Home > Clothing and Ornaments > 7 Tips to Apply Eyeshadow Like You Actually Know What You're Doing

7 Tips to Apply Eyeshadow Like You Actually Know What You're Doing

by Martha Adams

I have been blessed with a lot of things in my life, but being able to create a flawless eyeshadow look is not one of them. I have palettes in my bathroom that are just gathering dust. Every time I open one to attempt eye makeup, I get discouraged. Which color goes where? Do I use cream or powder?

That’s why we called in Matthew Waitesmith, creator of Artis makeup brushes and a professional makeup artist, to help us break things down into a few simple tips. That way you can fake like you’re an eyeshadow pro until one of those complicated YouTube videos finally makes sense.

Related: Best Eye Makeup Products for Beauty Beginners

Sometimes you don’t have time to use a brush. There have been many nights when I’m in a hurry and just end up using my fingers. But there’s even a technique for that. Waitesmith recommends using cream shadow rather than powder, either from a pencil or a pot, for a quick application.

You want to tap the product onto the eyelid, not rub. “The way cream formulas work the particles are suspended in a clear, thick gel,” says Waitesmith. “If you drag the particles, wherever you pull it will be sheer and where you stop will have more there. Tapping allows to build it up and even out the particles.”

This trick is one I’ve never heard in my years as a beauty editor, and it’s awesome. Waitesmith likes to use foundation that is a couple shades darker than your skin tone (the same shade you’d use to contour the face) on eyes. If you have fair skin, choose a product two shades darker, and darker skin tones can go even deeper to get a contrast.

Apply the product all over lids. Waitesmith used the Artis Elite Mirror Oval 4 ($46) brush to get really close to the lashes. “Don’t forget to go all the way down to the lash without leaving a gap,” he says. “You have to use an applicator that allows you to get on the edge of the skin.”

OK, so you watch any YouTube beauty vlog and a smoky eye takes about 10 products. This option is a lot simpler. First create a base with a neutral shadow or a dot of liquid concealer to even out the lid, says Waitesmith. “Everybody’s eyelid has big shifts in color. Sometimes you can see arteries and veins. Apply a color to match the lightest part of the skin. It also helps grab whatever product you’re using [on top].”

Apply a darker shadow to the crease. Use a rounded brush to get into the small space of the eye socket (here Waitesmith is using an Artis Elite Mirror Circle IR brush ($36)). “Move the brush along the crease from the eye corner to about two-thirds of the way toward the nose, and a bit in the outside corner above the upper lashline,” says Waitesmith. “This is similar to creating a V-shape on the outside corner.”

Highlighting your eyelids is very similar to highlighting your face. You want to apply the a shiny, reflective color to the points that you want to bring attention to. In this case, that’s the middle of the eyelids and the inner corners of the eye. Waitesmith uses a small brush like the Artis Elite Mirror Oval 4 to strategically apply a shimmering color on top of any base shadow. He says its best to use a powder for highlighting the lids because cream can smear any shadow that’s already on the eye.

When Waitesmith pulled painter’s tape out of his kit, I was a little confused. But it’s the no-fail tool he uses to create flawless winged eye shadow looks.

First, you lay down the painter’s tape in a diagonal line from the outer edge of the brow to the outer corner of the eye. Then use a thin, linear brush like the Artis Elite Mirror Linear 1 Demi ($36) to apply black or dark brown shadow along the lashline and up the edge of the tape. Remove the tape, and viola. (Pro tip: Painter’s tape works better than Scotch tape because it won’t disturb any foundation).

Getting shadow in the small space of the lower lid can be a real pain. But when it’s done right, it really makes the eyes pop. You can use the same kind of round brush as you'd use in the crease to get product close to the lower lashline. You can make the look even more dramatic by adding a dark eyeliner in the waterline of the lower lashes.

You can see more of the Artis Brush collection on Artisbrush.com .

You might also like: How to Do a Metallic Smoky Eye

Leave a Comment