Most makeup lovers have gone through the relatable moment of ending up with a product that you’re not quite sure how to use. Whether it’s an eyeshadow palette that you love with that one iffy color, or some highlighter you bought on a whim, but that isn’t the most flattering shade for your skin tone, some products end up getting the cold shoulder in favor of our tried and true holy grails. I hate the thought of wasting makeup, so my ridiculous amount of time spent watching tutorials has taught me a few tips for finding new techniques for makeup.
People always seem to question why eyeshadow palettes often tend to have that staple black color. Black eyeshadow can be great for a quick liner-like smudge along your lash line, and a way to make a look softer and smokier rather than using a regular liner. The same is true of other dark eyeshadow colors, like browns and grays. Brown and copper colors as liner can be a great way to make a soft glam look, especially for brown eyes.
Highlighter as eyeshadow (and vice versa)
Sometimes we make the mistake of picking a highlighter that is too dark for our skin tone and doesn’t do much actual highlighting. Highlighter makes a beautiful, shimmery eyeshadow when used on the lid. The opposite holds true of using eyeshadow as highlight. As long as you pick a shade that is more shimmer than glitter, eyeshadow can bring a nice flash of color to your cheekbones. This makeup artist used Trophy Wife highlighter by Fenty Beauty as a pop of color on the eyes.
Sometimes a bright eyeshadow is a bit too scary to wear right on the lid, but they make for a beautiful pop of color on the lower lash line. Try it with a neutral look on your lids to create a fun look that can still be workplace-appropriate. This makeup artist used the red/pink toned shades from Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Modern Renaissance eyeshadow palette on the lower lash line.
Some people color correct before their foundation to target their problem areas, like redness or dark circles. Peaches, oranges, or reds are usually used, depending on skin tone, to cover dark circles. Since many makeup users tend to have these colors in a lipstick, they can be used instead of buying a whole new color correcting concealer. Simply layer foundation over it and it works.
Blush as eyeshadow, highlighter, bronzer
The right blush palette could be used for most of your makeup. A suitable brownish shade could be the perfect bronzer, a shimmery blush could be used as highlighter (or as a blush/highlighter combo if you don’t want to wear highlighter but still want a nice sheen), and a matte shade could be a subtle and simple one-color eyeshadow look.