At the request of the lovely Mireille over at C'est Chic, here's a basic 3-step eye makeup routine to keep your eyes looking alluring no matter the occasion. Harriet Miers (and Tammy Faye, of course), take note!

Start with 3 shadows: light, for highlighting; medium, for the lower half of the lid from crease to lashline; and dark, for lining. These of course should be in complementary shades (my favorites are listed below).

1. Dust the lightest shade from lashline to browbone. Depending on the intensity of your second (medium) shade, you can opt to skip this step and use a cream highlighter instead. Apply a little highlighter to your browbones and in the inner corners of your eye.
2. Using the medium shade, start at the upper lashline and blend upward into the crease. The shadow should be stronger at the outer crease - leave the part near your nose lighter. Light stands out and dark recedes, so if done right this will give your eye a pretty contour.
3. Use a narrow brush to line your upper lashes with the dark shade. Smudge it into your lashline and blend in a bit. Some recommend doing this on the lower lashline as well, but I find that eyeliner "grabs" better than shadow in that area; using shadow on the lower lid always leaves my with dark circles.

Voila! Now for the colors. I really like palettes because the nice people over at Stila, Fresh, etc. have already done the work for you and picked out 3 great shades. Just pick the one that matches your style and your complexion. Here are some of my favorites. I really love Stila shadows; they have a great texture and wear well:

• Stila Eye & Cheek Palettes in Perfectly Sage and Perfectly Gold: these include everything you need to create a beautiful eye, plus a neutral blush.
• Fresh Eye Shadow Trios in Ancient Spell (ivory, rose mauve, and copper) Chamomile (ivory, nutmeg, and deep brown), and Night Essence (pearl, grey, and almost-black).
• Stila Eye Shadow Duo in Wheat/Ebony paired with a shimmery bone highlighter.
• Stila Eye Shadows in Cloud and Twig or Diamond Lil with Nars eyeliner in Bamako (aubergine! different and gorgeous).

For all-around great highlighters, the Fresh Satin Luster palette is my favorite. It contains 3 gorgeous cream highlighters, in white pearl, pale peach, and light pink.

Also, if you want to create a simpler look that still stands out, just apply a light layer of Stila Shadow Pots in Gold across your entire lid. It's sheer, creamy, and shimmery, and best of all, it doesn't get all bunched up in the crease. For an idea if what this looks like, check out Annie's post on Blogdorf Goodman about the makeup at the recent Monique Lhuillier show.

When choosing shades individually, just make sure they're in the same color family. Here's a basic overview of what works from Bobbi Brown Beauty: