With so many colors to choose from, and so many different
philosophies about makeup these days, there really aren’t any
hard and fast rules for how your eye shadow should look. It is
handy to have some pointers, though, so here are a few looks to
try. Remember, above all, makeup should be fun!
For what I would consider a “traditional” eye makeup look, you
would apply a base shadow like a light beige, pale yellow, or
light tan color to the eye lid all the way up to the browbone.
Apply a medium shade, like a light plum, gray, taupe or brown to
the crease, extending slightly to the outside corner of the eye
like a “V”. Use either a dark neutral shadow, like gray or
brown, or an eye liner pencil in a neutral shade to line your
eyes. Apply a coat or two of mascara and you are done.
Now, there are quite a few variations on this look, like:
Choose colors from the same family, just in different hues,
like light plum all-over shadow, darker plum in the crease, and
a brown-plum liner for a wash of one similar color.
Sweep your light beige base color all over the eye area and
then the darker shade on the lid rather than just in the crease.
This works well if you have large eyes because the dark shadow
on the lid makes the eye appear smaller. If you have small eyes,
you’d want to stick with pale colors on the lid to attract light
and make your eyes stand out more. Follow with liner if you want
more definition.
If you prefer using fewer colors, you can always use one color
on the lid alone, with or without liner. I like this approach
for pastels or cream shadows that stand up well on their own. I
like to smudge the shadow lightly up into the crease a bit, just
to eliminate any obvious lines. This technique is great with the
new sheer eye colors and “greases” from lines like Calvin Klein
or Club Monaco.
Last but not least, one of my favorite very simple eye looks is
eye liner in chocolate brown, deep plum, or, for very fair skin,
brownish taupe, applied to the upper lid only. Add a coat of
mascara and that’s it! This minimalist look works if you like
more dramatic lips, or if you want some definition to your eyes
but don’t have time for shadow.
