Pro Prom Makeup Series #2: Gradients/Fades

I'm back with another edition to my Pro Prom Makeup series. A lot of girls LOVE to do fades and gradients with their dresses. I tried doing this with yellow and black for my prom (it didn't work out too good, I sucked back then lol). Anyways, you can do this look with really any color with multiple shades. I did this with blue, but I other colors I would recommend for this would be pink, purple, and green. Orange would be possible, but it all depends how many shades you can find. Yellow would be okay, but it's better to do just yellow to white unless you can find a lot of shades of yellow as well.

The first five steps are the same as the last edition - they'll stay the same because they're just basic steps with foundation, concealer, brows, etc.

1. You always want to start off with a flawless face. Be sure you have the right shade of foundation that suits your personal skin type. You also want to make sure you have a foundation primer so that your foundation won't slip off throughout the night. First, evenly apply your primer with your fingers onto your face. After that, get your foundation and apply it to your face. You can apply it with your fingers, a foundation brush, or a makeup sponge. I would recommend a sponge for a prom look so your face looks totally airbrushed and non-cakey. 
2. Apply concealer if needed to cover your dark circles, blemishes, or scars. I have a DIY on concealer if you forgot to grab some if you click here.
3. Apply a loose translucent powder on top of your foundation and concealer to set it. Be sure that it's a light application. If you use too much, you'll begin to look cakey.
4. This part is optional, but it's necessary for me. I have very light eyebrows, so I have to darken them in with a brow pencil or eyeshadow. If you want a more dramatic effect, then I recommend darkening your brows. 
5. Now, it's time to move onto the eyes. If you want your eye makeup to stay on all night long, you're going to need an eyeshadow primer. Take a small amount (about a pea size) and disburse onto both of your eyelids. Be sure to rub it in evenly, and don't forget the crease and brow bone.
6. Like I've said before, I highly recommend buying makeup brushes for this look. Sponge applicators are alright, but using them to blend the colors can be very difficult.
   What you are going to need is 3 colors of the color of your choice: a dark, a medium, and a light/white.
   First, taking a normal shader brush, take the medium color and pat it onto your lid to pack it on. Afterward, blend it into your crease and around the edges.
7. Next, taking a pencil brush (end of it is shaped like the tip of a pencil), coat it in your dark color, then tap off the excess to avoid fallout on your face. Then, using a circular motion, outline where you want your edge to be. You can go as high and as far as you want. When you get done outlining, lightly fill in the area and go into your medium shade a little bit (about a third of the way inwards). 
8. After that, you'll notice you have a thick line on the outside. Taking a blending brush, blend the color on the edge to give it a soft look. Then using a larger blending brush, blend the color outwards for a faded look, then inwards to create a gradient effect.
9. Now it's time for the light/white. I used a white/silvery pigment. Taking a small shader brush, take a small amount and apply it on the inner third of your eyelid, into the corners of your eyes, and then line your lower lashline with it. Then using a blending brush, very lightly blend the light/white inwards. The white on the inside corners of your eyes will help your eyes open up and make you look more awake.
10. Next, very carefully line your upper lashline. You can go thick if you'd like, but I would recommend doing a very thin line. You really don't want a thick liner to take the spotlight away from your beautiful eyeshadow!
11. After that, take a white eyeliner and line your lower lashline/waterline. This again will help your eyes open up and help you look more awake.
12. Then, curl your lashes and apply mascara. Remember: GO SLOW. You do not want to ruin your eyeshadow with a streak of black mascara. Don't forget your lower lashes either, they like attention, too. :)
13. Next, apply a bronzer to our temples and on top of your cheek bones for a sexy bronzed glow. You don't want to really apply a pink blush because the eyeshadow and blush will compete with each other.
14. For lips, apply a nude lipstick or lipgloss. You don't want dramatic lips with bold eyes!

 lol, I hate kissy faced self portraits, but this was the best I could do to show the gradient. :) As you can see, the outside is darker than in the picture above.

I hope you enjoyed. If you have any other ideas or requests, please let me know by leaving a comment, sending me an e-mail, or tweeting me @SamanthaBankey! :)

Products used:

• Too Faced Primed and Poreless Face Primer
• Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
• CoverGirl Professional Loose Powder
• Too Faced The Bronzed and The Beautiful Bronzing Palette 
• Revlon BrowFantasy Pencil/Gel
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance Shadow Primer
• Coastal Scents 88 Color Eye Shadow Palette (the normal one, not shimmer or the special ones!)
• Too Faced Lava Gloss Eyeliner in Black
• Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in Pure White
• Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
• Too Faced Pin Point Mascara
• Revlon Lipstick in Soft Nude 070
• Bonnebell Lip Lites Lipgloss in Caramel Latte
• Assorted Makeup Brushes from Coastal Scents and Too Faced

 A good place to get makeup brushes in sets that aren't ridiculously overpriced, but still of good quality (if you take care of them!!!!) are Coastal Scents (good for beginners), e.l.f., Too Faced (super soft brushes! No animal hair!), and Sigma (some of the nicest brushes in this list and up there with the big names!). MAC and Sephora are of course some of the best you can buy, but they are very expensive.

Love,
Sam