Plum Eyeshadow Tutorial

When I first started learning how to do makeup, purple eyeshadow was one of my favorites. I recognized how well purples paired with my brown eyes and knew it was a color, aside from brown, that I couldn’t go wrong with. If you read my review of the Wet n Wild Rose in the Air eyeshadow palette, you know the quality of these eyeshadows is beyond impressive. I’ve always stuck to the warm browns in this palette and figured it was time I played around with the cooler purples to see what kind of look those can create.
To prime my eyes, I chose the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Chrome in the shade Gilded Rose. This is one of my favorite primers because it adds a little bit of color, but also makes eyeshadow last all day on my extremely oily eyes.
Once the primer is dry, I went straight into the palette and blended Shade 4 (as listed on the back of the palette) in the crease. This is a gorgeous light matte lavender color that blends almost effortlessly. This shade paired with the shimmery primer could even work as a quick eye look on their own!
Now I’m taking Shade 5 and packing that on the outer third of my eye, blending the excess slightly into the crease. I was a little worried about this shade at first because I don’t typically put shimmers in my crease, but the shimmer wasn’t that noticeable after blending it out with a separate, empty, loose-bristled brush.
To help diffuse the darker purple shade in the crease even more, I went back in with a little bit of the lighter lavender shade and blended that right where the two colors meet. This will also prevent the lavender shade from getting covered up by the darker color.
After I added more of the lavender shade, I felt like it needed a little warmth from a brown so I took Shade 1 and lightly blended that right at the edge of where the other colors stop in the crease. Adding more transition shades in the crease will also help to make the eyes appear bigger.
For the lower lash line, I combined Shade 4 and 5 on a small pencil brush. You can go as dark or as light as you would like for this step, depending on your eye shape. In order to prevent my eyes from looking too droopy, I used a light hand and only blended the color in about half way.
To finish up the eyelid, I decided to use Shade 2 which is the matte cream color in the palette. Shade 3 would also look beautiful for this step, but it was a little too warm and gold for what I was going for. This cream shade is super pigmented! I packed it on with my finger first and then used a small shader brush to blend it in the crease. I also used it as a highlight underneath my brow bone.
I wanted to use that same shade to highlight my inner corner, but I decided to add in a little bit of Shade 3 for some shimmer. Adding just a small amount of shimmer to the inner corner will help contrast the matte shade on the lid. However, the gold is just slightly too dark so the cream is needed to keep a bright appearance on the eyes.
For eyeliner, I used Shade 9 from the palette. It’s a matte dark brown that’s deep enough to double as eyeliner. I applied it with an angled brush. If you really need this to last all day, apply a matching brown pencil liner first and that will act as a base for the shadow.
Then I finished up by curling my lashes and adding three coats of my favorite Benefit Roller Lash mascara. This adds enough curl, volume, and length without flaking off throughout the day. This isn’t the most dramatic eye look ever, so skipping falsies would be totally fine for everyday wear.
Here’s a close up of the finished look:
And a quick, more condensed guide for easy reference:
To complete the rest of the face, I used my all-time favorite Makeup Geek blush in the shade Heart Throb. This is such a beautiful salmon blush that’s so flattering on the cheeks and matches with almost anything. I also chose to go with a berry lip to really compliment the plum shades on the eyes and tie everything together.
It’s seriously been such a long time since I’ve worn purple eyeshadows and I am lovinggg this look! Not only do I love these colors paired together, the quality is just unbelievable. This is such an easy palette to work with and I so appreciate that it includes everything to create an entire look without having to reach for any other products.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please feel free to share it using one of the buttons below. If you recreate this look, or get inspired to create something similar, don’t forget to tag me on social media -- all of my links are at the bottom of the post. I’d love to see what you come up with!

XO ♥ Christina ♥

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