Eyeshadow Tips: My top 3 essentials for being good at applying eyeshadow

I've recently gotten into makeup. It's not that I've never been interested in makeup, it's just that recently, I've been bold enough to experiment with it. In the past 5 months I have gone from "no-makeup" looks/soft glam, to full coverage makeup. The largest area of growth has been eyeshadow.

Eyeshadow is my favorite makeup essential. 

I LOVE EYESHADOW. 

And even though I've only been seriously applying makeup for the past 5 months (before that I was the "I don't like too much makeup" bitch), I have learned a lot. Take as an example Exhibit A. Looking at my dull lifeless eyeshadow almost makes me want to cry. But I've learned and grown, and now we are in a much better place.

Exhibit A - Pictured on the left is how I used to do my eyeshadow. On the right is an example of how I blend my eyeshadow now.

Since I've learned so much about applying eyeshadow I wanted to share some of my tips for going from dull, lifeless application, to a much more beautiful combination of colors. While I can go on, and on about makeup, I've gathered my top 3 tips for eyeshadow application below. Enjoy!

1. You're only as good as your weapons tools.

So once upon a time, I used to think that more expensive materials didn't really matter. Specifically brushes. I truly, truly believed that all brushes were the same. However, that is not the case. And while I do not think spending over $50 on a brush or an eyeshadow palette will automatically make your makeup look better on your face, sometimes it pays to splurge. Below are some of my favorite makeup essentials when it comes to applying eyeshadow. They have helped me up my game and they are the products I used to achieve the look below.

Pink black eyeshadow using two different gradient techniques.

Eyeshadow Palettes

While I have multiple favorite eyeshadow palettes (Bh Cosmetics "Take Me Back to Brazil", Fenty Beauty "Moroccan Spice", Juvia's Place "The Zulu") I have a brand new favorite that I find myself reaching for over and over again when I want to make a bold statement. That's my ABH Norvina Collection "Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 1". While the retail value of $60 might deter a lot of people (I luckily got it as a gift thanks to my bff ❤️) it is definitely worth it. The pigmentation is great and if you're like me and spend a lot of time in the roses, pinks, and yellows of the eyeshadow world, the palette will do everything you want it to. It comes with 25 different shades and includes a black and a white shade which really helps when trying to darken or lighten up a look. Also, it has a really large mirror!

Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol. 1 - Retail value $60

If you're still freaking out about the cost, a good starter palette is the "Take Me Back to Brazil" from Bh Cosmetics. Its retail value is $20 but it is usually on sale for lower than that (last time I checked it was only $12) and it has 35 different shades including a white and a black. The pigmentation is very good for the price point (not as good as the Norvina but still pretty good) and you get a lot more variety in colors. Plus, it comes with a mirror.

Take Me Back to Brazil Palette - Retail value $20

Brushes

Before I got really into makeup I used to use the wrong brush to apply my eyeshadow. This lead to eyeshadow application that was less than ideal. My eyeshadow wouldn't blend properly and would sit over my skin and not really attach to my concealer or primer. It sucked. However, once I started using a brush meant for eyeshadow things got better, but they got significantly better when I splurged for a really great brush. The "All-Over Eyeshadow Brush 200" by Fenty Beauty has transformed how I apply my eyeshadow. First, it picks up the eyeshadow from the pan very easily and its bristles are short enough for me to have a lot of control over where my shadow goes. I have two of these brushes to help when transitioning from light to dark shades (I don't want to mix my darks with lights too much) and love them! They retail for $24 but are definitely worth it since they'll last a pretty long time.

Fenty Beauty All-Over Eyeshadow Brush 200 - Retail value $24

I don't really have a less expensive alternative to the Fenty Beauty brush, unless you count my Bh Cosmetic brush set which is no longer sold and which had a brush intended for eyeshadow, however I will say that when looking for a good eyeshadow brush I recommend looking for brushes with shorter, more compact bristles. They should fan out a bit but the bristles shouldn't from a circle on the end. The top of the brush should look more like an oval or a taco. This helps when applying eyeshadow into the crease of the eye and when going over the eyelid. 

  Eyeliner

This might be one that not a lot of people think about or consider when doing eyeshadow but eyeliner can make a break a look if it is not applied well. My favorite liquid eyeliner of all time is the NXY Professional Makeup "Epic Ink Liner" because the applicator gives you lots of control without compromising little details. It retails for $9 and is such a steal! However, for my pink gradient look I used a white eyeliner. So, when it comes to liquid eyeliners, it has been very difficult to find non-black liners. Honestly, it seems that LIQUID eyeliners only come in black or dark brown :( but I recently tried out ColourPop's BFF Liquid Eyeliner in the shade graceland and while I'm not totally in love with the applicator, it is better than other color eyeliners so I'm adding it to my list of must-haves. Honestly, the applicator is everything. So if you're looking for a liquid eyeliner I definitely recommend an eyeliner with a pen style applicator and not a brush because the brush almost always ends with a mess for me.

ColourPop BFF Liquid liner - Retail Value $8

2. Know the rule of 3.

Now that we have talked about the proper tools to achieve your dream look, let's talk about a very useful rule when you're trying to decide what colors to apply on your lids.

The rule of 3 is simple, when applying eyeshadow you want to apply a maximum of 3 colors, a dark, a medium, and a light shade. Now, if you're more experienced with makeup or if you want to put on more than 3 shades of color, you don't have to take this rule too seriously, but if you're new to eyeshadow it's good to use this rule until you get more comfortable with different shades and how they blend. In the eye look below I use a black, white, and a bright pink. Specifically I use shades D5, C1, and A5 in the Norvina palette I mentioned earlier.

The other part of the rule of 3 is that you want to make sure you place your colors in the correct order. Darker shades fair better in the crease of the eye or at the edge of the eye. However, depending on what type of eyeshadow setup you are going for this will change. The Beauty Deep Life has a very detailed post about the various ways you can apply eyeshadow. Two of the six different styles mentioned are below.

Horizontal gradient

Vertical gradient

As you can see in both the horizontal and vertical gradient looks, only white, pink, and black are used. sticking to three colors with black and white as supports for my pink, gives your eye look a cohesive feel. When starting off with eyeshadow you want to think of your colors as a trio with one of them being the true star. So, basically, your 3 eye shadows are Destiny's Child but one of them needs to be Beyoncé. 

 

3. Use color to emphasize your features.

One of the greatest aspects of makeup is that you can subtlety change the look of your face by tricking the eye. Eyeshadow for example can be placed around the eye and appear to change the shape of your eyes. By using a horizontal gradient you can lift the ends of your eyes up at the outer corner if you want a more dramatic look. With a vertical gradient you can lift the eye up causing others to focus on the center of your eye making you appear more friendly and approachable. Granted, you can look friendly and approachable regardless of what eyeshadow you have on, but depending on what vibe you want to give off, you can try either technique. 

Side by side of a horizontal and vertical gradient

I tend to wear more of a vertical gradient when I'm getting ready for work or meeting family members and I reserve a more horizontal gradient when I am hanging out with my friends. Since the vertical gradient hides the darker shades close to my eye, most of what people see is the light colors. On the other hand, a horizontal gradient is much more bold and in your face.

Final Takeaways

I did not expect this post to go on as long as it did and while I feel there is so much more I can stay I'll stop it there and just continue on in a different post. Hope this helps!