Face Makeup vs. Eye Makeup

First of all, let me talk about my philosophy about makeup:

I like, for the most part, for my makeup to enhance my natural features instead of distracting from them. It's fun to play with more intense makeup sometimes, but I think subtle is the way to go for every day. 

Makeup, to me, is kind of like doing your hair. Most days I'm content to just comb it and put it in a braid, ponytail, or quick updo. But sometimes it's fun to put in a bit more effort and curl it. It's not necessary, but it's fun and makes you look extra put together.

Also, if you're getting your picture taken, it sometimes helps to go a bit heavier with your makeup since in doesn't show up as well on camera. In the example photos below I put on more makeup than I typically wear just so y'all could see it. :)

Anyway.

I was curious about which type of makeup makes a bigger difference: eye makeup (liner, eyeshadow, and mascara) or face makeup (foundation, concealer, blush, bronzer, etc.). So I decided to take some photos and share them with you and get your opinion!

These photos have only been edited for exposure and white balance.

Here I am with no makeup vs. just eye makeup. I filled in my brows, added a bit of light brown eyeshadow for contouring, some eyeliner and mascara. I think it really helps to draw attention to my eyes. But those dark circles...

Here is am with no makeup vs. just face makeup. I like how my skin tone is evened out, I have a bit of color on my cheeks, and my dark circles are softened. 

And here's a comparison of just the eye makeup and just the face makeup. It's a tough call for me. I really like the way my eyes are enhanced with the eye makeup, but my skin looks much more even with face makeup. What do you guys think?



As a side note, I think that hair is almost (if not more) important to your overall look than makeup. Here I am with no makeup and my hair scraped back into a ponytail vs no makeup and my hair softly pulled back. I think it makes quite a difference.

And here I am with both eye and face makeup. This is more makeup than I like to wear on a day-to-day basis. If I could only do THREE things with makeup, I would fill in my brows, add a touch of eyeliner, and conceal my dark circles. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

How about you? 

How do you like to do your makeup? If you could only do 3 things with makeup, what would they be? Which do you prefer: eye or face makeup?