Archived Post

What order do you typically apply your eyeshadow in?

I usually do light to dark, which is usually inner to outer lid, crease, transition, brow bone. Sometimes I’ll put the transition shade down first and then deepen the crease specifically. For a halo eye, I’ll apply the lightest shade to the center of the lid, then inner and then outer lid.

— Christine

19 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Mariella Avatar

More and more lately, I’ve been trying to remember to do my crease/transition shade first and then go through my “regular” steps but my more natural way of doing it and what I’d always done is much like Christine describes. But I do find that especially with a hooded eye, doing a light crease/transition colour first (something like UD Naked or MAC Wedge) helps me minimize the droopiness rather than accidentally maximize it.

Seraphine Avatar

Transition shade; medium crease shade; darker shade on outer lid blending in towards center of crease; blend, blend, blend; lighter inner lid shade blended towards outer lid; lightest shade on inner corners; blend, blend, blend; and finally, touch ups, if needed.

Nancy T Avatar

Out of habit and practicality, I apply my browbone shade first, followed by my transition shade. After that, it will almost always depend on what type of look I’m going for. For a cut-crease or halo eye, the next sequence will be the deepest shades, in order to sculpt out and fake a more dimensional lid shape than my hooded, flat almond shaped eyes actually have. The lid shades, which tend to be shimmer, micro-glitter or some such, come next, from lightest to darkest. Inner corner highlight is last. Which, as a result thereof, tends to get forgotten! Oops!

Lulle Avatar

That’s an interesting question because the trend lately has been to start with a transition shade, but it wasn’t always “the way to go”.
Personally I typically start with the lid color, then outer corner, then crease, then transition (that I use to diffuse the edge of the crease shade), then brow bone, and finally lower lash line after I’ve applied my concealer.
I’ve tried starting with the transition and crease shades since everybody seems to be doing that in videos, but I always have to go back to the transition in the end to blend into the outer corner and crease.

Deborah S. Avatar

The majority of the time it is base, transition, lighter crease, darker crease, outer V, lid, brow bone and inner corner highlight. I watch Tarababyz on YT a lot and she has very hooded eyes, as I have. She always does her darkest crease shade first, after base that is. She does that to make sure that her darkest color is actually well above the natural crease so that she can disguise the heavy hood. She also uses a pretty thick black liner that completely covers what mobile lid space she does have thus also making her crease appear higher. It is an interesting technique and one that clearly works for her eye shape. Her followers sometimes try to get her to vary her eye shadow placement but then many remind them that she knows her eyes and what works for her and I agree. I have tried doing my eyes as she does but I don’t think I am use to seeing my eyes that way and so it always seems “unnatural” to me. Also, I rarely wear eye liner, even a narrow line because of my hooded eyes. In order for her look to work for me I would have to learn to make a thick winged line and I just don’t seem to be able to do it. I am going to put a shameless plug for her in here as she does the best haul videos on YT. She buys all of her own makeup and uses predominantly HE. She lives on a horse ranch in the Dakotas and I think another of the reasons that I like her so much is her natural, down to earth vibe and the dichotomy of a horse rancher wearing full on HE glamour makeup on the daily. She is just special and unique.

Genevieve Avatar

I start off with the darker shades on my lid, then the creash shade and the lightest shade last. When I have tried to do it in the opposite way, it never seems to work out. I am interested in reading the other comments above and giving them a go too. I learn so much about everything makeup by reading the comments.

Safyre Avatar

Primer, color base (as applicable; meaning if I do green shadow I’ll apply a green cream shadow if I have one to intensify), transition color, eye socket shade (so a “defining” crease shade), lid, occasionally outer corner definition, occasionally glitter on the lid, brow highlight, I line my eyes after this and occasionally set the liner with a shadow, then the lower lashline, and inner corner highlight, if I’m feeling really generous and adventurous I will sometimes pop the inner corner in the center of the lid for extra dimension and shine

Andrea Avatar

I have extremely hooded eyes so I always do a halo or cut-crease kind of eye.

Steps:
1- After primer, I use a white/very pale matte eyeshadow all over as a base.
2-Pick a matte eyeshadow, put it in the crease and slightly higher.
2a-If I’m doing a halo look also put the matte eyeshadow on my eyelids leaving the middle bare.
(3-OPTIONAL KINDA THING, If I have time I pick a darker matte eyeshadow, put a little in the deeper crease. If I’m doing a halo, I might also put a little of this darkest shade my eyelids, again leaving the middle bare.)
4-Use a very light matte/slightly sparkly shade for transition/my brow bone to help when blending in everything.
5-Create a new crease with concealer (either on full eyelid or the middle part, again depending). Put a light sparkly/glittery/metallic shade on top of the concealer.

Then eyeliner and mascara 🙂

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!