Do you gravitate towards certain finishes or do you have a lot of variety? Share!
I tend to like pearl/luminous finishes, but I try to have some variety!
Thanks to Hannah for today’s questions! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I am all about that shimmer… but I usually gravitate toward anything Urban Decay.
I used to go exclusively for satin/shimmer eye shadows but now my collection is much more varied. As for lipsticks I prefer matte but have a decent variety.
For eyeshadows, I love ALL finishes, except chunky glitter bombs! For my face products, luminosity is welcome, but I also love a good matte blush ( MAC Burnt Pepper!). And with lipsticks, I prefer mattes, satins and shiny but not not frosty finishes, and with lipgloss anything goes!
*For eyeshadow, I want some shimmer, metallic, or satin. My eyes are small and flat, so I need some shimmer to give them depth and dimension. All matte shadows make them look smaller and flatter.
*For blush, I need some glow/shimmer, dry cheeks make me look old.
*For face, I prefer matte on T zone and slightly dewy on cheeks – an all- matte finish is too aging.
*For lips, I prefer a satin finish, but I can do matte, satin, or gloss.
It’s funny, because I really like the *idea* of a variety of finishes in an eyeshadow palette and I do all-matte or mostly-matte eye looks frequently, but it’s my highly metallic, all-shimmer looks that make me go “Ooooh…this is nice, I will have to try this again.” I find matte shades to be nice for blending underneath the eye, but shimmery shades to be more flattering anywhere else.
For lips though, I prefer satin-matte or blotted-matte. The color is more intense. I only wear foundation and lipstick most days, so I like the color punch.
As for what I’m actually *attracted* to, I’d have to say shimmer, particularly a duochrome/multi-tonal shimmer. However, when I put together a look, I know there needs to be some balance. I tend to use several finishes in any given look. The same goes with clothing, especially since I pretty much wear all black, so I tend to go with a variety of textures to add dimension/depth.
I really LOVE matte and satin finishes. I sometimes live on the wild side and get something with sparkle/glitter (which is normally a finish I avoid).
I try to have a variety of finishes for most things, so I don’t have a face full of competing products. However, I think I definitely gravitate towards shimmer, pearl, opalescence, micro-glitter, and duochromes: Finishes that catch the light and give the color dimension and make it more interesting.
I love creams for lipsticks: I think a cream finish makes the colors look really rich and is the most flattering on the lips. I prefer my bronzers and contours matte. I prefer my foundation matte or slightly luminous, never dewy (oily skin issues). I hate matte nail polish.
I used to be a matte freak for years both for blushes and shadows, but have opened up to other finishes. I am still super picky and careful about shimmery shadows though. I like to put a hit of shimmer over a matte base so texture issues are less apparent while still gaining the benefit of brightening and inherent light catching effects of the finish. At this point I rarely do a look with only one since I like some shine on the lid, but cannot pull it above the crease due to semi-hooded eye issue. I prefer a neutral satin or matte shadow peeking above my ‘crease’. It just finishes it and makes my eyes look more proportioned.
Blush wise, I prefer the depth of satin or fine shimmer for my aging skin. Less harsh.
I have just about every finish imaginable, but I also really favour those with a bit of sheen – Inglot’s Pearl finish or MAC Velux Pearl, Starflash type finishes in eyeshadow. In face stuff, I like a slightly dewy finish though I use more matte products in summer on my nose/T-zone. It’s funny – in my 20’s and 30’s, I was all about MATTE everything and now, hardly at all.
For different places, I prefer different finishes, lol. Eyes, anything goes. For blush I usually like matte because of my oily skin. Lips I prefer something glossy. For nail polish I like creams.
I gravitate towards mattes! But because of urban decay I have more shimmers. ?
For lipsticks, I always gravitate towards matte finishes. For skin and eyes, I gravitate towards luminous. But sparkle repels me immediately.
I like matte/satin type finishes in pretty much everything! Foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow. I do use some shimmer in my eyeshadows but I’m not a fan of glitter so I tend to avoid chunky, really glittery eyeshadow and go for the more shimmer/metallic types.
For lip products, I almost always prefer matte finishes, but with base and face products, I prefer a luminous or dewy finish. I go both ways with eyeshadow, I always start with a matte transition and crease color, and then add shimmer only on the lid.
I’m all about a variety of finishes although for work I gravitate to sheer glossy lipsticks that I can reapply without a mirror.
I’m like a magpie, I want my shadows to shine! Anything shiny or with small glitter particles worked in (like with some of the Colour Pop shadows) I’m immediately drawn to.
I’m usually all about mattes! For base products, blush, bronzer, lipstick, eyeshadow… But I do love creamy, shimmery, glittery eyeshadows too!!
i love mattes and satins.
I love metallic finishes for eye shadows and matte finishes for lip colors… though I also love metallics there when I can find good ones.
Eyeshadows: I gravitate towards matte with maybe one satin finish thrown in and maybe a more shimmery or metallic one popped over the top for an evening or dressed up look.
Blush: I also gravitate towards matte if using a highlighter but for a more all-in-one look I go for something with some illumination like the Hourglass blushes.
Bronzers: Matte. Always.
Highlighters: Anything more than a velvety satin finish scares me. no shimmery/glittery types for me.
Lips: I eschew gloss completely, and tend to go for either a matte or a satin finish depending on the look I’m going for. Not a big fan of stains/sheers as I am a “go big or go home” person most of the time.
