I talk so much, it took me almost a day to get this video under 15 minutes… but I think I got to make a good bundles of tips and favourites for you guys.
what to look for in an eyeshadow?
when it comes to colours and finishes, it’s totally a matter of personal taste.
but there are some things I think everybody should look for in an eyeshadow:
pigmentation, blend-ability, lasting power.
because these three don’t always go hand in hand, in store I do a little swatch test to get a feel of how the shadows behave: I swatch to see how much pigment and its texture, I then try to blend it out with my fingers to see if it blends and how much is left after that…
basic brushes?
a flat one to pack on a lot of pigment, a soft blending one to blend the edges and/or apply soft washes of colour to the lid. more brushes and their uses on this post right here.
I prefer synthetic brushes, because you can use them with powders and creams.
tips to make eyeshadows pop and last longer?
use a primer. consider using creams under the powder eyeshadows to amp them up or event create different undertones.
foil — take some eyeshadow and spray M.A.C. Fix+ on to it. it will enhance its colour and shine and also make it set.
keep in mind that some eyeshadows were not created to use wet, so keep the moisture on the brush and not on the pan. if you want to dip in anyway, stick to a little area. if it gets a weird layer, let it dry off completely and try to gently wipe the damaged area with a tissue.
the palettes
pre-selected assortment of colours that take the pressure off having to figure out what matches? yes, please.
I like a lot of options, so I go for larger palettes and don’t own or use many duos or quads.
. the pricing
you may think a higher-end palette is expensive, but it is important to put things into perspective. or enabler mode.
looking at how much a good brand eyeshadow single costs and comparing to the value per pan of a palette from the same brand will make you realise that most of the times you would pay more for a single in a supposedly mid-range affordable brand (Sephora own, L’Oréal Colour Riche, along those lines) than for a higher-end palette with multiple colours. the more shadows, the better the cost per pan. even if the amount of product per pan in those palettes is smaller, if the pigmentation is good, it will still last you for years…
you can aim for good full-sized singles if, say, you have a couple of shades you use every single day, but, for the other colours, that doesn’t apply and you end up with wasted product, even if you’re not a makeup fiend and hoarder like me.
. the favourites, high-end
any Naked Palette from Urban Decay
any Chocolate Bar Palette from Too Faced
any 9 pan tin from Too Faced
the Make Up Forever Artist Palettes
. the favourites, affordable
i.Divine from Sleek Makeup (note that the lighter matte shades are not very pigmented, but the brighter and dark ones are really good)
The Perfect Ten da Soap & Glory
Zoeva Palettes
the singles
for those who only wear a couple of shades non-stop, or for the manic hoarders like me.
think of buying single pans instead of packaged eyeshadows and de-potting them into a Z-Palette. you are creating your own customised palette and it makes a world of a difference in your storage space.
these are very sturdy palettes with no pan delimitations, which make it amazing for any sized or shaped pan, be it eyeshadows, blushers, highlighters, bronzers… anything that comes in a pan can be put in one of these babies and the palettes also come with plenty of magnets to stick to the end of the pans that aren’t previously magnetised.
. the favourites
Kiko Infinity Eyeshadows are pretty awesome for the price, but since they stopped selling their palettes, I have refrained from buying any more because of storage issues.
so I’m left with the even more awesome H&M and Makeup Geek eyeshadows, and I’ve recently discovered the Colour Pop ones.
they are still only available for their unbelievable price in the U.S., but if you’re thinking of splurging (they ARE worth the money, in my opinion) you can find them in a U.K.-based online shop that ships worldwide called Beauty Goddess (I found it through Amazon).
the freevolous 