High Fashion Makeup Technique Photos

Flip through just about any women's fashion magazine and you'll see plenty high fashion makeup examples. Many of these looks don't translate well from the runway to the street, but in some cases, they do. These couture makeup looks may inspire you to try new colors or application techniques. Use these pictures as a guide toward creating not just a look, but a designing experience.

Dark eyes and dark lips aren't always suggested, but by having balance in the depth of the eye and lip color you can have a look that is sleek and bold.

Makeup artists often create looks for magazines that aren't suitable for the average woman working in an office. Choose an element from an avant garde look, such as replicating the smoky eyes or the glossy red lips, that you like best.

High fashion cosmetics often place bold colors in unlikely places. Green shades are not usually colors women use in their eye shadow, but it makes for dramatic photos when done in a unique way or placed in an unexpected area, like the corner of the eye in an artistic design.

A rainbow selection of eye shadows demonstrates an important real-world makeup tip: choose a focal point and keep the rest of the face subdued.

This smoky eye look is taken to extremes. Deep colors define the eyes, including the eyebrows, which are accentuated and blend into the eye color. Pale lips almost disappear against this model's skin. While you may not want to go quite as dramatic with the eyes, the idea of dark eyes and a pale lip color is a great way to incorporate runway style into your makeup look.

One concept you'll often see in high fashion looks is exaggeration. These smoky eyes are highly exaggerated, and demonstrate how well dark makeup makes light eye colors really stand out. Use this idea to create contrast in your makeup for a high-fashion look.

Glowy or shimmering skin is often used by designers and makeup artists for effect. You may not want extreme shimmer, but you can use a highlighter or luminizer to highlight certain areas, such as the cheekbones, for a model-inspired look.

Vibrant green and yellow eye shadows are accentuated with complementary glitter. A clean swipe of eyeliner and dark lashes finish off these eyes to perfection. Glitter has a fashionable appeal, but is best reserved for night wear, such as at parties or informal events.

There are many different ways you can achieve the cat-eye look. This cat eye style is very dramatic because it starts higher on the eye and is darker and more bold than a traditional cat-eye makeup look. By extending the makeup up and outward in this way, will give a wearer a high fashion look.

The smoky eyed look is a fairly common one, but it is unusual to see the eye shadow extended past the eye. Extending the smoky eye out past the edge of the eye is a great way to take a look from ordinary to high fashion.

The color blue, along with purple, really allows brown eyes to "pop". High fashion looks do not have to be dark or bold; applying lighter shades to the inner corners of the eyes also helps the eyes to look brighter and wider.

Creating high fashion makeup styles is about creating unique looks that will photograph beautifully. Colors like gold that are closer to natural skin tones can create beautiful eyes that will still pop, especially when different shades of gold are used together to create a dimensional look.

If you love the high fashion look, see more in the runway makeup pictures slideshow.