Basic Eyeshadow Techniques

Eye makeup has the ability to bring out the beauty of your eyes be it their natural, grey splendor or the lovely golden flecks amid the brown. Perhaps it beautifies more than any other type of makeup, bringing out the feature that is almost universally agreed to be the most striking. So doing it well will have many benefits. In this article, I'll go through more than ten different techniques to may your eyes pop, while also showing you how to make sure it's classy and not overdone. It doesn't matter if you're new or experienced, there's definitely something for everybody in this article, as it shows what the technique does, how it should be properly done and what colors are best.

The Base

The biggest step in eye makeup is the base. There are two types of bases; the neutralizing base and the prepping base. Let's start with the neutralizing base. This base can be a concealer, thick foundation lightly applied, or simply a basic primer from your cosmetic store. The point of the neutralizing base is that it's creamy and nude, so that it creates a blank canvas for your color. This way, your color won't crease, fold, or fall off. Also, the colors will stay true and won't conflict with any redness or discoloration you have around your eye. Most companies test the integrity of their eyeshadows on smooth, nude skin like this, so it's what I recommend. There's also the option for the prepping base. If you're doing one specific color look, as in the look is primarily blue, orange, red, etc. a prepping base will make that foundation color more vibrant. There are several products that can help you achieve this-these include eye pencils, specifically made base palettes (include the basic ROY G BIV in creamy consistency matte colors) and paint pots designed for the eye. The benefit of prepping bases is that they really make your color radiate so you are insured it doesn't look bland. It also makes your colors seem and look more pigmented. Overall, it's great for intensifying your look. Bases should be applied all over the lower lid and a little past the crease where they should be faded or blended into the skin. If the lower lid is at all important, a little bit of base very lightly applied there is always good.

Layering

In the first initial stages of eye makeup, where you are simply patting on that first color, you may have in mind a different color than what it shows up as. Want it to be a little more reddish, golden, or cool? Instead of wiping it all off and mixing that eyeshadow with another, (a rather irritating and fruitless process), save yourself the rarely successful effort of creating that perfect color and layer your eyeshadows. First, apply the first color. Then take a barely there amount of whatever color will help you achieve that ideal shade. Pat it lightly and check if it's the color you wanted. If not, apply a little bit more. Keep repeating this until you have the color you want. Blend that out a little with a fluffy brush. Make sure to clean your brush between colors, though.

The Crease Color

If you feel that your eyes are not 3D enough, try this easy contouring trick. Taking a small, fluffy brush take a brown or darkish color that isn't too deep and apply it exactly on the line where your skull bone gives way to your eye socket. To find this line, put your finger on your lower lid and work your way up until you find that bone. Apply your color on the very edge of that bone. Apply lightly, and then blend well. This will give your eye depth and a 3D effect. Make sure you don't apply it in the space between the eye and the bone-that will just look really bad. This can be done on your lower lid, but it has to be barely there and right on your eye before the eye bone comes in, instead of along the eye bone. Also, make sure to blend so you can barely notice it.

The Depth Color

The depth color is a little deeper than the color that's mainly on your lid. Apply it with a round, fluffy brush on the outer corner in a V shape. You can do this by putting it at the very edge of your crease (your crease being the space between your eye and your eye bone where your skin goes in a little), extending it out a little, moving down ward, and then moving it in to meet the outer corner of your eye. Make sure at first the V is very defined, then blend it out, blending it outwards in a circular motion. This adds depth and sophistication to your look. You can use any color for this, as long as it's the same deepness as your major lid color. So, if you have light pink, don't use black unless you want a pink smoky look. Instead, use a very light purple or a hot pink as your depth color.

The Cat Eye

The cat eye is to eyeshadow what the wing is to eyeliner. It's similar to the depth color as it's created like a "V" shape, but it's higher up and gives you an exotic, almost Arabic look. Take a very, very slightly darker color than your main eyelid color and start applying it with a small, round fluffy brush from your eye's inner corner. Apply it diagonally, but steeply, all the way up to a little bit lower to where your eyebrow ends. If your eyebrow ends before your eye does, here's how to find where you should apply it. Find the edge of your eye-bone (see Crease Color if you don't know what I'm talking about). Follow it out until it starts to curve down, and where it gives way to a softer tissue. Apply your eyeshadow up to that point. Then take it and extend it gently arcing slowly downwards until it meets you eye. You should have a V-ish line. Take the color and fill in the space between that line and the original lid color. You really shouldn't do anything other than slightly deeper than your lid color. So, don't do purple when you did light yellow on your lid. Instead do, a light orange.

The Raccoon

The raccoon is the eyeshadow equivalent to eyeliner. Take a basic, round fluffy brush and taking a deep color, apply is all around you eye, staying as close as you can. Encircle your whole eye and do your best to blend the outer half of the eyeshadow ring out. This will create a sultry, edge and rocker raccoon look. Make sure to do dark colors like deep indigo, black, deep brown, deep green, etc. Make sure your brush isn't big; it has to be relatively small, because otherwise it will look like somebody punched your eye and you're trying to get away with calling it makeup.

Blending

By far the best way to make your eyeshadow look love is by blending. Invest in a good eyeshadow blending brush and make sure to always blend your edges out. That will always give you the feminine, lovely look you wanted to achieve. Even if you're tired and you just swipe a color across your lid and call it a day, take your blending brush and blend the edges out. You'll thank me.

Highlight

The highlight has the ability to make you look youthful, happy, and beautiful. Some days, when you're tired, it may be all you need. Simply take a light, white shimmer or pearlescent color, and apply it in the arc of your eyebrow. Don't go past that arc, however, otherwise it'll look cheap. This can instantly brighten you up. The more pigmented (or I should really say vibrant, white isn't really a pigment) the white the better, as long as it's shimmered. Just remember, the more intense, the less you should apply.

The White Dollop

The white dollop has power in two places, the inner corner of your eye and the middle of your upper lid. Take a punching brush (it's a flat-topped round brush) and take a little white, tap it off, and touch it to the very middle of your upper lid and move it around a little in a circular motion. Blend it out a little with your finger. Don't move it out too much from that circle, though. This gives your eyes a 3D dimension. If the overall look is a deeper color, make sure the white is a little weak. Also, you can also take a little more white, don't tap it off and just swipe it along the angle of your inner eye corner with a smaller brush. This will make you look awake and bright.