Soft, Defined Look

Since exploring with various combinations of taupe eyeshadows/liners, I've found that I've wanted to add a little more definition/depth to the eye makeup look - sometimes layering taupe upon taupe can look 'too natural'.  I had one person who sees me everyday say: "but where's your liner?  I don't see it anymore".  THis got me thinking - how can I maintain my soft eyeshadow look that brings out the grey tones in my eyes, but at the same time add a smokey/defined element.  I know that browns and navy shades are not the way to go for the look I want.  Navy is stunning for a more evening look with a classic red lip (its very Parisienne Chic).  However, for the soft look I'm going for, I decided to play around with a classic black eyeliner look, blending the taupe shades into the black.  WHen I saw the results on my experiment, I was like 'why didn't I try this before?' - check it out:

When I blended a silvery taupe into the black liner and then created another softer layer of black over top of that blend, you get a very soft, yet 'defined' look.  I like how the silvery-taupe layer still allows for the grey of my eyes to take centre stage and the look isn't 'overwhelming'.  I started with using Electra eyeshadow by MAC - a silver shade from lid to crease.  I then applied Smolder by MAC and used the taupe shade from Almay's Blue Eyes Trio to blend into the upper lashline - and then applied Smolder again from the centre of the lid extending out.  Gentle blush by MAC is the perfect pink for this look, its soft, but with the right amount of pink.  I decided to play up on the taupe with my lipstick, so I used Rimmel 'Taupe' liner as a lipliner and applied Faux Lipstick over top.  With the new ash-tones in my hair, this is such a pretty soft yet defined look!!!  :) If you're warmer toned and want to create the same soft yet defined look, try the same type of application, but with dark brown eye-liner smudged with a copper-gold shadow on the upper lash line and a peach toned blush and lipstick - oh la la!