I love green. I adore green. I own a disproportionate amount of bright green clothes. And jewelry. And everything.
Everything except for makeup, because brands don’t seem to share my particular obsession. So I set out to fix this.
While searching through the dark corners of the internet to try and find the correct name for my favorite shade, I sidestepped the most obvious source: Wikipedia. Their article on Shades of Green is freaky obsessive, almost like I myself wrote it. Actually I would like to hunt down whoever drafted that page and lovingly stroke their hair.
I’ve decided that my favorite green is closest to “shamrock green,” which I like, because I appreciate images of rolling hills and twinkling gold.
This is actually not my experience of actual irishmen, because a couple of years ago I was living in an apartment block consisting of 80% Irish backpackers, and the number of times I ran into someone in the lift with a stolen trolley filled with empty beer bottles is too many for one lifetime.
Also, the lift opened to reveal a naked dude standing inside. Twice. (Not even a charming Irish lilt could save you there, mister.)
But I digress. Back to makeup. Actually, first, let's touch on nail polish.
I swear, nearly all green nail polishes are hella shimmery, as if they think their entire customer base is either a high school art teacher or a witch (or both).
However, Revlon Nail Enamel in Posh is perfect in every way. Flaw-free. Go, my pretties, and buy it so it never gets discontinued.
On to the eyeliner also in the photo above. I’ve been on the hunt for a really bright matte green gel or liquid liner for a couple of months now, but everything I found was a touch too blue and a touch too dark.
I’m obsessive. I’m fine with it.
So I bought a matte eyeshadow and some Inglot Duraline. Basically, Duraline is made of Sophia Loren’s or possibly some other bad bitch with perfect eyeliner’s tears. Doesn’t matter whose tears they are, but we must thank the lord for their existence.
Anyway, it’s a mystical clear liquid that transforms any powder product into a long-wearing liquid that can be used as an eyeshadow base or liquid liner.
Inglot Eye Shadow in Matte 331 was the perfect color for me, but they honestly have every single shade you could dream of in heaps of different finishes, so I'd recommend them if you're going to go down the freaky-obsessive liner road like me.
It took me a couple of tries to get the right consistency; I found first lightly scratching the surface of the eyeshadow with a nail file to kick up extra product, then transferring it to the back of my hand worked best.
I got a little drop of Duraline and put it next to the giant pile of eyeshadow I had dumped on my hand and, picking up a bit of it on a really small liner brush, rubbed it in the eyeshadow.
Now you can draw on your cat eye. Since it is a little bit of a fuss to do this whole process, I suggest going big or going home. Basically, I want my favorite color all over my face. I’d use green blush if I could (but I won’t because as much as I love a bit of Wicked Witch of the West vibes in my personality, I’m not sure if I want to copy her look).
After you have put on two coats of the Duraline/eyeshadow mix and let it dry (takes about 10 seconds), have a look at the color. I’ve found that the Duraline tends to make everything a little bit darker and duller, and I stand for such grievous color errors when it comes to my beloved shamrock green.
So taking another eyeliner brush, dot along your line with eyeshadow and the color returns to normal!
Good news: This stuff LASTS. Like, seven hours of lectures in non-air-conditioned rooms, then a game of tipsy pool, then a rush-hour train ride home and through cooking dinner, which involved a whole lot of peering over steamy pots and dancing to The Gossip.
Plus, I have slightly hooded eyelids, so I usually end up with a little liner on my upper lid where it has been touching, and it was nowhere. to. be. seen.
What’s your favorite color? And what lengths do you have to go to get it on your face?