If you’ve ever wondered “how do I apply eyeshadow?” we have you covered. Whether you’re looking for the perfect smokey eye for a night out on the town with your girls or want a more neutral, everyday look, there’s an eyeshadow for you. This versatile beauty essential can provide your look with a bit of intrigue and even help draw attention to your eyes.

There are several steps for applying eyeshadow. It’s a combination of using the right products and techniques that help you achieve a stunning look.

Know the Basics

Let’s start with the basics. You should get familiar with the different parts of your eye that you’ll be applying makeup to. By doing this, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re doing when a tutorial asks you to apply eyeliner to your water line, for example.

Start with the Right Products

It’s also important to do some research on the products that you’re using. Choosing clean beauty products is an excellent way to ensure that what you’re putting on your skin is safe and healthy, especially on a sensitive area like your eyes.

Here at Wander Beauty, all of our multitaskers are formulated with clean, globally-sourced ingredients that work with your skin, not against it. Our multitaskers are free of parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, and synthetic fragrance.

Choose Your Brushes

Eyeshadow can be applied with brushes or using your fingertips. Our formulas are finger-friendly, perfect for staying gorgeous on the go. But if you prefer to use brushes, it’s important to know the different types to make sure you’re using the correct one.

These are some of the most common brushes for a full eyeshadow look:

• A fluffy, wide brush. This brush can cover your entire eyelid quickly and easily. It won’t be good for more niche parts of the process, but it’s good to have to build a base.
• A tapered, smaller blending brush. This brush will be useful when you’re applying eyeshadow on your crease (where your eye socket and eyelid meet). You can have a second brush set aside for blending specifically.
• An angled blending brush. This brush will be your best tool for all those hard-to-reach spots such as the inner or outer corner of the eye.
• A bristle, stiffer angled eyeliner brush. This will allow you to emphasize and define your lash line.

We get it; that’s a lot of brushes! If you’re just getting started and would prefer to build your eyeshadow brush collection slower, you can opt for a brush that is suitable for multiple steps of the process, such as the Wandering Eyes Dual Eyeshadow Brush, which was created to save room in your beauty bag and help you achieve a variety of gorgeous eyeshadow looks. This double-ended brush has a precise shader brush on one end and a blending, fluffy brush on the other!

Prime Your Eyes

The first step of applying eyeshadow like a boss is priming your lids. This often overlooked step is essential, as it helps create a smooth canvas for eyeshadow application, prevents creasing, and prolongs wear.

Choose Your Look

Next, it’s time to choose what type of eyeshadow look you’re going for. Eyeshadow is fully customizable, so there’s something for everyone and every occasion.

Natural Eyeshadow

If you want to try your hand at the “natural” makeup trend, neutral-colored eyeshadow is the perfect way to begin. The most important part of mastering this look is using a neutral color palette that matches your skin tone. You can also use slightly shimmery eyeshadows to add a bit of sparkle while maintaining the natural look. Alternatively, you can stick with all matte textures. Another option is to use a pale pink shadow that will draw out your blush.

Smokey Eyeshadow

There are few eyeshadow looks more famous than the smokey eye. You can go as subtle or dramatic as you want and that’s just one of the reasons it’s so popular. A smokey eye includes a blended, diffused eyeshadow that’s layered with different textures and shadows. It’s a fan-favorite amongst celebrities and socialites while walking the red carpet, and you can make it your go-to look, too.

Cat Eye

Dramatic and bold, the cat-eye demands all of your attention. It borrows a bit from traditional winged eyeliner but also brings this look to a whole new level. It usually involves a thicker wing that incorporates the top and bottom lash line.

Build Your Base

Now that you’ve decided what look you’re going for, you should begin to build your base. Most eyeshadow looks are crafted using four shades: a neutral shade (for the lid), a medium shade (for the crease), a dark shade (for the outer corner), and a light shade (for highlighting the bow bone and inner corner).

You should start with your base, which is usually a neutral shade. Use a wide brush and evenly apply across the eyelid. The best way to find a neutral is to choose a color similar to your natural skin tone. You can do a light shimmer if you’re doing a sparkly look or darker if smoky eyes are your goal.

Define Your Crease

Here’s a tip: Use a light hand when defining your crease. This step will help you add definition, making your eyes appear wider and more awake. This can be achieved by choosing a color that contrasts and is darker than what you used on your lids.

Select your shade and close your eye. Then, apply the shadow where the eyelid meets the socket.

Blend and Define

Do not skip this step! Think of it as watercolor painting your eyelid; there should be no hard stops of color. Instead, they should flow together. Use a blending brush to ensure that your shadows are blended and there are no harsh lines. Once it’s smoothed, you can use eyeliner to add definition to your lash line.

Add Highlight

Last, it’s time to add a highlight to make your eyeshadow really pop. Pull out your lightest eyeshadow shade. You should add a highlight under the brow to separate it from your eye makeup. Another option is to highlight the inner corners of your eyes to give them some sparkle and make your eyes look larger.

Takeaway

Applying eyeshadow will take some practice, but once you get comfortable, you’re going to be hooked on the variety of looks you can craft with just a bit of eyeshadow, brushes, and mascara.

If you’re looking to get creative with your eyeshadow looks, the best idea is to get a palette so you can begin mixing and matching. Because each palette comes with a variety of different colors, you have everything you need to create a smokey eye or natural look.

The Wanderess™ Escape Eyeshadow Palette features 10 gorgeous shades that were selected and voted on by the Wander Beauty community. This palette mixes neutral and bold colors in shimmer, satin, foil, and matte finishes so you can switch it up depending on your mood or the occasion.

We can’t wait to see what you create! Show us your eyeshadow looks @Wander_Beauty!