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Hi Ladies,

True Confession...I was really excited to learn that we were going to let our friends Carmen and Leigh at Private Edition in Nashville help us get our faces ready for the upcoming Fall season by giving each of us a make-over. I immediately thought to myself...okay maybe now I will finally learn how to apply the perfect smokey eye on myself?!

Being in my late 50's, my usual idea of wearing makeup is sunscreen, a touch of shimmery eye shadow, a quick line of eye liner, a few swipes of mascara, and my Tiger Eye coral lipstick that I have been wearing for the last 12 years or so. I spend the majority of my make-up dollars on my skin care. I am on a disciplined schedule of "Glow Facials," derma planing, and skin care products designed to hydrate my extremely dry skin. Like me, Francie is a skin care fanatic who wrote a blog about her regimen. If you haven't already read it, you can read it here.

I found shortly after I turned 40, that I just didn't feel like I could keep up with how dry my skin felt without turning to medical-grade products to help protect my skin from normal wear and tear and the harsh, bitterly cold temperatures I encounter when I'm out west in the winter.

I'm working with my clients to keep them modern and current for the Fall season, so I was excited to get the chance to update my own make-up routine to a more modern and current look for the season. And don't miss the others' makeovers, from Tina, Francie and Jessica.

I have to admit that I feel like my eyes are one of my strongest features, and the concept of the "PERFECT SMOKY EYE" has been something I have wanted to create for myself for the past several years, but the execution of it has alluded me for some reason. I have tried many times to create this look for myself and I have either gotten the proportions incorrect, or the colors that I used were wrong. My smokey eyes turned out more like raccoon eyes, begging for my makeup remover and a cotton ball! So I was ready for a step by step process on how to create this look for myself and to share with all of you.

To start off my makeover, Leigh applied Portable Foundation #2 and my concealer. Because I typically don't like the feeling of heavy foundation coverage I asked that we keep the foundation to a minimum and to focus on my eyes and lips. Between Leigh and Carmen, I learned some incredible make-up tips...I guess I just haven't paid attention before? Ha! I've always known that good quality make-up brushes (meaning natural hair or high quality synthetic) are necessary for applying make-up, but somewhere in past make-overs I lost the tip that certain brushes are essential to achieving a smooth and polished smoky eye. And I also lost the tip that one must always use a good eye base prior to applying eye shadow.

To start the process of creating my smoky eye, Leigh applied my eye base and then covered my eye with a light shade, Broadway by Therapy Systems. She applied it from the inner corner up but not on my lid. Then she used The Rocks, by Therapy Systems from my lid to the crease of my eye. She used an all over eye brush for these steps. After that, she used a crease brush to add the deep color to the crease of my eye down to the lid and about 3/4th of the way into the eye. Then she added black liner with an angled brush. With the same brush, she swept the eyeliner into the eyeshadow color. She told me that this motion gives you a gradual look of color instead of just being dark all over the lid. AHA...this is what I neglected to do in the past which is why I had a "smoky raccoon eye"!

She finished the look with another sweep with a blending eye brush to ensure everything is blended well. Then she added a white shadow, Star Shadow by Therapy Systems, with an all over eye brush directly under the brow and in the inner eye to brighten it a bit. Leigh applied Sisly Black Curling Mascara to finish the dramatic look of my smokey eye. If you'd like 20% off the *entire* Therapy Systems site to purchase these products, Complete Style Vault members can access your exclusive discount code here and start shopping (20% discount through 9/18/16). If you're not a member yet and would like to take advantage of this offer, you can try the 5 day trial for free. Style Vault members can upgrade for free too, and start shopping even more collections with additional discounts!

For a fabulous night time look with my dark brown hair color, I love a dramatic eye and a bold lip color. Leigh applied Wine Delight Lip liner by By Terry. She applied Jubilee by Therapy Systems as my lipstick, and Red Current by Therapy Systems as my lipgloss to finish my look.

I now know how to create the perfect smokey eye on myself...and you can too! Don't forget all you Style Vault Complete members, you're getting 20% off of all Therapy Systems products used here on me and on the other SV Contributors, through 9/18/16.That includes the brushes you need to create the perfect smokey eye (AlloverDetail Pro Brush for eyeliner, Crease Brush for the perfect crease blending, and the Smudge/Blending Brush for your inner eyes/under brow). Complete members click here to access your code and start shopping. For your 5 day trial, click here.

Many, many thanks to Private Edition for taking care of Tina, Francie, Jessica and me, and also our consulting clients in Nashville who receive their own personal makeovers. For more information about our personal wardrobe consulting services, please email me at [email protected]. And if you don't live in the Nashville area and would like to bring 2-3 friends with you for a VIP shopping experience, which could also include your own makeover at Private Edition, please click HERE. And I'm looking forward to seeing how you are getting ready for Fall, so don't forget to tag me on Instagram after you post your new Fall look!

All the Best,

Barbara