Apply Different Styles of Eyeshadow

Have you ever applied eyeshadow, only to have sharp lines and smudges everywhere? Do you find it hard to use eyeshadow for a sophisticated look? With some decent products and some practise, you can master the art of applying eyeshadow.

Steps

  1. Buy eyeshadow if you don't already have it. You can find eyeshadow at Target, drugstores or general stores, as well as high end makeup stores such as MAC and Sephora.
  2. Buy a couple of applicators and a blending brush. Eyeshadow applicators sometimes come with eyeshadow. You can use one of these, which is like a stick with a small sponge on the end, or you can buy a better one. Animal hair brushes can be expensive, but fake hair works fine so long as you make sure it doesn't shed.

Smokey

Smokey eyes are a very popular look for a night out.

  1. Apply a sheer colour all over your lid, up to your eyebrow.
  2. Softly line your eye with a pencil liner. It should be a dark or medium shade, like black or grey. The line should go from the inner corner to the outer corner. Use the same pencil to dot below your your lower lashes. Then smudge both lines with a Q-Tip or an eyeliner brush.
  3. Choose a dark colored powder shadow to put over your lid and into your crease. Avoid purple and blue colors—this will cause you to look less like you have smokey eyes and more like you have black eyes.
  4. Use a lighter, natural color to dust over your brow line.
  5. Apply two coats of black mascara.

Natural

Natural makeup is a great way to enhance your features subtly.

  1. Apply a white liner just below your brow line. Use a small brush to pull the liner downwards and blend it into your skin.
  2. Find a neutral highlight color. Apply it at the brow bone. Also apply it to the inner eye corners.
  3. Find a gold or beige eyeshadow and apply it to your eyelids. You do not need a base or anything like that.

Classic

The Have Classic Style works best with a defined line of liquid liner on the top lid.

  1. Apply a sheer tone all over the lid, right up to the eyebrow.
  2. Use a shade of chocolate brown and apply it to your outer V on your top lid.
  3. Softly line the top lid with the brown shadow, using an angled brush.
  4. Apply liquid liner and mascara.

Tips

  • To brighten your eyes, you can put some white pearly eyeshadow near your tear ducts. This will also help your eyes to look bigger.
  • Note colours that work well for you, as well as good combinations. Some good colour combinations are different shades of browns, silvers, blacks and whites, and pearls and pinks.
  • Eyeshadow can also be used as a liner, however if you want to do this you will have to have an eyeshadow with fantastic pigment. You can try dipping the brush in water before applying eyeshadow as liner, but it can be messy.
  • Blending is important with eyeshadow, but don't use it all the time. The technique is used to soften eyeshadow, but don't blend too much or you will end up with very pale eyeshadow, as blending actually takes off some of the shadow. "Windscreen wiper" motions are the easiest way to blend eyeshadow. Use a blending brush to blend up and out on a smokey eye, to soften colour on a natural eye or to make a dark colour light.
  • Very few people can use blue eyeshadow and not look like a grandma. If you really have to use it, try a natural or smokey eye, and put a bit in the outer corner of your eye.
  • If you are figuring out what colours work best for you, or you want to try out a whole bunch of looks, you might like to buy a 48-80 colour eyeshadow palette. Coastal Scents has a great palette that you can buy off eBay.

Warnings

  • The only eyeshadow you should ever put up to your eyebrows is a sheer colour. If it looks weird, try using a darker shade.
  • Never wear blue eyeshadow up to your eyebrow, or even up to your crease. You'll end up looking like the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland.
  • Ask somebody who is good at makeup to tell you if your makeup looks OK before you leave the house. You might need to have a practice day to try out different styles and find out what works best for you.

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Sources and Citations

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