors that are excessively dark in order to prevent your eyes from looking too harsh and dramatic. Also, try to stay away from colors that are too bright; a smoky eye look is dramatic enough without bringing neon pink or glitter into the mix.

6. Don’t Forget to Set

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It is always important to set your eye makeup to increase its longevity and keep it looking freshly applied throughout the day. Eye makeup needs to be locked and sealed into your skin just like your foundation and other face makeup. However, because smoky eye looks include many different colors and are very dark and dramatic, they crease especially easily and it is very obvious when they begin to fade or settle. It can be extremely frustrating when you’ve successfully achieved a beautiful smoky eye and it starts to crease or melt just a few hours later.

The post How to Achieve Simple Smoky Eyes appeared first on 12thBLOG.

Apricot Eye Makeup

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Natural Eye Makeup

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Three-Tone Eye Shadow

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Metallic Eye Makeup

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Natural Eye Makeup for Brown Eyes

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Golden Eye Shadow

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Simple Eye Makeup for Brown Eyes

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Brown Eye Shadow

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Peach Eye Makeup

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Sliver Eye Shadow

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Pale Pink Eye Makeup

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Easy Eye Look

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Golden Eye Liners

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Eye Liners

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Long-wear Eye Liners

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The post Cool and Easy Eye Makeup Ideas appeared first on 12thBLOG.

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It’s time the loofah does more than just wash your body. Now it can be used as a tool to create beautiful nail art designs. All you have to do is put the loofah over your nails, paint over it, remove the loofah, and clean. For complete instructions, click here.

2. For DIY dots, use a bobby pin.

Image via Buzzfeed

If you’re in the mood for dots, use a bobby pin to create dots in different sizes.

3. Season Of LOVE

via DIY Worthy

Express your LOVE for someone through nail art! Get the tutorial for the design above here.

4. Elegant nails for your wedding? Use that extra piece of lace.

Image via Pinterest

This lace DIY nail art design is perfect for the big day! Immaculate, yet simple. Just wrap your nail with a piece of lace, apply a coat of nail polish, and remove the lace.

5. For cute shapes, use Scotch Tape.

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For geometric nail designs like stripes, triangles or zig-zags, use Scotch Tape. With tape, you can create clean, detailed designs. Get the detailed instructions here.

6. Use a fan brush to make feathered strokes.

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Paint over your dry base coat with a fan brush dipped in nail polish. Get detailed instructions here.

7. Dots can go a long way!

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If you’ve already tried the idea above, try this one next: strategically-placed dots placed at the base of your nails.

8. Or a few strategically-placed dots.

All Womens Talk

If you’ve already tried the idea above, try this one next: strategically-placed dots placed at the base of your nails.

9. Create the perfect French tip with tape.

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Creating the perfect French tip can be difficult, especially for us lazy girls. But don’t give up yet! Instead of letting it get the best of you, place a thin strip of tape on the end of your nail and DOMINATE this look.

10. Reverse French manicure

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Once you’ve perfected the classic French tip, try reversing it to master this look. Take binder reinforcement stickers to the base of your nails, paint, and revel in the beauty of this simple nail art idea.

The post Simple Nail Art Ideas appeared first on 12thBLOG.

This is a great way to create the “Hair Donut” look by using a sock. All that is needed is a pair of socks, some scissors, and bobby pins. Beginning from the top, roll down the sock until it forms a circular shape. Cut off the toes of the material, put your hair into a ponytail, and pull your hair through the donut. Next, spread your hair evenly around the sock and attach an elastic hair band around your hair and the sock. That’s it! Step by step: here

3. Easy Hair Updo

This style takes a few minutes to do and it is very easy to do. First, grab a section of hair around the front of the head. Next, spray it with a generous amount of hairspray and backcomb followed by pulling your hair into a high ponytail. Instead of making the ponytail as close as possible to your scalp, make it a few inches away. Make a small hole in the section of your hair underneath the ponytail and then pull the end of your ponytail through that hole. The result should be an easy updo that can work with almost any situation. Step by step: here

4. Fishtail Braid

Fishtail braids are known for the sexiness and they are easy to do. First, part your hair and backcomb your hair to give it that needed “fluff.” Next, toss your hair over your left shoulder and split it into two sections. Start braiding small sections and bring the outside of each section inward and then crossing over to the other side. Continue this process until you’ve almost reached the ends. Step by step: here

5. Low Bun

The fall season brings plenty of festivities and is the perfect time of year for quick and easy hairstyles. To make a low bun, separate a few strands from the top of your head. Next, brush them up towards your head while pulling your hair down into a pony tail. Use a hair tie to keep your ponytail in place, and separate it halves. Use the lower half (the unteased hair) and flip it over the other half. Finally, wrap your hair around the base of the bun and pin it into place. That’s it! Step by step: here

6. Half up Half Down

Half up, half down hairstyles are simple to do yet they look elegant enough for sophisticated occasions. First, backcomb the hair at the top of your head while smoothing out the top layer. Twist one side of your hair and pin it approximately two-thirds of the way across, and then twist the other side and slide it under the first part. Finally, pin that piece two-thirds of the way across as well and you are finished. Step by step: here

