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What eyeshadow has surprised you the most by working well on you?
What eyeshadow has surprised you the most by working well on you? Was there a shade you didn’t think would work but ended up loving? Share!
The one that comes to mind is MAC Juiced, which is long discontinued, but it’s sort of an orange-mustard shade, and I look pretty bad in mustard-like hues, but that one worked well paired with orange/red.
Thanks to Genevieve for today’s question! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
The Viseart palette- matte neutral. The texture is very creamy which I do typically like, but I was shocked at the staying power. The creaminess really holds on for the long haul, which, with my oilier lids, was a welcome surprise!
MAC Chrome Yellow! So edgy and cool. I love it for fall.
Naked 3’s Limit and Nooner have totally inspired me in a direction I would have never thought of myself. I’ve found these mauve tones look so sophisticated on my pale face/blue eyes, and are great alternatives to the average Soft Brown/Espresso crease. It’s made me explore Mac’s Quarry and now, (as I wait for it to be delivered) Tarte’s new Tarlelette palette! These new colours (to me) have totally changed up make up for me. Very excited!
*Totally Fletch (a fuschia magenta pink) in the Too Faced Everything Nice Palette. I thought that pink/red eye shadow was going to make me look so sickly that the guys in the hazmat suits were going to haul me away (hahaha). But it is surprisingly flattering if applied sheerly over the lid for a soft pop of color, or more heavily if you want to make a bold statement.
*Blue Eye Shadows – I was afraid I was going to look like Barbie with blue eye shadow, but the Dior Bleu De Paris kit changed my mind. The blues are blended with a lot of grays, so it’s very wearable, and there’s a good mix of matte, satin, metallic.
*Cream eye shadows -I have oily lids and used to avoid them since they creased so bad, but with the new generation of cream shadows (Maybelline Tattoos, Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks, Dior Mono Fusion etc), they are now my favorite tools and outlast the powder shadows.
I think MAC tempting! I always thought it was too glittery and wouldn’t stay on the lids but its actually amazing and looks SO pretty definitely a must have for a glam party look! 🙂
Greens. I grew up learning “never match your eye color,” but I find greens of almost all shades enhance the olive green in my hazel eyes, rather than detract. I also find I can wear most blues better than I thought.
Rachel – have you tried the Charlotte Tilbury’s the Rebel eyeshadow palette? It is 4 beautiful shades of green. It is gorgeous and would suit anyone wearing greens.
No, I haven’t tried anything by her yet. I just googled the palette, and it looks absolutely stunning. I’ll have to put that on my list. Thank you!
I would have to say red toned ones like UD Alchemy and Sonic, or MAC Brown Script. I used to worry that shades like those would make me look like a sleep-deprived stoner zombie! But, instead, when used properly, they really make my green eyes glow in a rather nice, luminous way.
Not a particular colour! But a particular formula. The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes looked a little sketchy to me at first, I thought they’d be dry and not very pigmented, which they did swatch so. But surprisingly they looked beautiful and pigmented and sparkly on the eyes!
Red eyeshadow, I had no idea it would be so versatile.
I love me some pink lips but eyeshadow? Not so much. I was a little worried how Woodstock would look on me but it’s quite pretty on the lids.
Definitely Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow. Reading the reviews I thought it would be hard to keep from separating, applying and had wear concerns. I actually wasn’t going to buy it, but received it as a gift. Rio De Rose Gold is the most beautiful rose gold I have ever found. It goes on beautifully and wears all day. It totally shocked me and I’m so thankful someone bought it for me. Now they just need to come out with more colors!
Darling Girl Peachy Keen is a peach toned glitter bomb. But since the base is a little sheer, the glitter flashes to its opposite on the color wheel, and the skin around my eyes particularly yellow toned, I can actually get away with wearing it as a neutral and it is a great neutral. It’s brightening very brightening to my entire face and it makes my blue eyes practically glow.
I can’t think of a particular eyeshadow, but a colors that work really well on me are warm reddish browns.
