Spring is almost here and so are the beauty trends you will be seeing a lot of for super, sexy, smoky eyes. This year the hot color for spring is purple.  Yes, purple, but if you have the right color the results are gorgeous.  We asked celebrity makeup artist Beth Bender to share her tips for choosing the best colors to enhance your eyes.

Find Your Perfect Purple: Green Eyes

For green eyes,  Bender who has worked with Mila Kunis, recommends an eggplant tone. “Green eyes look great with any deep shade of purple,” she said. “You can create a really elegant effect with a sweep of dark aubergine.” The Backstage Beauty Smoky Eye Quad in Girls on Film ($41; bettesboutique.com) has a particularly velvety version.

When it comes to pairing purple with blue eyes like Laura Linney, cooler tones are the way to go. “Try a purple that has gray undertones,” says Bender. “Dusty purples can also work to spice up a gray outfit.”

We love the New Smoky Eye Anniversary collection ($72; bethbenderbeauty.com), with nine eye shadows to mix and match including five new springy shades.

At the Paley Fest presentation for The Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev wore a soft smoky eye. We love how the look was dramatic, but the metallic accents kept it from being too severe.

Her makeup artist Amy Nadine layered different shades of pewter to create her sultry look. Nadine began by blending a platinum cream shadow over the actress’s lid, then defined her crease using a lighter silver hue to illuminate her eye. To avoid a harsh effect, Nadine opted to define Dobrev’s lash line with a sweep of graphite gel liner in place of an inky black.  Nadine also suggested using a smoky eyeshadow stencil for anyone who wasn’t sure of how to create and recommended beth bender beauty’s Get in Line Smoky Eyeliner Stencil Kit.

Buy it/Try it: The New Get in Line Smoky Eyeshadow Stencil Deluxe in BFF

If you want a lighter alternative to the smoky eye try multi-dimensional shades of taupe shadow like Olivia Palermo at the Rochas show in Paris.  Start with a pale shade of beige shimmer on your inner eye and then apply and blend the color into a deeper brown in the crease, and toward your temple.

Then smudge a soft black pencil liner (waterproof is best) along the top lashline and underneath along lower lashline. Swipe an illuminating highlighter to your under eye area and upper cheekbone to finish off the look. The soft look pairs well with a neutral gloss and dewy cheeks but would also work with a deep burgundy sheer lip color for evening.

Try it/Buy it: The Backstage Beauty Smoky Eye Quad in Beautiful Browns

Are you loving Katy Perry’s new cat eye look as much as we are???  Well, you can get it too using Beth Bender Beauty’s Backstage Beauty Smoky Eye Quad seen below.

Katy Perry's Cat Eye Look using Beth Bender Beauty's Back Stage Beauty Smoky Eye Quad

This look is so easy to re-create using the cat eye stencil by placing it gently above your lash line.  Use a darker shadow in the kit to fill in the stencil using the thinner side of the brush.  For a darker cat eye, wet the brush first, wipe off excess water, dip into shadow and fill in again using the stencil as a guide.

Repeat the same on the other eye. Use the lighter shades for highlighting the brow bone.

You can make your cat eye thin or thick depending on where you place it above the lash line.  You can also adjust how far out your cat eye goes as well.  Have fun playing around with the stencils to create a variety of beautilicious eye looks!

Beth Bender Beauty's Backstage Beauty Smoky Eye Quad

This convenient pouch make’s it easy to travel with and whip out the perfect cat eye and smoky eye in seconds!

Available exclusively at Beth Bender Beauty

bsw glam girls

Adriana Lima’s eyes got our attention at the kick off of the Victoria’s Secret Angels Very Sexy Jet tour.  Her eyes look amazing and here is why:

If the idea of wearing bold color on your eyelids makes you pause, check out Ginnifer Goodwin at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. We love the swipe of pale mint shimmer that starts heavily in her inner eye and covers her entire lid.