7. Easy Twist Ponytail

This super cute and easy ponytail looks great and only takes a few seconds. First, split your hair into two sections just like you would if you were doing pig tails. Tie your hair into a knot, pull, and then use a bobby pin to attach the knot to your head. That’s all it takes to create this amazingly cute hairstyle. Step by step: here

8. Date Night Curls

Many girls want voluptuous bouncing curls but tend to avoid spending the time to make it happen. Thankfully, it’s really easy to create these curls with little effort. First, create a ponytail at the very front of your head. Next, determine where to part your hair and with a 1” curling iron, wrap the curls away from your face until the entire ponytail is curled. Once the curls cool, release them from the elastic and spray your curls with hair spray. Step by step: here

9. Low Ponytail

This low ponytail comes straight to you from fashion week and is easy to do. First, section the front half or your hair right behind your ears. Backcomb the crown and then smooth lightly. Next, create a ponytail from the back section and then pull the left area back and wrap over the pony. Fasten it underneath with the help of a few bobby pins and repeat these steps for the right side. Step by step: here

10. Tuck and Cover Half

This cute hairstyle looks great and is a great option if you’re experiencing one of your lazy days. First, put on a headband and starting next to your ear, start wrapping strands of hair over the headband and pull it through. Repeat this process until you reach the back of your head and then do the same for the other side. Step by step: here

The post Awesome Hairstyling Hacks for Those Lazy Days appeared first on 12thBLOG.

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The post Cool Upgrades To Make Your Home Extremely Amazing appeared first on 12thBLOG.

1. Leaf Crown

Hop on over to Hello Natural and learn how to create this adorable fall leaf crown! Dress up the kids or yourself in this festive and fun new accessory!

2. Folded Paper Leaves

Happy Clippings shows us how to make these easy folded paper leaves. And then you can do whatever you’d like with them, including create some festive garland!

3. Leaf Bowl

Go follow the step-by-step tutorial at Design Rulz and learn how to make one of these leaf bowls yourself. Use them to spruce up the house throughout the season.

4. Leaf Mask

The kiddos will love this one – and may even want to help out with the creation. Check out this DIY for a fall leaf mask now over at Small + Friendly.

5. Falling Leaves Frame

Mod Podge Rocks make this adorable falling leaves frame. We love how easy this project is for adding festivity around the house!

6. Leaf Cupcake Toppers

How about topping off some seasonal cupcakes with these leaf topper from Momtastic. Get creative in the kitchen and jump over to learn how!

7. Leaf Garland

Check out this gorgeous leaf garland from Minted! Use it to decorate for the season or your next big celebration – from showers to weddings!

8. Dotted Leaves

The kids will love getting their hands dirty for this project. Sort out an afternoon for some arts and crafts and make these dotted leaves like Handmade Charlotte!

9. Leaf Confetti

Grow Creative did something quite genius. Take some leaves from the backyard, grab your paper punches and make some fantastic confetti out of it to decorate tables or decorate your next seasonal event!

10. Glitter Leaves

Check out what Typically Simple did! Grab the glitter and sparkle up some of those leaves you have floating around the yard.

11. Leaf Animals

Ko-Ko-Ko Kids used leaves to turn them into animals! This is one of our favorites for the kids and you can get so creative with it!

12. Watercolor Leaf Painting

Over at Craftaholics Anonymous you can learn how to recreate one of your very own watercolor leaf paintings. Isn’t this beautiful!?

13. Felt Leaves

A Beautiful Mess shows us how to make leaves out of felt! Then you can blend them together to make garland to throw around the house and decorate for autumn!

14. Leaf Centerpiece

You can always incorporate some leaves into your fall centerpieces. And with this project from HGTV you’ll have a beautiful, handmade design in no time.

15. Leaf Wreath

HGTV Gardens made a wreath out of real leaves! Take a cue from their book and decorate with a more organic style this fall.

16. Felt Leaf Coasters

Use felt to create something leafy again! Check out how to make these adorably charming felt leaf coasters over at Crafts Unleashed.

17. Burlap Leaf Pillow

We’re in love with this homey, cozy project from Stone Gable. Learn how to make this no sew, burlap leaf pillow just in time for the changing of the season!

18. Oversized Leaf Art

Spruce up the mantle with a piece of DIY art like this one from Just A Girl. We love its easy, rustic appeal and how cozy it seems for a family home.

19. Pressed Leaves

Country Living is giving us the scoop on how to create pressed leaves. Then you can use them to decorate however you’d like, we especially love them in collages.

20. Leaf Candle Holders

Create some candle holders that hold a piece of the season. These mason jar arrangements are perfect for that! Check them out at Spark & Chemistry.

21. Leaf-Printed Linens

Funtober made this gorgeous leaf-printed linen and then showed us how. Just grad some foliage from the yard and get started.

The post Simple and Easy DIY Fall Leaf Projects appeared first on 12thBLOG.