Playing around with eye shadow is all part of the fun of using makeup, but if you really want to ensure that your eyes look their best every time you apply your makeup then creating a flattering eye shadow look is the way to go!
How to Create a Flattering Look
To create a flattering look you’ll need to choose 3 complimenting shades of eye shadow. These shades need to include a light tone, a medium tone and a dark tone.
Makeup tip: you’ll find that most makeup brands sell eye shadows in trio packs of complimenting tones so all the hard work is done for you!
If you don’t have a pack of designated shades already then choose your own light, medium and dark tone from your favorite colors or the eye shadows you have on hand. Just ensure the tones are from the same family of colors or are colors that work well together to ensure a flattering look.
The 3 shades should be applied as follows:
The lightest tone should be applied as a base color over your entire eye area.
- Start at the inner corner of your closed eyelid and sweep the color across to the outer edge of your eye, right along your lash line.
- Keep sweeping the color until you’ve covered your entire eye area, right up to your eyebrow/brow bone.
- Blend the color with your eye shadow brush until you’ve reached the level of color that you want and you’ve eliminated any harsh lines or edges.
The medium tone should be applied over your entire eyelid area only.
- Again, start at the inner corner of your closed eyelid and then sweep and blend the color over just your eyelid.
- Make sure there aren’t any obvious lines where your medium color ends on your eyelid and the lighter base eye shadow color that you previously added to your entire eye area is showing.
The darkest tone should be applied in the crease of your eyelid.
- Start with only a small amount of dark eye shadow on your brush and use it to blend the darker shade into the crease of your eye. The crease of your eye should naturally look a little darker than the rest of your eye area so finding it should be easy.
- Once you’ve added your darkest color, step back and look in the mirror. If you think your eye needs more definition then add some more color but don’t go overboard. If you add too much dark eye shadow then you risk ruining your entire look and having to start all over again.
- Finish by making sure your final shade is well blended with the light and medium shades.
Makeup tip: get a clean eye shadow brush and gently brush it over your entire lid to ensure all the shades are blended together.
Once you know the eye shadow basics for applying color you can then experiment with the subtleness and boldness of your shades.
For the ultimate eye shadow look, however, choose a trio of shades that will compliment your eye color.
Eye Shadows to Compliment Your Eye Color
Brown eyes looks great with natural tones in brown, beige and gold. Green, pink, purple and blue shades also work well for a bolder statement.
Green/hazel eyes will benefit from contrasting colors in light purple for a dramatic look, while brown, gold and grey tones will pick up on the different shades in your eye color and bring out the best in them.
Blue eyes go well with earthy tones in taupe, dark brown, ivory and grey as they will give you a neutral look, while dark plums, purples and blues will enhance the blueness of your eyes.
We hope these eye shadow tips will help you to create a look that really makes the most of your features.
