I don’t think that I gravitate toward sheer eyeshadow much, if at all. The closest I come is something that is very sparkly with a more transparent base, but the ones I reach for/like the most are still higher coverage (just with shimmer/sparkle). I am the opposite of one and done, LOL.
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I think they can be really lovely if it’s a skin tone color with a little bit of sparkle or shimmer for just a little something on the eyes, but otherwise I enjoy shadows with a good amount of pigmentation.
I like something in between a sheer shadow and a full blown Anastasia type pigment. I love colourpop shadows for this reason. I like a shadow that can be built up but also starts off semi-sheer. I don’t like shadows where I tap of my brush 100 times and it’s still crazy pigmented when I touch my eyelid.
I find no use for sheer shadows unless used as a topper. My lids have lots of discoloration and I need shadows that are very opaque. If anyone is looking for a great nude that is very opaque for a base, Marc Jacobs Omega single shadow in Perfect-01 is great for complete coverage. Pat McGrath, Natasha Denona and Color Pop have good coverage. If anyone else has recommendations for brands with tons of coverage please recommend.
They have their place, I’m sure. Just not in my stash unless it is meant to be a topper or transforming shade. I definitely prefer solid pigment that I can blend and sheer out as I see fit without much effort and without going patchy. But I don’t do the sheer wash of eyeshadow thing. It doesn’t look that good on me, for one thing.
Sheer eyeshadows, while useful to some, are complete garbage to me. I like very high impact, opaque color payoff. Whenever I notice a sheer shimmer shade in a palette of mine, I usually crush it out and throw it away. I have not the time
I don’t have a use for them, as I always want my shadows to be very pigmented, but I definitely understand their purpose and use.
No. Just no. For me, eye shadows have to be pigmented and high coverage. They can always be blended and sheered out. Even one and done eye shadows!
I don’t see the point, myself.
I think there been a few sheer eye shadows I’ve mistaken for poor pigmentation in the past and a year ago, I would have gone on this rant about poor pigmentation. These days, I like using them as toppers to add dimension.
Not a fan of Tom Ford’s topper shades that he puts in his quads because they go hard pan on me after the first use – I can’t seem to pick any thing up with a brush and using my finger just seems to create hardpan instantly. I like Pat McGrath’s toppers and I like those from MAC way back when, the Fairy Whispers collection.
Not my cuppa, I enjoy color too much. If I want to tone down a look, instead of reaching for something sheer, I’ll reach for a finish like a satin instead.
I’m with Celesta on this – a sheer skin-tone shadow w/ sheen is lovely, subtle and brightening on me. I use Colour Pop’s SSS in Truth all the time for a one-and -done (well not quite I guess, since I use liner with it), and as a lid ‘color’ w/ a crease shade. Also like that I can easily use this kind of shade as highlighter.
I don’t really have a use for them.
I typically don’t like them. I don’t like to use a shade as a topper, I’d rather find a single shade that works to lay down the color and finish I want. Sheer shades that have a lot of glitter, they are more mess than they are worth to me. A semi-sheer matte skin tone shade, for under the brow, if it isn’t powdery, is something I’d use if in a palette, but I wouldn’t search out a single. A sheer shade like my skin tone, with shimmer, can also be pretty if I’m going for a bare natural look. So I guess shades like my skin tone are the exception on occasion, but otherwise no. I wouldn’t buy them as singles either. I usually get them in a a palette and use them, just to use them.
I am sure that I must have purchased a sheer shadow at some point but if I did, I don’t use it. I prefer my shadows to have good pigmentation but not so much that it makes blending a hassle. The closest I could come to a sheer in my collection would be some of the shimmers/glitters that I use as toppers.
I love them! They’re the only eyeshadows I actually use as eyeshadow. (Otherwise, I prefer dark sparkly eyeshadows as eyeliner.) I have Asian eyelids that aren’t totally monolids – actually, I don’t really know how to classify them; I just know I haven’t figured out how to wear eyeshadow. So it’s easiest for me to use a sheer sparkly shadow as an all-over lid color so I can just some fun in there besides just eyeliner. The ColourPop Super Shocks work really well for me in this regard, although there is some fallout. I just don’t mind it at all.
I’ll sometimes use a super-sparkly sheer as a topper, but other than that I have no use for sheer shadows. I want pigment.
Just like sheer lipsticks, I don’t like sheer eyeshadows either – I prefer my eyeshadows to be quite pigmented and discernible. I think there is a difference between a light shade and a sheer shade and I do use lighter, subtle shades too. Because I am so fair, wear glasses, have hooded eyes – sheer would be wasted on me.
I’ll go against the grain and say that I like some sheer shades. People say that you can “sheer out” a pigmented shade, but I almost always find that to be a pain and prefer “building up” sheerer ones. Not all shades are flattering when opaque. For example, I love gray tones, but when they’re too pigmented, it looks too dark and heavy. A sheer wash of gray in the crease is the most natural look (literally looks like a shadow).
In some cases, such as social events that require specific look, sheer eyeshadows have their place and are appreciated in my collection.
Provided they blend well and are not patchy, I think they are underrated. I also suspect that a lot of the mid-tier brands sold in department stores, like Estee Lauder and Lancome intentionally make some of their shadows more sheer because their target market are not the kind of younger makeup aficionados who read makeup sites or watch makeup youtube religiously, but middle-aged professional women who don’t want to put much effort into their makeup – just look professional. It is a lot more work to blend out an opaque shadow and takes more skill and time. A lot of women just don’t care about makeup that much. Also, opaque shadows can be unflattering on older women’s skin if they bring out the texture rather than diffusing it. Opaque makeup in general is less forgiving for textured, lined skin.
I like how you always make us think. I hadn’t tried sheer application in a while; matte does not easily do that. But using a light all over CP La Playa (warm lt green shimmer), with a neutral crease and S T Rex came out quite nice, almost a no m/u look, but green… decided I like sheer, because it can be pretty colorful, but very understated. Who’d a thunk it?
Nope, but one or two just to have as a topper, special effect shadow, yes.