If I had to pick something, I’d say Tom Ford Platinum or Escapade. It’s not really my preferred way to work with eyeshadow; it’s such an ineffective use of time to test for me so it’s something I rarely do.
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Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Amethyst or Burnished Bronze. One swipe, blend with finger, done! And it lasts all day.
Oddly enough, one and done for me is usually a mid tone matte shadow. Without shape to my hooded eyes, they just look weird at this point. My favourite right now is Sydney Grace Cool Brown. I can get a pulled together eye look with just this one shadow.
I have a friend who does a similar look with her hooded eyes, and for some reason it gives me wonderful futuristic vibes, like, “my nanotech lets me change my eyelid color.” I just think it’s super-cool.
Love this comment!
I do the same with my hooded eyes!
I use ABH Comfort all over the lid for a quick, bronzelook. I also like Tarte Create from the Tarteist Pro Remix – a brown shifting blue shade, and Marzipan from the Too Faced Original Chocolate Bar, a champagne.
I’m all about “one and done” as I leave the house fairly early in the morning. Shadows like L’Oreal’s Infallibles in Bronzed Taupe or Tender Caramel, Clarins’s Ombre Matte in Taupe or Earth, the old (and lamented by me) Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit are just the tip of a very large iceberg! MUFE’s Reptile and Taupe Grey, MAC Copperplate and Satin Taupe, Stila Grace, Cargo Yukon – these are just the ones that pop into my head at the moment but there are lots and lots. I recently got Marc Jacobs’s Brav-O! powder shadow – a lovely goldeny shade of light bronze – and it’s my latest addition to the “slap it on and out the door” collection.
I also use MJ Brav-O shadow, it’s a beautiful one and done!
There was this eye gloss by Butter Like Neón. I loved the color but formula was awful. After drying, it would crack and flake off?
That should have been Butter London. Bad autocorrect!
– Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Shadow in Marie Antoinette (I’d love to get another color of these cream shadows too; they’re lovely.)
– Colourpop Wattles: It’s a beautiful satin sort of pinky nude, but when I blend it out, it looks a little warmer in my crease.
– Centerfold from the Nars Skin Deep palette because it has such a nice brown undertone, but the finish is so sparkly… it blends out and looks like I used two or three shadows when I wear it!
Generally, when I’m doing a one and done eyeshadow look, I tend to go for something with a little more depth, but with a satin or sparkly finish so that it blends out, but maintains the sparkly finish on my lid so that it looks like I used several shadows. Also, my too-much gene makes it extremely hard for me to use only one shadow, lol.
Nars Stud, MAC Teddy or Costa Riche, MAC blue brown, Fyrinnae Velveteen Werewolf, MUFE Taupe Platinum, anything really glittery like those Marc jacobs pots.
Benefit Skinny Jeans, Maybelline Bad to the Bronze, Tom Ford Platinum.
I do love Nabla’s “Entropy” with a lot of mascara!
I love eyeshadow sticks, especially the kind you don’t have to blend out like the Nudestix or Chanel Ombre Stylo. And I love the Armani Eye Tint as it dries so quickly and has so many finishes that it’s a great finger application.
I don’t often do that, but when I do I like a my lids but better kind of shade. ELF liquid eyeshadow in linen is good for this.
How’s the opacity on that? I have prominent blue veins all over my lids, so my “if I can only do one makeup thing in the morning, it’ll be [ ]” is eye primer and a skin tone shadow — I’d love to be able to streamline that process!
Colourpop Tea Garden is high on my list, along with Sideline, which is slightly more green and has less of a flip. There’s a pink shade similar to Misty I’m really into as well, but can’t think of the exact name…
Otherwise, I’m super boring and do a lot of “medium warm browns” all over my lids, like Colourpop Note to Self and Bel-Air, so something from the ABH Modern Renaissance palette (Raw Sienna, Burnt Orange, or Warm Taupe)
Recently I’ve really loved Charlotte Tilbury cream shadow in Bette as a one and done.
