Do you ever use dark or black cream eyeshadows as a base? How do you like to use them? What’s your favorite combination you’ve discovered?
I love MAC Blacktrack fluidline all over the lid with MAC Vex blended in the crease and towards the brow bone. Stunning, super black smoky eye!
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Definitely! It can add some amazing depth!
More often than not, unless I’m doing a cut-crease. I love Christina Aguilera’s eye look in the video for Lady Marmalade (black on the lid, with red in the crease).
No, but I will now ;)!
Good suggestion Christine, now I need to start doing that.
Excellent question!
Do you ever use dark or black cream eyeshadows as a base? I do. Mostly for a night out.
How do you like to use them? Eyeshadow primer, a heavy sweep of a black cream eyeshadow (currently MUFA Aqua Cream 27) and then eyeshadow on top.
What’s your favorite combination you’ve discovered? I use this often when oing out for the night. MUFA Aqua Cream 27 all over lid and blended up a tad bit over my hooded crease. Illamasqua Zeitgeist all over the lid, Illamasqua Android in the crease and a random skin colour eyeshadow for the highlight from the L.A. Colors Expressions 12-Color Eyeshadow Palette. No eyeliner but loads of mascara!
Dinitchka, I just looked up Illamasqua’s Android and…. *faints* Oh. MY. GOD! *strokes screen* That is so my colour! I rarely use loose pigments but that one may be worth it. It looks like it has the depth of an Armani ETK. And I bet the black base fixes the sheerness problems mentioned in Christine’s Temptalia review. Speaking of bases, does MUFE #27 have a shimmer? I use MUFE’s Aqua Black which is a super opaque matte and didn’t know they had another black but a quick look on Sephora shows #27 to be really pretty.
Kafka, I went bonkers last year. I first bought just about all of Illamasqua’s blushes and then I moved on to the eyeshadows. I am NOT a fan of loose pigments. I had at that time probably 10 – 13 jars, rarely used. When I saw the Illamasqua pigments, I was blown away. I LOVE the ‘iridescence’ the pigments take on. I ended up buying quite a few. I cannot compare it to Armani’s since I don’t have that one 🙁 Yes, the black base does help the sheerness. Really any dark base but I like black. #27 is not matte. I had been using Aqua Black as well, which I like. I wanted to try #27 before it got discontinued. LOL! I hope this info help you 🙂
Yes, usually whenever I want the color I put on top to look more dramatic.
absolutely! My fave is the MUFE small jar of Aqua Black, but I’ve also used MAC Blackground.
I love to use NYX black bean for shimmery eyeshadows/pigments. Especially if they have a duo chrome effect.
Never tried it, as I’ve found creams tend to crease easily on me. I might give it a go if I ever want to do a very bold smoky eye. Generally, my eyeshadow wear leans on the lighter side of the spectrum, since a careless application of black eyeshadow can mean panda time for me. 😛
I don’t think my career as a MUA would survive if I didn’t use it! LOL.
No. I have closer set eyes and I prefer to only use really dark colors on the outer part of my eye or in the crease. I want to give the effect of wider set eyes so I try to always make my inner corner lighter. I don’t think I have ever use a dark cream eyeshadow as a base. If I have it was just to test it out and I probably didn’t like it much, but it has been so long I don’t even remember. Haha
Yes definately, i prefer my lac gel liner to be as smooth to apply as i first got it, and when it begins to thicken up, i jus use that as a base, im currently using a calvin klein gel liner as my base. my favourite combinationa have to be the gel liner over the base, or mac’s mauvement pigment all over the lid and macs shadowy lady in the crease, or laura merciers black karat all overthebse with UD cobra in the crease.
Oh yes, definitely. I use Mac’s blackground or Blacktrack, but I also love to use some of my other fluidlines like Siahi or Dark Diversion. One of my favourite ways to get a smoky eye with some depth is to use Benefit’s Skinny Jeans under a darker Mac pigment like The Family Crest or Dark Soul.
I love your idea with Vex, Christine- I’m going to have to try that!
I should want to improve my black smoky eye technical !!!
I try more and more… I’m sure I’ll got the right way … once !
OMG Christine! You MUST photograph that look with Blacktrack and Vex! Please! That sounds INCREDIBLE and so unique!
I AGREE! You took the. . .post right out of my fingers, I guess is what I’m saying. Words right out of my mouth doesn’t exactly work here. I absolutely love Vex, I would love to see a pic!
I have! 🙂
http://www.temptalia.com/tutorial-black-smokey-eye
http://www.temptalia.com/looks-super-black-smoky-hot-contrast-eye
http://www.temptalia.com/looks-ultra-black-smoky-eye-easy-smoky-eye
another one: http://www.temptalia.com/look-lady-gaga-bad-romance-makeup-inspiration
Christine, that last photo of you in the Ultra Black Smoky Eye link….. FIERCE! Tyra Banks would say you’re Smizing. (Ooops, did I reveal too much about my bad TV habits?) But seriously, I love that photo. My favorite one of you yet.
I used to watch ANTM, but I fell off the map for some reason… is it still good?
NO! A most emphatic, NO, it’s not! Last season and the All-Stars before that were one of the worst things ever. And, yet, I still watch. *sigh* This week (Friday?) will be the premiere of what is undoubtedly going to be the last season (she fired 3 of the usual people, including the 2 Js and Nigel, the British ex-model photographer chap to help fix the ratings). The focus will be on university students. And, like the masochist that I most clearly am, I will undoubtedly watch it.
