Beauty mavens use eye shadow tips and tricks to make eye colors more intense and eyes more expressive. Get the same look yourself by applying your eye colors with finesse.
Eye shadows come in a variety of hues and leave different finishes on your skin. Artful use of color will make eyes look wider and more defined. Understanding the best way to use colors will help you put your best face forward.

Eye Shadow Wear

Wear one, two, three or more eye shadows for a multi-hued look. Buy eye makeup kits with pre-assembled eye shadow collections. Matching eye shadow collections make it easy for women to wear and blend colors together.

Frosted eye shadow gives the eye skin a shimmery look. Frosted eye shadows come in liquid and powder form. Matte eye shadows have no shimmer and are most often accent colors. Buy waterproof eye shadow for summer wear. Waterproof makeup will not run when you sweat or get your face wet.

The Right Tools

Eye makeup application requires the right tools. Most eye shadow kits come with a standard sponge tip applicator. Sponge tips are handy, but for a smooth, blended application sponge tip applicators are not your best option. Use specific eye shadow brushes to apply makeup right where you want it.

Highlighter brushes have long bristled tips that make it easy to apply colors under your brow bone and around the inner corners of the eye. The "V" shaped bristle tips allow you to apply the product lightly.
Mid tone brushes have flat, shorter bristled tips. Lay these flat brushes flush against your skin and rub the product on to your lower lids.
An accent brush has a short, angled tip that allows you to place dark makeup colors in the eye crease.
Preparing Skin

Before applying your eye makeup, prepare your skin. Clean, moisturized skin looks best under eye colors. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser. Avoid using cleansers that contain exfoliants. Rinse the skin and pat it dry with a clean towel.

Apply moisturizer to your face, but use moisturizing eye cream on and around your eyes.

Dab eye primer on your eyelids before applying makeup. Eye primer holds the color in place, protecting it from light to moderate moisture like sweat or a few tears. Eye primer also makes the eye shadow colors deeper. Allow the primer to dry a minute before you apply your makeup.

Eye Shadow Blending

Selecting the right eye shadow is just as important as the application. To blend eye shadows properly, you need to understand how to arrange your colors. Each color falls under a particular category. Avoid applying eye makeup that uses three dark or accent colors. You should have a blend of these three categories of eye shaodws.

Highlighter Eye Shadow
The lightest eye color is your highlighter. Brush the shadow under the brow bone and in the inner corners of your eye. Sweep the highlighter over the entire eyelid if wearing only one color. Some suggested highlighter colors are light pink, vanilla, sand, silver or gold.

Mid Tone Eye Shadow
Mid tone eye colors are secondary colors. Swirl on the secondary color under your brow bone and over your bottom lid. Good mid tone colors are tan, lavender, raspberry and forest green.

Accent Eye Shadow
Accent colors belong in the crease of the eye socket. Use an angled brush to dab the color into the crease, a little at a time. Apply accent color to the top and bottom of eyelashes gently. Accent colors like black, smoky gray, deep brown, purples and greens look nice when used sparingly.

Eye Shadow Tips for Great Color

Try these eye shadow tips for the best makeup look possible.

After applying all your eye colors, use the highlighter brush to blend all the colors together. Swirl the brush across the eyelid in a small circular motion. Start at the top of the eye and swirl downwards.
Reapply highlighter at the end of your makeup application if you find you over blended or makeup becomes less defined.
Dampen the bristles of your accent brush slightly before applying the color. Dampening the brush makes the color more brilliant.
If you tend to have dark areas around your inner eye, apply concealer to your inner eyes before applying eye shadow. Avoid wearing blue eye shadow if you have dark under eye circles.