Making Faces

Dear Jeepers:
Whenever I get my make-up done professionally, like at the Bergdorf counter, they put a light color eye shadow on my lids. Why? This doesn't seem to match those old diagrams in Seventeen magazine, where you put the darkest colors on your lid and then get lighter and lighter, the closer you get to the brow. Please discuss!

Thanks,
Jacqui Varnesi


Dear Jacqui,

We once read an article in Vogue where a French make-up artist complained that American women never put dark colors up by our eyebrows. He said something like, "Zeh are cowards, zeez American women."

Not knowing what your face looks like, we cannot speak to what looks best on you. But maybe you should take the French man's admonishment to heart and start living on the edge.

Here's how: Set aside an hour this week for utter bathroom privacy. Gather all your cosmetics, plus a good eye make-up remover. Prepare to paint your face at least three times, for three radically different looks. Have a pen and paper ready, so you can record the results. Write down your first impressions of what you see in the mirror, like "trashy," "old," "hot," "crazy," "sultry," and "ill."

We do know that light shadow on the lids tends to make eyes look more fresh, childlike, and open (and less dramatic, sexy, and mysterious). Maybe the guys at Bergdorf's think you have such pretty cheekbones and lips that you shouldn't emphasize your eyes.

Yrs,
Jeepers