Journey Into Beauty: Up the Amp with Eyeshadow

Eyeshadow ideas and Eye makeup for beginners

Back in May I started a series about my own experience learning about and trying out makeup. (see the first post here) I never knew how to do makeup when I was younger and when I got my job, I cared more about sleep than “looking good.” That changed a few years ago and slowly, I learned about beauty.

The next part of this series on my “Journey Into Beauty” is about Eyeshadow. After you’ve established the basics, you can start to “up the amp.” Learning how to apply eyeshadow (in a way that looked good!) took me time, but once I had a makeup routine established for the rest of my face, it didn’t take much extra effort to try out some eye makeup. I bought my first eyeshadows years ago but never really learned how to use them. Last year, my husband bought me the Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette for Christmas and that’s when I finally learned how to use eyeshadow. Palettes have multiple colors that are meant to work together, so there is less guessing involved. I turned to YouTube to teach me how to use it! I spent hours watching youtubers teach me how to use that palette and those videos led me to other tutorial videos.

I hope to give you some tips and send some resources your way. After all, I’m a history teacher! Any time I turn to any topic, I research it! Here are some of the things I discovered through that research.

Tips:

1. Wear an eye primer.

My first attempts at eyeshadow resulted in messy fallout and smudging by the end of the day. Now I know to always use a primer. It helps the shadow stay put. Many of them also conceal to create a smooth canvas to apply color. I use a Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre (I got it a LONG time ago to try out and since it works well I have no reason to replace it) but I also recommend Urban Decay’s Primer Potion. The Original is a great natural base and a little bit goes a long way. They also have some shinier versions for when you want to glam it up with some sparkle!

2. Shiny shadows look better on the lid.

That is where you are more likely to want to catch the light. When you use reflective shadows on the lid, make sure when you apply them that you don’t go up into the crease.

3. Use a matte shadow for the crease.

Reflective shadows just reflect the light, taking away the dimension you get from the depth of the crease. For me this is especially important since I have semi-hooded eyes (see image below). Hooded eyes make it so that unless you blink, your lid is covered and you can’t really see the crease. If I use a shiny crease color the light will reflect and I will look like I have no crease at all. Instead, I use a matte color there and bring the color slightly above my actual crease and blend it out.

4. Find out your eye type.

There are a number of different eye types. If you find that your eyeshadow just doesn’t look right, check out the shape of your eye and look up ways to deal with that exact eye type.

- Here is a visual of the different shapes of eyes.

(source below)

- This website has some great information on how to do eye makeup for different types of eyes.

5. Use a highlighting shade below the brow bone and in the corners of your eye

I can not tell you how much this changes my eye looks. When I don’t do this, my eyes look unfinished. When I do, I look more awake and put together. Crazy, I know, but just try it!

6. Eyeliner pulls together an eyeshadow look.

When you start doing more complicated eye looks, start using eyeliner. There are different ways to line your eyes.

- Pencil Liner – better on the bottom part of the eye. In my experience, eye pencils can either be too soft (and they smear) or dry (and don’t go on smooth). So, if I use a pencil, it’s for the bottom part of the eye because it can be messy and you can blend it out with a pencil brush. (This one is not like a regular pencil liner and I LOVE it! More in widget below)

- Gel Liner – some people love this. I liked it for awhile but I found it hard to apply and I often made it too thick because once I would mess up I would have to even out the other side and it just kept getting thicker and thicker. If you use gel liner, you will need to have a brush that works with it. Here are a few types.

(Source)

- Liquid liner – This is my favorite. There are a few different types of liquid liner. I like ones with a foam rather than brush tip, such as this one here. It’s easy to use and goes on smooth.
- Black eyeshadow – This actually works great for eyeliner. I got this tip from a YouTuber who suggested that using eyeshadow as a liner looks more natural. It totally does, so for those of you just starting out, this might be a good option. Many palettes come with a black color. Then all you would need is a liner brush.

7. Use the right tools.

Eyeshadow won’t look right if it is flaking off a brush that is too big and fluffy. It will go too far above the crease if the brush is too big. (see video 3 below for some good examples of the different types of brushes) My favorite brushes are:

1. Flat, dense brush to apply color precisely on the lid. (You can also use this brush for eyeshadow under the brow bone and to highlight the inner corner as well)
2. Thicker, slightly bigger brush for the crease
3. Pencil brush to smudge out the eyeliner under the eye.
4. Fluffy, soft brush to blend. (see next tip) – This will be the hardest brush to find because it needs to be fluffy enough to blend and also fit in your eye crease. Since everyone’s crease is different some brushes may be too small and others too big. This is the one I use.

8. Blend, blend, blend.

You will see this in the video below, but basically, blending makes the shadow seem less harsh, especially where the colors meet.

A few of the videos that were on repeat as I learned to do shadow:

This video was one of the first tutorials where I got the gist of where to use colors.

This second video is using the same palette, from my favorite beauty YouTuber, Jaclyn Hill. She has helped me understand where to place shadows and why. The beginning of the clip she focuses on the eyes.

Finally, this last video is by another one of my YouTube favorites, Kathleen Lights. This video is for you if you want to try a natural look that doesn’t break the bank! I bought the Wet and Wild Walking on Eggshells Trio she features in this video and use it every other day. It’s awesome.

The video as a whole is great, but if you want to specifically watch her apply the eye makeup, skip ahead to 12:40.

This one also shows examples of the different brushes for shadow and liner.

Products and Tools from this post:

Well, if you’ve made it this far, way to go! That was a long post. I hope, though, that it was helpful to you. Bookmark it or pin it for when you’re ready to play with eyeshadows and “up the amp.” If you missed the first post in this series, find it here.

If you have any questions or recommendations, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to read!