Beauty and Style

Eyeshadow the easy way

September 15, 2015

If you are an adult woman who already applies eyeshadow with ease then you’re not going to learn anything from me here. But if you’re someone, like me until very recently, who doesn’t really know where to start but fancies giving it a go then read on for my tips on how to apply eyeshadow without investing too much time and money and then worrying all day that you look like a clown/you’ve got a black eye.

Everyday eyeshadow

I don’t think anyone has the time or inclination to turn up to the office with an intricate eye make-up ‘look’ (do they?). But if the mood takes you, or you feel like making the effort at the weekend, then it can be fun to wear eyeshadow for daytime. A single shadow placed all over the lid is all you need to add some extra dimension and definition to the eye without drawing attention to the fact you’ve got it on.

My favourite way to do this is with the Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Leather Effect in Creamy Beige. It’s a very light matte brown which you spread all over your eyelid with your middle finger and then blend out with your ring finger. That’s it: 30 seconds max for both eyes. If you want, you can always add a slightly darker brown eyeshadow at the crease. I use L’Oreal Paris La Palette Nude.

Eyeshadow the easy way

On days when I am sick of my favourite beige, I just pick a single eyeshadow that I like, take some onto a fluffy eyeshadow brush (obvs I use a Mac 217 but Real Tehcniques and Eco Tools do decent ones if you don’t want to pay that much on a tiny brush) and sweep it all over my lids in a windscreen-wiper motion until it’s evenly blended. Again, it takes about 30 seconds to do both eyes.

Going out eyeshadow

To step it up for a night out, I start with a cream shadow base as above but switch to a more exciting shimmery shade – I like Maybelline’s On and On Bronze and Max Factor Excess Shimmer pot in Copper.

I then use a few different colours on the lid, through the crease and through the lower lash line to oomph things up. I have spent a lot of the last year watching YouTube videos of skillful women applying eyeshadow, so I have the confidence to go a bit more ‘freestyle’ these days. However, before that, I really relied on those palettes that come with instructions – I highly recommend the excellent L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche quads which all have four shades and then a diagram on the back that shows you exactly where to place each one. If you put the shadow where the packet tells you and make sure you blend it all out then you can’t go wrong.

The Benefit palettes (especially my favourite, called Big Beautiful Eyes) come with proper fold-out paper instructions which are, again, pretty foolproof – at least until I get to the eyeliner bit, because I must admit I still can’t apply eyeliner. Instead, I press a very dark brown or black eyeshadow onto my lash line with a small flat brush to fake it.

So that’s eyeshadow done the incredibly easy way. Now, who can show me how to do proper eyeliner?

What did you think of my tips? Let me know or add yours by leaving a comment below!

P.S. More basic make-up tips: lipstick, primer and cheap but great foundations.

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2 Comments

  • Katmunn@hotmail.com'
    Reply Kat September 15, 2015 at 8:23 am

    Great, simple honest post… Really helpful for someone like me just getting into makeup at age of 36! I quite like bourjois colorband, but finding it harder to blend now I’ve had it a few months – might be my imagination….

  • Reply Rose September 17, 2015 at 6:32 pm

    Thanks! Glad someone else doesn’t have eyeshadow nailed! Haven’t tried that but sounds possible – is it a cream? Maybe it’s drying out? Do I know what I’m talking about? Maybe. xo

  • Leave a Reply to Kat Cancel Reply