You Better Werk!!! Eyeshadow Application 101

Onyx beauty,

I know you have seen women walking around with their eyeshadow looking like they allowed their children to take crayons and draw on their faces. My sister I refuse to let you walk around looking like that!!! So here we have an eyeshadow tutorial! One thing I wish we as women would realize is that because you wear eyeshadow, it does not mean that you always have to go for bright, overly bold, and red carpet ready colors. You can take a very simple colors and go from job ready to out on the town with a simple flick of your brush! Before we get you there however, let's get to the basics. First determine your eye shape. Really read and understand the chart below. In understanding this, you will be able to apply your makeup in such a way that flatters your eyes, not cloud them or hide them. Later, I will post tutorials on various colors that work well with our deep dark skin as well as an eyeliner tutorial.

Feel free to post any questions that you have and I will try my best to answer them. I am in no way the repository of all makeup knowledge but if I don't know an answer, I will definitely seek out the advice of someone who does. Also, follow us on Facebook at Onyx Radiance for looks and tips not displayed here! Now get to work!

Starting from the top: Brushes Part 2

Alright my Onyx dear.... 

Part 2 of the brushes is all packed into a neat little table I found on pinterest. Finding this table saved me a lot of time typing all of the uses and purposes of the various face brushes. As I said in the other post, there is no need to have every single brush in your makeup arsenal. Start slow and as you gain confidence in your abilities and find what looks are best for you, buy accordingly! Now get to work!

Starting From the Top: The Brushes Part 1!

Alright Onyx beauties,

I was got so excited a few days ago getting together the perfect brow post that I neglected to start from the top... Not everyone is "makeup savvy" or have gone from "wearing no makeup at all" to "glamazon-diva-Beyonce'-is-going-to-hire-me-tomorrow-to-be-a-part-of-her-glam-squad." So, for you onyx divas that are makeup elites I apologize but we must start from the top and review makeup brushes! Before I begin typing away and getting to my happy place of makeup, unicorns, and rainbows let me make sure you know that in no way shape or fashion do you need to go out tomorrow and 1) buy any old brush kit you find and 2) you don't break the bank trying to buy every brush ever created and known to man. For anyone new to the makeup game, I always suggest starting small. Get one or two brushes at a time, learn and get to using them first, then expand your makeup brush collection. Will you definitely need every single brush listed in this post... NO! Some ladies that do MARVELOUS wonders on their faces do so with their fingers. Myself on the other hand... I use my fingers, not only will I look like BOZO the clown but I will also paint every surface in my house and my clothing some random color that is too noticeable to try to hide.

Now, before you learn which brush does what job... You need to know the types. There are synthetic hair and natural hair. Each have their pros and cons. I would suggest before making any purchase to feel each type to see which appeals more to you. My personal favorite brands to purchase are MAC (5 piece box set $49.50) and GlamIt! Cosmetics (5 piece box set $40.) I lean more toward GlamIt! because their brushes are very comparable to MAC and are cheaper. The list below is a description of what each brush does and what it is best used for. This post will only focus on the brushes used on the eye area. Part 2 will focus on the brushes used for the whole face.




In 2 days I will post part 2 of "Starting for the Top: The Brushes Part 2"... Don't fret! You'll get the hang of this makeup thing in no time!

The perfect brow!!!

I have noticed that everyone, whether they or not they have eyebrows or not, has been coloring in their eyebrows. Not everyone though does so without looking like they have Nike checks over their eyes... so what better way to make sure all of us Onyx beauties are looking like divas in the making than by making sure we aren't on Nowaygirl.com for looking crazy! Have you tried to give your eyebrows a fuller look? Well... love I have the tips for you!!!

1) With a brow pencil, underline the underside of your brow.

Keep in mind:

• The underside of your brow should look the most precise, whereas the rest of the brow should look natural.
• For the most natural brows, use powder rather than pencil to fill in.
• Use a matte finish eyeshadow to fill in your brows with.
• Always remember to Never use an eyebrow pencil to fill in your whole brows, unless you are going for the sharpie look. ( I know the picture shows the girl using a pencil to fill her brows in (pic 3) but that is the only pic I could find until I upload my own. Please bear with me.)

2) Now, start filling the brows with a powder.

Keep in Mind:

•  LIGHTLY begin filling in the brow at the arch.
• Continue outlining the very edge with light brush strokes (simulating hair)
• Without adding any extra product to the brush, start filling the inside of the brow with the leftover residue on the brush.
• Shade accordingly. Not the entire brow is going to be the same darkness. The arch and tail of the brow should be the most defined and the darkest. The inner should be sparse and light. 

3) With a spoolie, brush through the brows to blend the color together.

Keep in mind:

• The spoolie bristles do a great job at picking up excess product and making the brows look more natural.
• Clean the underside of the brow with a concealer one shade lighter than you skin tone. This will make the brows look more precise and clean.
• For unruly brows, apply a clear brow gel or hair spray with a spoolie 

I hope this helps you as much as it helped me. Trying to follow some youtubers, I almost...ALMOST... looked like I had gorrilla eyebrows even though I get them waxed faithfully. Seriously, you just don't know how serious it almost got... I was this close (can you see my fingers?) to looking like a wookie!

Our makeup trends

As I was scrolling down my timeline on Facebook yesterday, I found a very interesting article that made me reflect on the coming evolution of our makeup trends. The "Dragging" down of the Black Woman's Image noted how many of the trends that African American women are following have many of us looking like drag queens or transgender women. Drag queens? Yes! Not to give too many details of the article away, the author primarily noted that many of the techniques created by transgender men and drag queens have many of us looking plain silly. (Don't lie and say you haven't seen some women and thought "Now she knows she looks like a pure clown with all that mess on her face" or just said a simple "Girl, bye!") I found myself surprised that I agreed with many of the arguments that the author of this article wrote. Before I keep you from reading any future blog post from me, let me first explain why...

Have you ever wondered why many of us feel the need to contour our faces for a more "feminine" look or to change our features when frankly, we already have what we are trying to create? If you have ever had your makeup professionally done, you may notice that may makeup artist do not do any contouring. Many makeup artist also do not add 15 + layers of makeup to your face either to get a beautiful natural look that makes you feel like royalty inside and out. So why do we do it when we apply our own makeup? Makeup should be used to enhance our beauty, not take us from looking like our mother's child to a stranger in 2.2 seconds! What do you think of our current makeup trends and where makeup seems to be going?

*This is not a blast against transgender women or drag queens... This is just a comparison in makeup application and styles between groups*

Have you noticed?

I love makeup as much as the next woman, but whenever you look for makeup tips, tricks, or tutorials they are done by or for women that are of a lighter hue. As much as I applaud many of the women who get on Youtube and show the world their makeupless faces in order to teach us amateurs how to enhance the natural beauty that God has given us, I have yet to find an abundance of Youtubers or bloggers to follow that are any complexion darker than Taraji P. Henson.

We all know that if any of us of the darker hue tried any of the makeup tips or tricks suggested by women the same complexion as Beyonce', we would end up looking like we were "casket ready" (an ebony beauty friend of mine's term for her makeup experiences) in no time! So why not start the crusade to find tips, tricks, and cosmetics that look great on us women who are considered "deep dark" in the cosmetics world? Check into this blog weekly! I will be sharing what I know, what I find, great deals, and cosmetic brands that work well with us onyx beauties!