Our eyes are the focal point of our face. It’s the first thing someone sees when they look at us. As we age, the eyes are one of the first places to show signs of aging and darkness. It can be tricky to apply eye makeup to the skin around our eyes that is thin and crepey. So what are some useful eyeshadow application tips to work with you skin and flatter your eyes?
6 Easy Eyeshadow Application Tips
Prime It
The first, and perhaps most important, of our eyeshadow application tips is to use an eyeshadow primer. Primer is a must have because it makes your eyeshadow pigment pop! It creates a base for your eyeshadow to stick to. If you don’t use one, then you won’t get the same color payoff — and you could waste your time and money by over-applying products to compensate. Plus, your eye makeup will quickly crease and fade without an eyeshadow primer.
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot Eyeshadow is a highly pigmented, long-wearing, blendable eye primer. It goes on creamy, but it dries to an intense, vibrant finish that lasts for 24 hours. The innovative second-skin-like formula blends smoothly over lids to create seamless, buildable coverage without looking heavy or cakey. Its superior color purity stays true and will not streak or crease. Pro Longwear Paint Pot can be mixed with other products, like M·A·C shadows and liners.
Avoid Shimmer
As we age, the skin in our eyelids can get crepey and puffy, so we recommend choosing products with a matte finish or texture. Eyeshadow colors with shimmer will pronounce areas that we may want to conceal or look less noticeable.
However, it is okay to use a slight shimmer right under the brow bone because this will bring some highlight to the eyes. Remember, if applying a slight shimmer in this area, then choose an eyeshadow with a small particle size that isn’t too glittery.
The Flesh Fix
I often hear from my clients, “My eyes look so dark all the time!” One solution for your eyeshadow application is a flesh-colored pencil for a quick lift. We call it Lively Eye Pencil by GIELLA; it’s a light peach color as opposed to a stark white, which can look too highlighted and unnatural. Plus, stark white does not cover red tones as well either.
The Lively pencil can be used on the inside corner of the eyes, on the inside of your water line, and under your brows. It immediately takes away the redness and darkness, effectively brightening the eyes. Also, it’s so easy to use! Avoid using eye pencils that tug on the skin — it should not be too hard. The Lively pencil is hand-crafted with a soft texture that does not pull on the skin. It’s also paraben-free and conditioned with Shea butter.
(Pro-tip: You can even use the Lively Eye Pencil on the cupid’s bow of your lip for a plumping effect)
Too Brown?
Many of us were told to use brown eyeliner instead of black because it’s softer. However, I find brown pencils can be too muddy or muted, and some even accentuate the red in your eyes. Fortunately, brown isn’t the only alternative to black eyeliner. There are all sorts of fun colors and eyeliners to experiment with, especially depending on your hair color and skin tone.
As black may be too harsh of a color for many people, try a Sage (gray green), Midnight (deep navy), or Charcoal (gray) as a liner. This will make the whites of the eye appear brighter and clearer.
As for mascara, I only recommend using black mascara rather than brown mascara. Even if it’s a soft black, it will make the eyes look brighter and call less attention to the redness in your eyes.
What Hue?
Avoid using colors with a golden or yellow tone during your eyeshadow application. This can make the eye look tired. For the base color, I find pale pinks, soft whites and oatmeal work best. For the crease color — or to push back the darkness in a hooded eye — go for rose browns, taupe, plum or gray. Make sure they are not too dark, though. Choose a medium value for this application.
If you are trying to achieve a smokey eye look, use gray or a dark mushroom on the eyelids. This will be easier to blend and won’t be too dark. Save the deeper hues for eyeliner.
Cover the Gray
Remember, no matter how perfect your eye makeup is, don’t forget your brows! Your eyebrows help frame and bring attention to your eyes. They need to be shaped, defined and colored by using brow pencils, powder and tints.
Extra Tips
After your eyeshadow application, you can reapply a dab of concealer to clean up any makeup that has fallen below. It’s a great and subtle closing step to help your eye makeup look sharp!
Enjoy the video below and see how just 4 minutes can really make you look a lot more revived and refreshed:
Read More:
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