How to Make Eyeshadow Last All Day
Although eyeshadow can be one of the most fun parts about makeup, it can also be one of the most challenging. There are so many things to figure out! Aside from technique and determining what looks best with your eye shape, you also have to figure out what methods are going to make your masterpiece last all day. Who wants to spend thirty minutes on eyeshadow just to have it muddy and crease half way through the day?! That’s no fun. Thankfully, there are a bunch of secrets that can help eyeshadow stay in place for hours!
Obviously the first step would be to apply an eye primer before putting on any eyeshadow. I don’t think this one is necessarily a secret anymore, but I still hear of people not using a primer and it just makes me cringe. It seriously makes such a difference! Eyeshadow primer will not only help to extend the wear time of your makeup, it’ll also help to enhance the pigmentation. When an eyeshadow has more pigmentation, it just looks better and also means you don’t have to use as much product.
There are many different types of eyeshadow primer available, as shown in the picture above. There are traditional primers, like my favorite one from Milani. There are eyeshadow pencils, like the ones from NYX that have been a staple in the beauty community for years. There are also potted eyeshadow primers and liquid eyeshadows that can act as a primer. Be A Bombshell Cosmetics has the best potted eye bases that I’ve ever tried and the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Chromes enhance shimmers like no other.
A new technique that has recently become popular across Youtube and social media is concealer. Liquid concealer was probably the first eyeshadow primer that makeup artists started using. The difference now is that it’s no longer as common to set it with a powder. Applying concealer before eyeshadow, especially for inner lid shades, is meant to be used as more of a glue-like option. Allowing it to get a little tacky and then packing on product over top of it really helps to intensify the pigmentation and finish of the shadow.
Brushes can also make a huge difference on the wear time of eyeshadow. This is something new I just discovered myself. I used to use brushes like the ones shown above. They’re both smaller blending brushes that are a little bit more flat on the side to help pack on the color while also allowing more movement to blend. Although this does help the blending process and make the eyelook appear more seamless, it’s not really doing much for making the eyeshadows stay in place longer.
Those brushes are still great to apply the eyeshadow with, but I have switched to using more dense brushes when I really need my eye makeup to stay in place for a long time. The Elf Contour brush is great for packing color on the outer corner of the eye and crease area. The Alamar Cosmetics Flat Painter brush is the perfect size for getting on the inner corner of the eye.
I didn’t realize that using such dense brushes would make such a difference in extending the wear time of my eyeshadow. It makes sense because instead of lightly blending the shadow over the eye, smaller brushes like these push the product into the skin. It’s the same concept as using a velour puff versus a brush to apply face powder. Switching these few techniques in your eyeshadow application will make such a big difference!
If you found this post helpful, please feel free to share it using one of the buttons below. If you have any other questions, leave them for me in the comments. Have you tried any of these eyeshadow hacks? What are some of your best kept beauty secrets?
XO ♥ Christina ♥
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