Eye Makeup Products That Are Essential
Creating the perfect eye is key to creating a flawlessly finished face. Get it right, and you’ll always look polished. Get it wrong, and you could end up looking a little theatrical.
Here, we’ll discuss which eye products you actually need to master both a natural and dramatic eye; two looks you’ll need in your beauty arsenal.
What Products Do I Need for a Complete Eye Makeup Look?
If you’re going for a natural-looking eye, you’ll need fewer products than you would if you’re dressing up for a night out. Here are the products you need for both, and when to use them.
Eyebrow Pencil or Powder
Eyebrows can make you look polished, or positively disastrous. It goes without saying you’ll likely need some professional help maintaining your eyebrows (waxing, threading, or plucking), but when applying your makeup at home, a brow powder can keep brows tamed and help define their shape.
Avoid using too much eyebrow product, which can make your brow bone look heavy and create a cartoon-like finish. Natural-looking brows look better for both natural and more formal occasions.
Eyelash Curler and Mascara
Your lashes can give the illusion of a wider eye shape, if you know how to properly style them. Using an eyelash curler can lift your lashes, but using a volumizing mascara will help keep lashes looking fuller.
RMS Beauty’s Straight Up Volumizing Peptide Mascara is designed to lift and separate lashes, creating a beautiful fray of defined lashes and plumping them with nourishing pro peptides.
Pro Tip: Fake lashes may be the trend, but unless they’re done perfectly, they usually end up looking very artificial, and can even be dangerous to the health and growth of your natural lashes. The fact is, unless you’re going to be on camera, you probably don’t need them to create lashes that look believably dark and full.
Eyeliner
Adding eye liner to your upper and lower lash lines helps further define your eyes and make them stand out from the rest of your face. However, if you use too much eyeliner, you can make your eyes look smaller.
RMS Beauty’s Straight Line Kohl Eye Pencil is made with natural jojoba oil to keep your lids hydrated. You’ll get an easy application and a defined eye that lasts all day.
Eyeshadow Primer
Primers help keep your shadow in place and help them resist creasing. Unfortunately, they’re also incredibly drying to the skin, and usually packed with harsh chemical ingredients you don’t want anywhere near your eyes.
Instead, opt for a long-wearing, crease-resistance shadow to draw attention to your eyes while keeping your lids safe and hydrated.
Eyeshadows: Base, Neutral Tone, Darker Tone, Highlight Shade
For a night out, you might want a gradient of shadow colors and some shimmer, but for daily wear, you really only need a hint of color on your lids. Take a tip from Rose-Marie, a dab of Luminizer on the center of your lids will draw attention to your eyes naturally.
Eyeshadow Brushes
The right tools make the job easy. We love using fingertips to warm up natural products and blend it easily onto your lids, but if you’re more hands-off, using the right brush will help you apply the product properly.
- Eye polish brush. Use when applying eyeshadow creams, or other shadows that aren’t powder-based. This brush has a rounded tip which makes it ideal for precision application and blending.
- Powder Eye Shadow Brush. Perfect for applying powder eyeshadow creating effortless blends. You can use this brush both wet and dry to create your desired look.
Is Pencil or Liquid Eyeliner Better for Beginners?
Pencil is the best eyeliner for beginners, and if you use a high-quality eye pencil, you can create looks that are similarly dramatic to the kind you’d get with a liquid liner. Additionally, it’s really hard to find liquid liners that are vegan, cruelty-free, and have clean ingredients, which makes pencils an even better choice.
How Do I Pick the Best Eyeshadow Shades?
Eyeshadow colors are fun to interchange, especially if you’re getting ready for a fun event, or just a fun Friday. It’s easy to make sure the colors you choose look complementary by following a few simple rules.
Consider Your Skin Tone
Your skin tone can help you determine everything from foundation to lip color, and eyeshadow colors are no exception. Once you know your undertones, you can pick any shade in your undertone family and get a great match.
Consider Your Eye Color
Your eye color is less important in determining your eyeshadow color than your skin tone. Any eye color can wear any color eyeshadow, but soft, neutral colors will flatter every eye color and practically every skin tone.
How Do I Apply Eyeshadow?
For most days, one single shade of eye color in a few soft, blending sweeps on your lid will create a clean and polished look. To step up your eyeshadow game, grab three complementary shades and your favorite makeup brush.
Pro Tip: Fingers work, too! When applying eyeshadow, focus less on precise application and more on blending the colors to look more natural.
Use a Light Base Color
The color that covers your entire lid should be neutral and have undertones that match your skin tone. This shade should be lighter than the other two shades of shadow you use. Apply this to the middle of your lid, sweeping outward, and gently dabbing a small amount on the inner lid.
Matte colors work great as base colors, especially if you’re working with a color palette that has shimmery shades.
Apply Neutral Tones in the Crease
In the crease of your lid, you’ll apply a shade that is darker than your base color but still relatively neutral. To apply, begin in the middle of your lid at the crease, and sweep the shadow gently upward and outward.
If you’re going for a more glamorous look, colors like bronze and copper will add illumination here and create a pop of color while still looking natural and authentic.
Place Darker Shades on the Outer Lid for Definition
The darkest eye color you’ll use should be placed on the outer third corner of your eyelids. Using your fingertip or a small brush, apply the product in a wedge shape in the outer bottom corner of your lid to create definition.
Using your fingertip or a blending brush, blend the colors together from the outer-middle portion of your lid outward. You want to go just short of the middle point of your eyelid.
Highlight Your Inner Corner
Using a small bit of luminizer, highlight the inner corner of your eye. Be sure not to use too much or it can make your eye look too far set. You only need a single swipe of highlighter. Use your finger to blend the luminizer toward the middle of your lid.
The Bottom Line
Gorgeous eyes are easy to create if you focus on using the right products and not overdoing it. Even for dramatic looks, less is more. You can create a sophisticated, natural look that is both polished and edgy by experimenting with different colors and application techniques.
For tips and tricks on the latest application methods and to get professional help selecting the right shades, schedule an online, one-on-one consultation with one of our experienced makeup artists.
Sources:
Campaign for Safe Cosmetics | Safe Cosmetics
Procollagen - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils | NCBI
