Foiling... it's not just for your hair!

Mineralized makeup and powder pigments have become BIG sellers over the past few years. As a result, the technique of “foiling” eye shadow has become very popular as well. If you haven’t tried foiling yet, try to grab about 15 minutes of uninterrupted ME time and lock yourself in the bathroom to give it a try.

THE WHAT

Foiling uses water (or a mixing medium) to apply powdered eye shadows.  The result is a more vibrant, dramatic look. The eye shadow dries within seconds on the eyelid, but keeps the tin-foil look (which is especially gorgeous if you’re wearing black). If your shadow has lots of shimmer, the mica in the shadow creates a very cool light-reflecting effect. 

THE WHY

Foiling expands the inventory of colors in your eye color collection - - without buying more! If you’ve never used mineralized eye shadow or pigments, it’s worth at least trying a cheaper version... just to see if you like it! Try to view it as getting two colors for every one you purchase – the dry version, and the foiled version. The best part… foiling is easy.

To give you an idea of the difference foiling makes in the color of the eye shadow, I’ve done few swatches of my own mineral shadows. Each swatch below shows the dry application on the left, and the foiled application on the right. See what I mean?

THE HOW

You’ll need a few things:

• Loose mineral eye shadow or a pigment
• Water (or a mixing medium)
• A small stiff eye shadow brush or a sponge-tipped applicator
• A surface for mixing the shadow and water

Stiff eye shadow brush (Yes, I know. Katherine Heigl is a real distraction from the brush). 

I use a tiny container I have left over from a product sample to mix my water and shadow - -but any clean surface will work. You start off by putting one or two drops of water on your surface and dabbing your brush in the water. After your brush soaks up the water, shake a little of the powdered shadow to the surface. Take your moist brush (it shouldn’t be terribly wet) and dab it in the shadow. It should easily pick up the shadow with a few dabs. The right amount of water and shadow should form a bit of a paste-like texture.  

Now you’re ready to apply to your eyelid. Take your stiff brush and begin to pat the color onto your lid.  Keep it thin at first - if you use little pats from inner lid to outer lid, you’ll end up with a more even coat. Applying with one long stroke can get streaky and uneven. As with anything, practice makes perfect. Remember that makeup is an art, not a science, so play with the water/powder ratio until you come up with the right combo for the brand of makeup that you’re using.

The foiled look can go daytime if you keep it on the
"lighter" side. (Mac's Cornflower pigment & a little liner.)

Here’s a hint for beginners – before you apply the foiled version of the color, take a fluffy brush and apply a dry wash of the eye shadow to your lids and just below the brow bone, then go back and use the foiled application to your lid with the intensified color.

Happy foiling, everyone!

Gettin’ Beauty Schooled,

Rita