How to prep your eyes for eyeshadow. There are a few ways to go about doing so that I have tried and found worked well for my eyelids. Which is all personal preference and what works best on your eyelids. So you may need to try a couple of methods out. The order in which you apply your primer/base may vary depending on how you like to apply your makeup. Not only does applying primer make your shadow stay in place and last longer. Applying a good eye base also makes for a more pigmented application and makes the colors pop.
Let’s talk about applying your eyeshadow before your foundation. Starting with a bare face first decide if you want to fill in your brows before or after. Unless of course you are blessed with gorgeous brows and rock them as is. Next, this is when we apply the eye base/primer. You can apply a few product types… concealer, actual eyeshadow base, or even a cream eyeshadow. If using a cream eyeshadow, I still like to apply an eyeshadow base under it as sometimes it will slip around. I do tend to have more oily eyelids though.
Concealer as a base
First, let’s talk about concealer as a base, you want to have a clean eyelid. Apply a little dab of the concealer on the front and outer portion of your eyelid. Choosing a shade for this is up to you, I find a lighter shade like my under-eye concealer makes colors pop. Blend out the concealer with either your clean finger or a sponge. Covering the skin of the eyelid from your lash line up to your brow. Be careful to not get the concealer into your brows if you have applied these first. Bringing it to the inner corner and past the outer corner towards your temples.
Once you have an even application you can either go straight in with your eyeshadow. Or apply a little bit of setting powder lightly all over the lid to set the concealer. I find sometimes this makes it easier to blend darker shades. If you don’t set it, sometimes colors tend to stick a little bit more and might be a little bit more difficult to blend.
Here are a few of my personal favorite concealer to use as a base, but of course these double as great under eye concealer as well.
-Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer*
-Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Creamy Concealer*
-Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer *
Eyeshadow Base
Next actual eyeshadow base, I like to apply this with a clean brush or finger. Depending on what the formula is like. With clean eyelids, I like to apply this by squeezing a small amount out onto a brush or my finger, or sweeping it on the lid if the product has an applicator. Then brush or blend out bringing it from the lash line up to the brow bone, and inner corner past the outer corner.
I’ve found that some eyeshadow bases need to dry down for a minute or two. Otherwise, they tend to be sticky, and my eyeshadow will go on a little uneven if it hasn’t dried evenly yet. Or apply a little bit of setting powder just as we did with the concealer. Now that the base is down, if I’m applying a cream shadow or an eyeliner for a base this is where I’d apply it and blend out the edges before applying powder shadow. One cream eyeshadow I like to wear alone is the -Huda Beauty Matte and Metal Melted Double Ended Liquid shadows my favorite shade being cashmere robe.
Here are a few eyeshadow bases I have tried and enjoy.
-Juvias Place I Prep, I Prime*
-Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer*
Lower lash line base
Now as far as the lower lash line goes, you want to apply some eyeshadow. All of the above methods work, just be sure to apply a lot less product so your under eyes don’t look creasy. On my eyes personally, my lower lash line doesn’t get as oily as my top eyelids. So I often don’t apply an actual base, and my foundation and under-eye concealer tends to do the job. However, if you are applying your eyeshadow before foundation, it might be best to wait til after you complete your under-eye makeup to apply your under-eye eyeshadow as you don’t want to smudge or cover your powder eyeshadow with liquid/cream products.
Hopefully, this is helpful but I will link this video here to show you how I prep my eyes for eyeshadow using a primer. I used the Urban Decay Primer here and let it set for a minute before going straight in with eyeshadow.
If you found this How to prep your eyes for eyeshadow post you might also enjoy this How to Apply Inner Corner Winged Eyeliner blog post.