Funny you ask because lately – last two weeks lately – I’ve been using Chopper by Urban Decay as my one-and-done shadow. I’ve just been too tired and too stressed with home improvements (new roof, solar) that I don’t want to deal with more than one shadow and I find the color flattering and just shimmery enough that it adds definition.
I pop it on, add some mascara, and done. Three minutes tops to have pretty, sparkly, copper eyes.
LAURA MERCIER Caviar Stick Eye Shadow Amethyst
Despite all my expensive palettes, my favorite and most used one and done shadow is Wet N Wild’s Nutty for 99 cents.
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick – Sand Glow
Or…
Stila – Wheat
Because I have very hooded, almond shaped eyes, one & done really doesn’t work on me. I suppose if I just used MAC Kid or something similar in the socket region and upwards, I could do a faux crease and that could be my version of a one & done?
Nancy T, what if you did a duochrome or a strong metallic? That way the one shadow would provide different color gradients over the lid.
True, SaffyTaffy! MAC Woodwinked or Satin Taupe could probably be blended into a satin finish up in the crease. Or at least I’ve heard both can be, according to Makeup Alley when I used to go on there to read of others experiences with a specific permanent shadow. But I really lack much definition in my crease. Not monolid, but close enough. My daughter calls them “double eyelids”?
Frequently use any cream/stick as a one and done, because I find those formulas more difficult to place and blend..CPSSS in a matte or satin, LM, and Julep come to mind. Every one of those brands has a Taupe, Gray Taupe, or pink taupe,
I do Fireflies from Too Faced’s Life’s a Festival Palette- that’s the green-y gold metallic. Actually I have a hundred versions of that color and it’s been my one-and-done for a long time. ColourPop’s Moonwalk and Urban Decay’s Mildew do the same job.
I was going to say Colourpop Moonwalk, too! I’m wearing Juvia’s Place Egypt on its own today, so put that one in my list, too.
MAC’s Dazzleshadow in I Like 2 Watch. It’s a glittery green/gold/brown duochrome that looks shiny on the lid and deep in the crease. Really unique shadow that multitasks marvelously!
This shadow sounds like it would be right up my alley. I am going to go check it out. Fingers crossed it wasn’t limited edition! Thank you Sarah.
I love I Like 2 Watch:)
Do you use specific techniques or brushes to apply it? I have the Dazzleshadow in Dazzle Style and it’s mainly specs of glitter. Even when I pack it with a wet brush on the lid I barely get pay-off, and I couldn’t even imagine blending it in the crease.
My all matte one-and-done eyeshadows are MAC Haux and Scene (I love Scene for a grungy, but not too extreme look).
For something with more shimmer I like MAC Satin Taupe and Woodwinked.
I have hooded eyes and not so much eyelid space; although I like more complex looks, in the end most of my make-up ends up looking like one eyeshadow. 😆
Scene and Omega are on my list of favorite one and done shades. Both work really well for me and my skin tone. With Omega I can get it to apply pretty sheer on the mobile lid and apply deeper in the crease and it looks like I am wearing two different shadows. They are both great.
I also have Omega in my collection, it makes an awesome transition shade for warm colors, both it doesn’t show enough on my skintone to be an one eyeshadow look.
I have the same hooded eye situation. If I do a bright shade on my lid, it mostly only shows when I blink. Which is kind of a cool effect, I suppose.
These are my most reached for one and done shades, (I like doing this for a quick look so while my lids are hooded, I do these looks pretty often. The shadows that I have picked work for me because I can apply lightly over the mobile lid and deeper in the crease and it looks like I have used two different shadows.)
1. MAC Omega-easily my most used e/s. I also use it as a contour sometimes. Really lends itself to a variety of looks.
2. MAC Scene-perfect tone and versatile with a lot of looks.
3. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Cobblestone. A cool toned brown/grey/taupe shade that works great with my skin tone. Harder to blend out but using my finger I can diffuse the colour. It sets down pretty quick so I have to work quickly. Once set I don’t get any creasing, smudging or smearing.
