I have a set of Japanese mugs, each featuring a panda in black and white. Pandas are adorable because they look like bears in makeup! Look at those dark eyes and sharp black lips. :D This tutorial is inspired by pandas and my love for these mysterious animals.


INGREDIENTS

  • Eyes: black & white eyeliner, Lime Crime magic dust in Enchant, Nymph
  • Lips: Lime Crime opaque lipstick in Styletto, lip liner
  • Face: Foundation, setting powder, blush

Face

Normally, I recommend applying eye makeup first when working with dark/bright eyeshadow – but in this case fallout is welcomed, so let’s do it! Moisturize skin, let sip in for a few minutes and apply foundation, setting with whole face with loose powder. Don’t forget to brush on your favorite blush onto cheeks – you want to be a happy, healthy panda! :D

Eyes

Pandas have characteristic dark spots that droop down slightly. We will focus all attention on the lower lid. Prep the lids with eyeshadow primer (I recommend Urban Decay Primer Potion, $16) and sweep Nymph across the top lid and under the inner corner. Apply Enchant starting from the outer corner and into the crease, and underneath the eye. Accentuate waterline with white pencil. With a larger brush, blend out slightly. I like the slightly messy look, so I picked up some pigment with a brush and tapped it lightly to fall right under my eye.

Eyeliner plays and instrumental role in this look: it helps sharpen the silhouette of the eye. I like to use gel eyeliner or liquid for extra precision – a pencil just won’t give you that sharp line. Keeping eyeliner close to the lashes, draw a thick line on your lower lid, dropping it slightly on the inner corner. Draw another thick line on top lid. Your results should look something like this:

Brush on 2-3 layers of mascara on top & bottom lashes and apply white pencil line on waterline. Eyebrows are optional – mine were hidden under bangs, but if you can get away with the browless look, go for it!

Lips

Tip: use an angled brush and a dab of concealer to craft extra-precise lines and correct mistakes.

Because we’re a panda, we have black lips – and they don’t compete with our eyes but only complement them! Darker lip colors require extreme precision in application, so if it doesn’t come out right don’t stress – it will come with practice! I didn’t have a black lip liner so I use a regular eyeliner pencil (it’s ok, just be sure there are no ‘not for lips’ warnings on the packaging). Outline lips – I recommend going for a slightly fuller shape than you usually do since black tends to visually minimize – and fill in with Styletto lipstick directly from the tube. I recommend keeping lips gloss-free for this look (lipstick has sheen to it naturally). Voila!

More pictures from the Panda shoot here.