The purpose of eye shadow is to bring out your eyes.
Your eyes are the focal point of your face and the point at which you first make contact with others. By using the right eye shadow techniques and colours you will be able to take the fullest advantage of your eye colour and shape.
Eye shadow comes in powders or creams and in singles or colour coordinated groupings. Try to find eye shadows that are highly pigmented, thus ensuring that the shade you see in the container to be the colour you see on your eyes.
How to Apply Eye Shadow
- When applying eye shadows always keep in mind that light colours highlight and dark colours shrink or recede.
- The use a sponge tip applicator to apply your eye shadow with more definition and precision. For a softer look, use an eye shadow brush and apply a thin layer.
- The emphasis should be on the outside corner of the lid.
- Moistening the applicator to help you apply eye shadow smoothly.
- When applying eye shadow to the crease of the eye, keep your eyes open and slightly tilt your head backward. This will enable you to better see the shape you are creating and allowing the shadow to go into the crease.
- To apply eye shadow sweep the lightest shade over the entire area from lash line to brow. This shade will be your base colour and is to your eye, what your foundation is to your face. It will hold your colour and prevent creasing.
- After applying your base colour, apply a medium shade on the lower lid and blend into the base.
- A third colour can then be added. Use a deep, dark shade to create depth. Apply this shade along the lash line, and at the outer corner of the eye. The key is to blend so well that attention is still drawn to your eye, not your eye makeup.
- Cream eye shadows can be coordinated with powder eyeshadows. Creams are best applied with your fingertips, and can be used as a base with a matching powder eye shadow as a sealant.
Using Eyes Shadow to Change the Shape of Your Eyes
- The application of eye shadow can can help eyes look bigger, smaller, wider set or closer together. If you have :-
- - small eyes: to open them up and give more width. apply the eye shadow so that it covers the lid and place some under the eyes thereby creating a soft slightly smeared effect.
- - close set eyes: to make your eyes seem further apart, define the
- outer corner only.
- - wide set eyes: to give a greater sense of balance, create a narrow
- band of eye shadow right across you lids from inner to outer eye.
- - prominent eyes: to reduce the ‘wide eyed’ look, apply a darker
- shadow to the upper lid, extending it above the natural crease, and
- place highlighting eye shadow under the arch of your eyebrow.
- - droopy eyelids : to lift them use pencil or a dark shadow (softer) at
- the corners.
Eye Shadow Tips
- Choose your eye shadow to suit your eye colour, reflect your mood and and complement your clothing.
- For more mature skin use iridescent shades sparingly, instead stick to matte or satin textures that will go on smoothly.
- If you have puffy eyelids do not use iridescent or frosted shadows in light colours; instead use softer or matte colours.
- For extra late night glamour, use an iridescent powder to highlight your eyes.
