Eyeshadow 101: What to Do.

Here's the thing about eyeshadow (and makeup in general). It is not as if there are magical steps that will always work to produce flawless eye looks. Now, that being said, there are some really basic and useful concepts to get you started. I'd like to share a couple of those with you. My own story with eyeshadow is that I started with really basic looks and colors; I created formulas and I would choose one each day to paint on my lids. Eventually I got more and more confident, so I started trying different products, colors, and techniques for getting my eyes to look the way I wanted. 

My opinion is, after some general tips, you kinda just have to do what you want and what you like. Once you get comfortable working with products, you can have a lot of fun trying new things, or just finding that perfect everyday look for you. Oh, and here's the other thing: you don't have to do it alone. I certainly didn't. I've been watching makeup tutorials, looking at magazines, and reading blogs for several years now. At this point, I've spent enough time doing my own experimenting that I'm ready to create my own place for people to go for help with their makeup. So, without further ado, let's talk eye makeup.

Here are some ideas that I have found to be really helpful when working with eye makeup.

Just a quick note about the links; please-oh-please look for these products in stores first. You can save a lot of money by not buying drugstore products directly from the brand. And save on shipping. So yeah, check the stores.

1. Start with a base/primer.
This means different things for different people. For those with very oily eyelids, a base might be a swipe of a light beige eyeshadow. For those with dry eyelids, it is important to use moisturizer under a base or primer. For the average person, a product actually labelled as an eyeshadow primer is a safe bet, and there are lots of options for lots of different price ranges. It's mostly about finding a product that gives you the results you want. Ideally, we want a primer to keep our shadow from creasing or fading throughout the day. Some can even help shadow look brighter or richer. My preference is to use a light moisturizer over my lids and then follow that with a thin layer of whatever primer I'm using at the time. I like primers that, once spread, still have a slightly tacky feeling. That tackiness really helps your lids grab the eyeshadow off your brush. Bonus: primers can make less expensive eyeshadows look and work like more expensive ones. Although many not so expensive eyeshadows are the bomb regardless of their price point. 

Products to try: e.l.f.'s Essential Eyelid Primer; Wet 'n' Wild's Take On the Day Eyeshadow Primer from the Fergie Collection; NYX's HD Eyeshadow Base

2. WEAR MASCARA.
Even if you have dark brown or black lashes that are long, thick, and luxurious beyond the norm, it is still a good idea to swipe on a coat or two of mascara. As you start to work with darker colors, if that's what you choose to do, you will probably find that eyes just don't look done without mascara; it finishes a look and smokes out everything behind the lashes. Even for lighter looks, I just think mascara adds that finishing touch. As far as color is concerned, I always go for black, and usually the darkest black that a mascara I like can be. Even with blue eyes, fair skin, and light hair, I still believe black mascara is the way to go.

If you don't have lashes with which you are happy, even with mascara, then false eyelashes might be something to consider, but that's a topic for another time.

Products to try: L'Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara (and the Voluminous Full Definition and Voluminous Carbon Black); L'Oreal Telescopic Mascaras; mostly just anything from L'Oreal

3. Don't leave your eyes hanging.
You know how it feels when you raise your hand for a high-five or a fistbump, or when you smile across the party at a friend and they just have no idea you're looking for some acknowledgement? I do, at least. That's how your eyes feel when you're rocking some great liner and mascara and maybe even a little smokey eye, but you have nothing on your face. Unless you have a just dazzling complexion, a little concealer, powder, and blush (at the minimum, the face has just as many fun options as the eyes) can go a long way toward helping you have a finished look. And even though it may seem scary or frustrating to think that to get eye makeup figured out you've got to get some face makeup figured out too, I think that working with both will ultimately give you looks about which you are a lot happier. 

And don't worry, I'm going to have many more posts about how I actually do all these things I'm talking about :)

4. Blend blend blend. Then blend some more.
If you are already working with glittery greens, deep blues, bright oranges, and whatever else you feel like, but still aren't happy with how your eyes are turning out, check your blending. I usually keep a nice fluffy round eyeshadow brush clean of product and use it just to blend edges on my lid. Although aquamarine will probably never be considered a "natural" color, there are ways to help it work into the rest of your face. At the top of that list of ways is BLENDING. And even if you are working with only light browns, if you aren't blending, you're probably ending up with looks that aren't as flattering as they could be.

If you haven't yet delved into the world of eyeshadow but want to, keep blending in the front of your mind as a very important part of eye makeup.


There are four tips to get you started. I've got so much more I want to share with you about eyeshadow, but I wasn't sure how to condense a lot of it, so stick around for some more detailed posts about specific eye looks and makeup. The next Eyeshadow 101 topic will be...BRUSHES. Thanks for visiting.

Eyeshadow 101: What to Buy.

Back to the shadow.

I like to start at the beginning of things. It helps me feel organized. Sooooo, if we are all going to start playing with makeup together, I would like to share some of my ideas on how to choose makeup to try and how to create a practical, useful, and fun collection. If you already have lots of eyeshadow you like, feel free to skim and see if you get any new ideas. 

I definitely do not think that you all need to go out and buy a ton of eyeshadow, or even very much at all, in order to have a good time with makeup, but if you are interested in trying some new things, whether in regard to technique or products, please allow me to give you some pointers. What I am going to say comes from my own experience. I want to help you avoid some of the mistakes that I made as I built my collection, but I also want you to have fun trying and buying what you want.

