Maximize Your Makeup - Cream Eye Shadows

Can you give me some tips about how to do my eyes?

I spend about 6 hours each week learning about cosmetics and skin care products.  Most weeks I get to spend an even greater amount of time doing what I love - - applying them to people! In all of my rubbing, smearing, painting and brushing, I'm asked a lot of questions from friends, clients, etc. The one above is probably one of the most common.

Since the devil is often in the details, let’s talk about something specific - - something that’s scary for a lot of people….

CREAM EYE SHADOW.

Don’t be afraid. I know…  I know... the first time you tried it, it went horribly wrong. The colors looked so pretty in those little round containers, but the application was strange and it was smeary and impossible to blend. It’s like when you finally get all of your friends out on the dance floor, and then one of those weird songs comes on that nobody knows how to dance to. One of my friends recently told me that she calls cream shadow “scream shadow” - - by the time she’s done applying it, she just wants to stare into her vanity mirror and scream her frustrations out. But hey – you wouldn’t pull your girls from the dance floor and leave in a tiff, right? Of course not! The night is young! Just the same, you might want to give “scream shadow” another shot.

6 tips to help you reconnect with your cream shadow:

• Two is company – Cream shadows don't like to be alone.They’re so ideal for combining with other shadows (esp. pigments and shimmers). Cream shadow serves as a great base and they grab powdered shadows and loose shimmers that are added on top.

• Get your “blend” on - So, we know that blending cream eye color is more challenging than blending traditional powder eye shadow. If you want to blend out creams, try reaching for a sponge - - not a makeup brush. The warmth of the skin causes cream shadows to adhere quickly, so using a brush to try to move the cream is only going to frustrate you. Instead, use a “rolling” method with the smaller end of your sponge to blend and thin out cream color.

Using a neutral cream shadow as a base helps conceal 

veins or redness from recent plucking. (MAC's "Painterly")

• Know their role - Don’t confuse cream shadows/bases with eye primer. Primers are great if you have oily lids and your color tends to move around on your eyes. Primers also sink into the skin and create a smooth canvas for applying cosmetics. Bases (cream shadows can be used as bases) are used to enhance color, and adhere other types of shadows, cosmetic shimmers, etc.

• White + Bold Colors = Drama - White cream shadows do an amazing job enhancing other brightly colored shadows. Have you ever loved a bold eye color in the container, only to have it lose its brilliance when you apply it? Apply a white cream base first and then add the color you really want to show off. This will make your bolder colors bright and true.  
•  Decease the crease - Make sure your cream shadows are crease resistant - -we’ve all fallen victim to the crease at some point. I’ve found MAC paint pots to be a great defense against the crease.   

• Bring the brush back - Grab an inexpensive small angled brush at the art store (usually a couple bucks) and apply a bright cream shadow as an eyeliner. If you like the bold colors, but you're not sure about wearing them on your lids, eyeliner is a more subtle solution. 

Gettin' Beauty Schooled,

Rita

Three Secrets to Blending Eye Color Like A PRO!

“MUDDY” – The reference used when you blend two, three, or even four different eyeshadows and end up with a HOT (muddy) MESS.

Have you ever tried to use all of the colors in an eyeshadow trio or quad, and ended up with a muddy grayish/bluish disaster?  Yes, you have… we all have. In our defense, sometimes it’s not our fault. Sometimes, you can legitimately blame the texture and “blendability” of a bad eyeshadow. Other times, however… as hard as it is to admit, it's user error. Either way, the “muddy” end result is pretty frustrating (especially if you needed to be out the door ten minutes ago).

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned about blending. They’ve already saved me a ton of frustration, and you’ll find that the more you practice them, the smoother your blending will go (and the more you’ll want to experiment!).    

1. When you start to practice blending, try to use two colors that are beside each other on the color wheel. These colors will automatically blend easier and complement each other. This, my friend - will improve your blending confidence.
2. Practice blending by using this beginner technique – apply each color where you want them on your eye (without blending). Now take your brush and take a little of each color that you want to blend and blend them together on the back of your hand - - not directly on the eye. Take the mix of the two colors from the back of your hand and apply the blended color right between the two colors on your eye. With a few strokes, you’ll have a very pretty transition from one color to the next, and this will help eliminate the urge to over blend.
3. When you’re trying to perfect your blend, try to keep your brush strokes going in one direction. This will help keep you from the “furious blend” (crazy back and forth strokes with your brush) that end up looking like gray-brown blah.

Colors sitting next to each other on
the color wheel will blend more easily.

Add unblended color

Blend both colors on back of hand

Apply the blended color between the two for a subtle fade from one
color to the next without overblending.

Remember that the goal of blending is to eliminate the imaginary line that shows where two different shades meet. It should be subtle and gentle - - if you end up with neither color being identifiable,  just stop. Something has gone wrong. Take a deep breath, pull out that silicone based eye makeup remover and hit the reset button.

Now get a few bright colors and impress yourself with your mad blending skills!

Gettin’  Beauty Schooled,

Rita