“The key to making this look work is to concentrate on the lower lid”, says celebrity makeup artist Beth Bender.  Highlight the brow bone with a bisque matte shadow. Goodwin also illuminated her undereye by gliding a highlighter beneath and adding a few false lashes on the outer part of eye.

This made the entire eye a statement. Take your cue from Goodwin and play down the rest of your makeup when your eyes are this bright.

“Get The Looks” for Rashida Jones at The Vanity Fair Party, created by makeup artist Jamie Greenberg.

Rashida Jones at The Vanity Fair Party

Prep:

“I prepped Rashida’s skin by applying mark Primed for Perfection Face Primer all over. Then, I buffed on mark Min-A-Real Cream-to-Powder Foundation to create an even base. Next, I spot-checked any imperfections with mark Save The Day Anti-Acne Concealer Stick and mark Powder Buff Natural Skin Foundation.”

Cheeks:

“For Rashida’s cheeks, I applied mark All the Highlights Soft Glow Illuminator and mark Just Pinched Instant Blush Tint in Cheeky for a rosy glow.”

Eyes:

“For Rashida’s eyes, I applied mark Please Hold Eye Primer to create a strong base. Next, I applied a variety of brown and gold shades from the mark On The Dot Neutral Eye Color Compact. Then, I lined the tops of her eyes with mark No Place To Run Longwear Eyeliner in Brownie Points and with darker shadows to create a little definition. I finished the eyes with two coats of mark Lash All You Want High-Volume Mascara to her top and bottom lashes.”

Rashida Jones looking gorgeous thanks to makeup artist Jamie Greenberg

You can get all of the makeup Jamie used at meet mark.

the bender sisters

“I’m mostly inspired by Jen!” said makeup artist Angela Levin on her vision for Jennifer Aniston’s look at the Los Angeles premiere of Wanderlust.  She used Chanel products to create the star’s signature bronze glow and highlighted eyes.

Levin started by circling a slate shadow in round motions shaped like a half moon, (for the non-makeup artist try using a smoky eye stencil) “I went from a light shimmer in the inner area to dark towards the outside of the eye.

Next she used the darkest shade in the palette to frame the eye on the upper and lower lash lines.  She followed up with her favorite mascara and a pop of rosy blush.

Chanel a bit pricey for you?  Check out the BFF Smoky Eyeshadow & Stencil Kit.

Drew Barrymore celebrated another birthday yesterday still looking younger than she is.  One of the lucky ones who is aging backwards.  Get her birthday Look with step by steps tips from celebrity Make-up Artist Stacey Ellis of Byu-Ti Salon and Smashbox Cosmetics.

Face: This look is so simple yet glamorous, it can worn for both day and evening.  Begin with High Definition  Healthy FX Foundation, applied with a sponge for a flawless finish.  Set the foundation with Halo Hydrating  Perfecting Powder, this will add that extra glow.

A hint of coral to the cheeks with Blush Rush color, Paradise. Dust from the cheek to the ear.

Eyes: The eyes are clean and simple, try the Eye Lights Eyeshadow Palette called Smokebox.  Apply the lightest shade to the inside corner of the eye and under the brow.

The metallic, Soft Pewter shade is the focus so apply that across the eyelid, up to the crease of the eye.  Also run this under the eye to create a softness.

Line the top lash line with a very fine line of Limitless Liquid Liner Pen for extra definition.  Complete the eyes with Black Full Exposure Mascara.

Lips: Create a soft pink sheen to the lips with the Soft Box Lip Gloss Collection, in the color Afterglow.

As the new face of Rochas fragrance, Olivia Palermo attended a reception at the Park Avenue Armory with soft gray shadow punctuated with a strong black eyeliner on the lower and outer eyelid.

“Deeper shades can define and brighten eyes, especially when worn in a precise line and not smudged”, says celebrity makeup artist Beth Bender. I like using a pencil along the water line, but if your eyes are sensitive, it might take a bit of getting used to.  Dramatic lashes at the outer corners add a final dash of polish.

Love this look on Olivia?  Here’s another Olivia look you might like:

A Soft Cat Eyeliner Look To Try-as seen on Olivia Palermo