Face: Mostly matte, but I usually go for a medium coverage foundation at most so they tend to be more serum-foundations which are more “natural” without being overly glow-y.
I tend to like pearl, satin, and shimmer best for my eyeshadows!
Matte lipsticks, sparkly eyeshadows all the way 🙂
For face: Prefer the luminous glow, never matte!
For blush: prefer matte
For bronzer: prefer luminous
For lips: shimmer all the way
For eyeshadows: prefer satin
However, that may change in a years time!
I like about all of them as long as they are well done. My stash of lip products speaks for that. Just about 3 years ago, I probably owned a total of 3 lipsticks as I pretty much could not stand much more than a light gloss. Now,I love me some lippies. So fun! Funny how major life events change things and how we look at them.
You could probably say I gravitate towards “anything but matte”, lol.
Glossy, iridescent, dewy, luminous! (I could go on forever with these shiny words.) I often reach for frost finishes and for a more ~dazzling~ look il go for glitters. Im also fan of MAC’s unloved lustre finish. I only go matte for contour shades and dark eyeshadows to add extra depth, possibly a brighter colour for more of a statement eye.
For eye shadows I prefer a satin or slightly shimmery finish (I dislike matte eye shadows) and for my face I like a slightly luminous finish. For lipsticks I prefer a creamy finish,
I gravitate towards a natural clean look. If I go out, I may add brighter colors to my eyes or go with a very bold lip but I prefer a natural finish.
I love my face to be matte with a bit of shimmer on top of cheek bones – and I love my lipstick to be shimmery, pearl – anything but matte. That makes me happy : )
I never go wrong with matte finishes. They’re the most versatile finish in my makeup bag. I love matte because it flows with everything and makes my makeup look sophisticated. Every time I go shopping to replenish my makeup bag, I always gravitate towards matte finishes in my eye shadow and lipstick. I tend to stick to Nars and Make Up For Ever for my shadow and lipstick.
i always tend to reach for matte lipsticks buuut for eyeshadow i can’t get enough of shimmery and duochrome finishes. i’m a neutral eye person so i like colors with a bit of sheen to them so they can pop more in the light. i think shimmer eyeshadows with a matte lip balance each other out nicely so i’m glad my preferences work this way! i do like a good metallic lipstick though, not gonna lie.
My preferred finish depends on the product. I like most lipstick finishes except matte. Foundation preferences vary from matte to a bit of a glow. I feel the same about blush and high lighter. I prefer matte bronzer. Eyeliner can be pretty much anything. Same with eyeshadow although I prefer the crease color to be more matte because of my age, 66. I don’t wear nail polish because my nails are very week and polish peels in a,day or less.
I’m a bit of a mixed bag- I probably prefer shimmery eyeshadows, and since a lot of my collection is UD palettes shimmers dominate, but with blush and lipstick I’m much more varied. I think I like creamy but non shimmery lipstick finishes the most, but I own a lot of mattes because they don’t tend to bleed on my lips. Blush I have all kinds too, but I prefer a subtle shimmer. (Actually the biggest ‘trend’ in blushes I own is an orangish base with goldy shimmer, I can’t resist shades like that).
I hate matte lipsticks. On the other hand, I started to avoid glimmering/pearly eyeshadow since I’m starting to get crepey upper lids.
It depends on my mood. I kind of have phases…
When it comes to lip stuff, I like opaque cream and matte finishes, with some sheer shimmers and sheer creams (lip butter like finishes).
About eyes, I like matte and satin the most. (except for party time)
When it comes to cheeks, matte contour and luminous blush / highlight… unless it’s dusty rose, then I’m all about the mattes.
On nails, creams, mattes and matte shimmers.
For everything, as realistic a finish as possible. I like a completely natural finish for foundation, a skin-like finish to eyeshadow, and for the natural texture of my lips to be mirrored (So sort of satiny-velvet matte to balmy and smooth) when I’m wearing lipstick!
As for eyeliner, I don’t really like vinyl finishes but I love a good sort of smudgy texture with a sheen or sort of subtle metallic to it, pretty!
Oops, I think I misread the question! I thought it was about your favorite finish and not whether you like variety in finishes.
I think anyone who is a bit in love with makeup tends to appreciate finishes a great deal and the subtle differences between them. I’m definitely that person who can have several blushes and appreciate how one is more glowy, one is more lit-from-within, one is more soft and one is more like a moist flush. I think I tend to really appreciate subtle textures and don’t really like very conspicuous ones (except for eyeliner, I’m happy to have a bit of a fine metallic or a realistic molten metal finish) but I still love a variety and nuance when it comes to texture. I tend to gravitate towards things that I consider more realistic (for example, satin-matte for foundation, matte to subtly glowy for eyeshadow and blush, velvety to sort of realistically balmy for lipstick), but I love depth, subtlety and nuance and so long as a finish isn’t super frosty, glittery, glossy or shiny, I’ll generally be very interested in it, especially if it’s beautifully done!
For me it is glitter all the way. The more glitter the better. And alot of times I don’t think about colors clashing or finishes. I pick what I want in each part of my makeup (eyes, blush, lipstick)because of liking it, not because it matches. For example I have hot pink blush on and bright fuscia lipstick, but I don’t care cause I love it!
I prefer mattes, but have other finishes as well.