They can be quite powdery and prone to sheering out, so they are not always foolproof to work with, and the end effect can be different from what I visualize.
— Christine
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If pastels not pigmented enough or too white based, they can tend to emphasize every single little line or bit of texture on my eyes.
But if they’re done well, they can make a beautiful, bright inner corner highlight and add nice dimension to really deep looks.
I feel like they can end up looking like the eye makeup accidentally faded instead of being an intentional look.
It’s too easy for the shades to look washed out.
I do like the look of solid, opaque pastels that have a lot of pigment to them. A thick swipe of vibrant mint eyeliner is super pretty & statement-making, for example.
I am not one for pastels other than those used as a base colour. Midtone saturated pastels are workable, but classic pastel shades are not for my skintone or my eye shape/type. I avoid them.
They are typically a huge fail for me, as I have an olive undertone to my skin and I’m a pretty true “medium to medium tan” depending on the season, pastels can appear very ashy and unattractive on me. Oddly though, I am able to use KVD Pastel Goth and several pale shimmers, too.
Reading through the comment, I’ve learned there’s one thing about being very pale–I rarely look more washed out (than I already am) from the lightness of the eyeshadow. I generally have application problems with them. I have greasy eyelids and mattes in general tend to get patchy on me. And UD primer only helps a little bit. I’ve often wondered why mattes aren’t soluble in water. When patchiness occurs with a shimmer, you can just add water and try again. I also get great control that way. But if it’s a matte pastel I just anticipate problems, and normally I’m right.
I must say that when they *do* work, it’s awesome–ColourPop’s light gray matte Bougie (Baroque) is excellent. Baby Face may not be light enough, but sometimes it works, other times not. Which is annoying since it is the closest match to my eye color.
I’m really not a fan of pastels. Except for something like a pastel ivory (for days when I don’t want to look like I’m wearing eyeshadow), I have no interest in them. I find them draining, unflattering, flat and dull. What else is there to say?
What Mariella said! I agree 100% even with the ivory shade.
I also don’t wear pastel clothes, shoes, hats, scarves. Well, anything pastel at all, ever.
I really love pastels, but it’s not easy to find a solid formula. They usually are powdery, with a lot of kickback, a bit chalky and need various layers to achieve a great pigmentation. Moreover, having very dark eyes, I think that giving definition to the eyes (e.g with an eyeliner or mascara) cannot be skipped when wearing pastels. Nevertheless, I love them. Blend a pastel all over the lid and add a sparkle topper on the centre…. A simple look yet it makes me so happy
I like looking at them neatly and prettily arranged in an eyeshadow palette. Other than that….despite being crazy fair I just don’t find pastel shadows to look good at all on me and I’m sick of trying.
Personally, I don’t like pastel eyeshadows as the often summery shades just don’t suit me. As Christine mentioned, many brands find it hard to do these right – especially when they are aiming for matte finishes.