Applying eyeshadow has slowly become a staple in my everyday beauty routine. Before now, I didn't really take an interest in the latest palette and it was always a step that I'd skip unless I felt as though my eyes needed that little something extra on a special occasion. I didn't know enough about the benefits of adding colour to my lids and I personally didn't feel as though it made much of a difference to my finished look. But after experimenting with different shades and formulas over the past few months, I've come to realise that I was buying palettes for all the wrong reasons. I was focussing on the aesthetics and getting sucked into the latest hype rather than choosing shadows that would actually compliment my eye colour. I thought I'd share a few tips on finding the perfect shades that are suited to your eye colour, as well as a few brand recommendations of the most used palettes in my collection.
FINDING THE PERFECT SHADES FOR YOUR EYE COLOUR
When choosing eyeshadows, it's key to find those shades that will accentuate your eye colour. I'm instantly drawn to shades from the warmer end of the spectrum; coppers, champagne golds, burgundies and terracottas. From experience, those are the ones that make the most difference to my brown eyes and bring out the darker tones. But I also tend to use quite neutral shades such as MAC's Naked Lunch and All That Glitters which are both barely-there light pink shades. Not only do these make for a great base shade, but they also create a really effortless look when used on their own.
- Hazel eyes - light/medium browns, emerald greens, champagne golds and barely-there pinks.
- Blue eyes - soft & earthy tones; corals, champagne golds, dark browns, greys and taupes.
- Brown eyes - terracottas, brown-ish reds, bronze & coppers, rose golds, champagnes and barely-there pinks.
- Green eyes - deep purples, silvers, medium browns, coppers and champagne golds.
CHARLOTTE tilbury palettes
I feel like I've been raving about Charlotte Tilbury a hell of a lot lately, but there's no denying how beautiful and impressive her products are. I've always been a lover of her lipsticks, but I recently invested in some eye products to see what all the fuss was about. I can assure you that I wasn't disappointed and the quality of her eyeshadow palettes is just as dreamy as I expected. I decided to go for the Vintage Vamp palette as I fell in love with every shade and knew it would be extremely wearable. There are two champagne toned base shades in pink and gold, as well as the darker more reddish brown/burgundy shades that I tend to use underneath my eyes. They're soft, easy to blend and can be used on their own as well as creating a beautiful look when combined together.
urban decay palettes
Two of my most loved palettes and ones that I find myself reaching for on a daily basis are from the likes of Urban Decay [Naked and Naked3]. The formula of each shadow is so soft and buttery and they apply to the lids like a dream - not to mention the pigmentation that is like no other. The original Naked palette contains quite neutral shades that are definitely on the warmer end of the spectrum; the browns, golds, coppers and a few rose golds which is probably the more versatile out of the two. Naked3 is very shimmery pink toned and each shade has rose undertones. It holds a beautiful selection of rose golds and champagnes but also includes a few more wearable browns and darker shades too.
too faced palettes
Over the years, I've owned a fair amount of Too Faced products and I'm yet to be disappointed by anything I've tried. Not only are the products incredible, but I absolutely adore the packaging as it brings that extra fun, feminine touch into my makeup collection. The chocolate palettes took the blogging world by storm and it's no surprise as to why. The shadows are so easy to work with and the colour pay-off is insane. I use both the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar and the Chocolate Bon Bons palette on a regular basis as there are so many different looks that can be achieved from these. Admittedly, there are a couple of shades in each palette that are untouched as they're a little too vibrant and 'out there' for me, but the shade range is suited to everyone so you've got to make exceptions in some cases. There are 16 shades in each palette for a fairly affordable price of £39.
zoeva palettes
I've been an avid lover of Zoeva products for a good couple of years now and feel as though they're a brand that doesn't get as much recognition as they should for their beauty products. I first discovered them when on the hunt for some high quality, affordable makeup brushes and my head hasn't been turned for another brand since. For that reason, I decided to try a product from their beauty line, and the Cocoa Blend eyeshadow palette was the one that caught my eye. It didn't come as a surprise to me that these shadows were absolutely incredible. They're buttery, creamy and extremely long-lasting. In fact, they're probably some of the only shadows that actually last all day without transferring, even when I haven't applied a primer beforehand.
What are your favourite brands for eyeshadows?