Really? I can’t believe she basically fired the regular cast… Ah, well, maybe I will tune in. At least for the makeover episode!
Yes! BUT- I found that using a black liner pencil is more precise and easier to blend than a cream shadow. I just color in the area with a black liner pencil, blend it out, and lay any color on over it for a more intense look. I got the idea from Kandee Johnson in this video, which is my favorite smokey eye look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkMMRL5kuw
I was complaining to the MAC counter person the other day that I can never seem to go through my fluidlines before they dry out. He suggested using it as a base. Normally, my oily eyelids can’t even handle their paint pots without creasing. But the fluidline stays on!
Look into Inglot Duraline. It will make any dried out gel liners just like new!
Yes, I use gel eyeliners as a dark cream eyeshadow base and top it off with a duo chrome. Blue brown pigment and green brown pigment looks awesome on top of a dark base.
It makes me look way too goth for everyday at school (speaking as an exgoth!) but I love it. Today I did Blackground & Urban Decay Urb e/s just for sitting around the house and doing my first assignments but it looks really nice – I love a dark base with any lighter sparkly shadow. Thanks for the perk-me-up idea. 🙂
Yes, many times. I prefer the Nyx jumbo pencils. If I want something for daytime I use it only on the lid, blend with a brush then use a pigment over it (usually wet with visine). I leave my crease color dry to keep it sensible for the office.
I’ve used the Greasepaint in black with the gorgeous shadows from Venomous Villains foiled over it. I’m the opposite of subtlety so this suits me like a bell on a kitten. I want to get Bat Black and see how that fares with some red based shadows over it.
I love this idea.. I’m staring at red pigments these days and this could be a good way to make them work.
I’m an NC10 and I find that dark eyeshadow in general really doesn’t look good on me at all so I avoid it at all costs. I go for a medium shade in the crease and use eyeliner very sparingly, if that.
If you have extremely fair skin but can still find a way to make dark shadows work for you for something other than a party look, I would LOVE to know!
I feel the exact same way! Even if it’s not black, but still dark, it doesn’t look right. No matter how well it’s blended. I tried a dark purple the other day and my boyfriend told me I looked “goth.” Although I do my eyeliner really thick for everyday, but I think that has to do with my eye shape.
I saw once a tutorial with a very fair skinned guy, the MUA used the Blackground paint pot, she applied it only in the inner and outer corners of the eyes, and blended towards the center of the lid using a 217 brush, then she blended a beige eye shadow on top of it, the result was very nice! I have that paint pot and I Iove it, I think a creamy black base makes eyeshadows pop
the closest ive come is using UD zero as a smudgy shadow all over the lid – not brave enough to amp up the intensity after that!
With smallish eyes, I’m always leery about black thinking it is too ‘heavy’ for my eyes, but perhaps I need to revisit that thinking. I’m good with blacks with a touch of gold to soften, so why not a black base with a frosty topping??. I’m reading the whole MAC blacktrack fluidline with Vex and thinking in my head..”Hey, that sounds really cool”.. I’m also thinking of two other MAC ‘chameleon’ colours Mulch and Smut. I will have to give this a go! Thanks Khafka and Christine for inspiration 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! Christine, it was just a week ago, that a managed to do a botched up job with my blacktrack trying to create a thin line that would thicken toward the outer eye and winged out. Well, I grabbed a different eyeshadow blush and just blended it all over the lid! And I certainly did create a pleasing look! Usually I use Mercier’s Buttercream wash all over and the blktrck liner, so this really was a step on the wild side! Keep up the excellent reporting, the swatches, the results, and the vids. It keeps me informed & helps me to improve my makeup techniques, as well as quality product discussions. Hugs :))
I like to use mac blackground paint pot as a base for smokey eyes or just by itself as a black smokey eye.
I use MAC’s Blackground paint pot for an evening smokey eye and the Constructivist paint pot topped with carbon e/s for a daytime smokey eye, just to tone down the carbon. Christine, I’ll definitely try the look that you noted w/ Blacktrack & Vex. Might you have a photo w/ this combo? It sounds awesome!
Oops …just found your tutorial. Thanks
LOVE IT. You look AMAZING.
Some of these colour combinations and suggestions are great. Thanks! I’ve mostly used creams like purples as a base for darker purple eyeshadows as the pigmentation on some purples can be so iffy on their own. I like to use MUFE’s Aqua in purple as a base for NARS’ Daphne, Melusine or Eurydice purple shades. Or the MUFE #1 in Anthracite for grey or silver-grey powder eyeshadows.
A recent discovery though was to use the MUFE Aqua Black all over the lid and then put on NARS Icelandic duo in the iridescent white-green or white-lilac. The white-green turns the black base into THE most opulent, rich, multi-faceted peacock green teal you can imagine. My jaw dropped in amazement. So, if any of you have any duo-toned iridescent shades, you may want to try something similar on a black base!
I would love to be able to do this and make it look good but, sadly, this never works for me.
I’ve used Chanel Mirifique IdO as a base for smokey eyes, and it looks nice, especially with Chanel Black Star, since sparkly black stays.