4. Chanel New Moon
5. Tom Ford Platinum
City Color’s All Eyes On Me shimmer shadow. It’s very shimmery, almost metallic. I get compliments on it all the time! I have to use primer to get it to last all day though. If I want a single product that will last all day, then Milk’s eye pigment in Gig.
OMG – I forgot about All Eyes On Me – I love that shade too.
Nars Himalia for a neutral look – HG for years, CP Glass Bull if I want to bring in a bit of color
I usually only do one and dones when I’m really tired, really pressed for time, or in the summer when it’s really hot. Usually these are neutral shades with shimmer, but I also like some duochromes used alone.
*Urban Decay Primer Potion in Enigma. When I’m in a real hurry or just don’t want to fuss with eyeshadow, this evens out my eyes’ skin tone and gives a slight hint of color.
*BareMinerals Eye Color in Bare Skin
*Notoriously Morbid Autumn Flower (DC?)
*Urban Decay Lounge
*TheBalm Bronzer/Blush in Balm Desert
*MUFE Artist Shadow in Taupe Gray (DC)
*MUFE Artist Shadow in Pink Granite (DC)
*MUFE Artist Shadow in Taupe Platinum (DC)
*Too Faced Double Scoop (LE; Totally Cute Palette)
*Tarte ROTS — Wave, Seashell, and Mermaid (LE)
*Tarte ROTS Vol. 3 — everything but Treasure (too light) and Jewel (too bright/dark) (LE)
Any colour is a one and done look when you work from home ? that said, I often just put some bronzer in my crease and highlighter on the lid and forego separate eyeshadow altogether. Although I am getting ideas from here!
It’s pretty normal for me to wear just one neutral shadow shade (very deep set eyes). My go-tos:
– UD Smog
– UD Naked
– Tarte Smartypants
– Tarte Terracotta from Clay Play Vol. 1 (the leftmost bronzer shade)
I bought a couple of those LM Caviar sticks but they’re a little stiffer than I’d like… Looking forward to trying CT Eyes to Mesmerize in the future!
Lately it’s Colourpop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Tea Party
The last time I did a one and done, I used my blush, Becca in Wild Honey. Otherwise it would be one of the shimmers from Viseart Minx Theory palette, although probably not the coppery one.
My favourite one and done is either a light shimmery grey – from either Naked 2 or from Sephora’s It palette in neutrals OR a mid brown shade like City Colour’s Sandstorm.
Colourpop Glassbull for color, UD Naked 2 Verve or Suspect, MUFE Nudes You Need Vol 1 Pink Granite or Taupe Platinum.
Shout out to Kosas’s new 10 Second Eyeshadow. Apply with finger and lasts forever. But way too few color choices. Have the most neutral, Globe.
My favorite easy eyeshadows are the Max Factor Excess Shimmer cream shadows, especially the shades Copper and Bronze. They are very moussy and don’t dry out as fast as the Chanel cream shadows or the Maybelline Color Tattoos. The lasting power is comparable to the Color Tattoos. They also don’t build up and get crumbly like the MUFE Aqua shadows.
Another easy option is MAC Patina or MAC Woodwinked.
To make my hooded eyes less puffy I use MACs Omega matte eyeshadow. Can look really pretty when done this simple with a matte taupe to be honest.
Reading through the posts of others reminds me of how many other shadows I left off the list – Laura Mercier’s Caviar Sticks in Amethyst and Khaki, NARS Stud (what a wonderful shadow that one is), MUFE Taupe Platinum (the older version round pan one). I left off my original list 2 cream shadow beauties from Shiseido – Leather and Patina – as well as MAC’s now discontinued (talk about DUMB) Constructivist paint pot.
I really like the Nudestix eye shadow crayons for a simple eye look. I have 4 full sized colours and I got the metallic/bronze mini trio earlier this year. I just need two colours, one for the lid and one for the outer corner, blend a little with my finger and done! They are so good that I find I don’t need primer, they still look good at the end of my workday.
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Moonlight
I also have hooded eyes. For one and done looks, I love MAC Woodwinked and MAC Satin Taupe.
Most of the colors from the UD Electric palette work well as one-and-dones for me.
I like By Terry Bronze Moon and MAC Club