First things first. Here are some brands with great eyeshadow:

L'Oreal
NYX
bhcosmetics
Profusion Cosmetics
Wet 'n' Wild
e.l.f. cosmetics

(I would list more, but I haven't used every brand out there, and even if I know that other people say products are great, and maybe I have swatched them in Sephora or Ulta, I'm not comfortable telling you to try something that I have not actually used myself.)

Now, I don't mean to say that any and all eyeshadow you might try from the above brands will be perfect. But I can say that they are a good starting point, and really none of them are all that expensive. 

Now, let us consider color choices.

I will wear pretty much any color eyeshadow. I choose it depending on the mood I am in, what I feel like playing with that day, what I am wearing, what I haven't used in awhile, what I have used recently, and for so many more changeable and silly reasons. So, really, I am not going to tell you that you can't wear hot pink eyeshadow with chunks of green glitter in it. All I will say is, if you do, you better own it. 

I'm not going to tell you what to avoid when it comes to eyeshadow color. I think doing so might take the fun out of the experiments in your future. Instead, let me simply suggest some useful colors that probably everyone would find helpful, if not essential, in a collection.

1. Matte Black - A good, pigmented matte black can be used with a super light or super heavy hand, so you can change the degree of the smokiness that the color creates. Don't shy away from black, at least not at first. Try it, small amounts at a time, and if you still don't like it, then don't force it. A matte black can double as an eyeliner, and it can also be super useful for contrasting with and adding depth to an eye-look with lighter, shimmery colors. If black doesn't work out for you, having a deep, dark matte brown is equally as useful, for the same reasons.

This is Wet 'n' Wild's Coloricon Eyeshadow Single in "Panther," which I have mentioned before. It's just a really great black. I got mine at 5below, but I'm sure you could find it at any number of drugstores or Wal-mart. 

2. A Matte Shade That Is Several Shades Darker Than Your Skin Tone - This shade will be very useful for blending out the lines that darker colors can create, especially in and above the crease. I would recommend that everyone has one, and as they will be different for every person (because not all our skin in the same color) I'm not going to give a specific example. It should be matte because we generally want to use colors without shimmer to blend, and since we want this color to blend not only with the other colors on our eyes but also with our skin itself, it's just safer to have a matte shade. I have had the most success finding these colors in small to medium palettes of neutral colors, that way you can change it pretty easily if you get a tan and what not.

3. A Bright[ening], Matte or Shimmery Whitish/Vanilla Color - White can be a bit stark, so I like to stick to whites that have a little gold or even silver to them. Whether this color is matte or shimmery does not really matter, and we will usually use this color under the arch of the eyebrow and in the inner corner. Just pick a finish that you like, and having both isn't a bad idea either. 

This is a shot of a color from a six shadow palette from e.l.f. Generally, it can be nice to find these somewhat must-have colors in singles, but I have found that having a few small neutral palettes can also provide all the neutrals you need. I don't think this specific palette is available anymore, but you could also try Covergirl's Eye Enchancers single shadows in the colors "Snow Blossom" and "French Vanilla," which you can get here.

4. A Variety of Browns - I will say more about palettes later, but having a large-ish palette of neutral colors of the brown persuasion is not a bad idea if you are interested in doing your eye makeup makeup on a very regular basis and with some variety involved. Some people can pick a look, perfect it, and wear it everyday. I think that is fantastic and probably a great way to get good at certain techniques, but I just can't keep myself from trying new things. If you are the same way, you can wear safe, easy colors in lots of ways with a palette of neutrals. 

This is the 28 Color Neutral Palette from bhcosmetics. I have had it for awhile now, and I love that it has easy to match and use colors in a variety of shades and tones. A palette like this can also provide that matte shade that is a few shades darker than your skin tone that we talked about above. You can get it here.

5. Whatever Else You'd Like to Try - After you get some basics, have some fun. Buy colors that you think are pretty. Even if they seem a bit strange to put on your face, you can probably find a flattering and interesting way to use that sparkly teal. If color isn't your thing, maybe you'll learn to like some, and even if you don't, exploring the wide world of neutral eyeshadows can be just as fun.

Some thoughts on palettes...

I think that large quantities of eyeshadow all located in the same object are fantastic. I own several very large palettes, and probably more than I should. But let me share with you some tips about buying these behemoths of makeup. Keep in mind, I am talking below about very large palettes, ones that have, say, thirty or more colors in them. And to keep myself from rambling, I'll just give you some bullet points.

• You do not need a massive palette in order to have a complete eyeshadow collection.
• Most palettes are themed, and that is not always helpful. The first huge palette I bought was the 88 Color Cool Shimmer Palette from bhcosmetics. As much as I loved it and still do, all the colors are really, really shimmery, and I found that I needed some matte shades to complete my looks anyway. So having that one palette didn't cut it for me, even though no one really needs more than 88 colors of eyeshadow.
• Just because colors are right next to each other or located in the same packaging does not mean that they should be worn together. If you want a more fool-proof color-matching experience, try a quad or a smaller palette.
• It can be overwhelming to have over 100 eyeshadows in front of you as you try to do your makeup. Especially if they are all neutral. Sometimes options are not our friends.
• Even if it seems more economical to get a lot of shadows at once, buy in bulk, we might say, try to abstain for as long as possible. Or at least until you have a better idea of what you like on your eyes. I think it is more worth it to have good quality colors that you really like in smaller quantities than several huge palettes filled with shimmery oranges and more medium browns than you could ever hope to use.

So that's that. This is by no means a be-all-end-all guide to what you should own and use on your eyes. But I think it's a good place to start. Have fun chicas. (And go shopping. But only a little shopping.)