NARS New York single introduced me to using sangria shades on my eyes. I used to be very hesitant of anything bruise-colored in eye shadow, but now I know it makes my blue/green/violet eyes pop and regularly go for bruisey, Biba-esque colors now. Also, I was surprised with how nice Buttercupcake from Sugarpill looks on me since I never anticipated pure matte yellow looking very nice on me. But it’s such a wonderful color!
The Kat Von D Monarch palette! The colors are SO pigmented and blend so well together. Plus, they go really well with my skintone, which is similiar to Christine’s.
I am an NW15 very fair, pinky undertone -gray eyes. UD noise (bright pink) looks amazing and I had that pallet for a year and never even made a mark in the pan because I thought there was no way. It really works! I blend it sheer over the lid or use it as an eyeliner, either way it makes my gray eyes pop. I stayed away from reds and pinks as I was always told not to use them with my gray eyes….pfft!
I never thought blue based silver would look good on my eyes but they seem to. I don’t have a huge shadow stash so I can’t call out one in particular other than L’Oreal Liquid Diamonds.
Nars Vent Glace duo surprised me in how good it looks on the lid vs. doesn’t look like much in the pan. I think these duos oxidize somewhat and bring out more beautiful “dimensions” than you knew you had.
Just yesterday I bought the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty eyeshadow palette, and it’s much better than any shadow I’ve used in a while. I don’t have an incredibly extensive makeup selection (although it’s slowly growing), and it’s likely there are other shadows out there that I may be more impressed with. I love that this palette is all matte and such gorgeous colors. (I was using creams for a while, but I do find them hard to work with.)
L’Oréal Infallible 24 HR Eye Shadow in shade Sultry Smoke (998).
As a palest porcelain redhead, this color/formula is amazing when a tiny amount is buffed over the entire lid to create a very light “wash” of color.
Worn alone with any different color eyeliner this allows for a quick, yet completely versatile and simple, sophisticated look.
Some of the cool toned browns and golds from the Naked palette. I had always steered away from browns/neutrals because I didn’t think they worked with my blue/grey eyes and red hair, but they do. Also the Too Faced Glamour to Go palette, which has golds on one side and greys the other. I never thought I would reach for the golds and they work well.
I am a brown child with golden undertones. I never thought soft hued, mauve-pink e/s would work on my complexion, but they look great. I also tend to ignore my taupe eyeshadows (no particular reason) but when I wear Mac’s Romantico in the Bare My Soul quad or the taupe-brown color from the Wet n Wild Silent Treatment palette, I get lots of compliments. For some reason these cooler toned e/s work with my complexion.
Urban Decay Haight. When I first got it I thought it was going to be too bright. It is probably my favorite blue eyeshadow. It is such a beautiful color and it makes my eyes pop!
Creams! When I was younger, I couldn’t seem to ever apply them evenly. Then lately I thought I was too old….my lids are starting to look crepey 🙁 But I decided to try the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks holiday set of minis, and I LOVE. I found an old MAC SE brush that I’d never found a use for that works perfectly to spread and blend evenly. Who knows if my lids are too crepey… I really enjoy using them and the look 🙂
What looks best on me is the taupey metallic color in the L’Oreal duo “Electrified”. It’s discontinued, but still available on Ebay and other sites. It works well with many different eye colors!
Ever since 99′ when a makeup artist put it on me for a shoot, RED. I was also elated for Nike to be so edgy! But again, due to my pigmentation, mind you they had a model for every “type” /color.. I was called the exotic one. other than the super speedy amped up tan athletic chick, I was the whitest one there but it never translated as the Caucasian one.. But, I got red eyeshadow LOVE out of it! I was so impressed and would never have guessed! Beautiful! (Mystic 😉 ) I still have it! They eyeshadow muted my lips a bit as well! 😀
Colourpop — all of them! I’ve rarely seen such a well edited, well-made collection in all the years I’ve been wearing I make up.
Urban Decay Tease… I never used it in my palette and I actually got it by mistake, the label was correct but the shadow inside was not, and it was not possible to return it. I thought it would be too dry and patchy to even use but it was not bad!
MAC Melon pigment. I’d never wear this cantaloupe color in clothing, but it makes my blue eyes look really bright.
Mac satin taupe, got it in a holiday palette never would of looked at it otherwise now it’s one of my faves.