Yesterday, I went to the movies. The cashier was so sweet. She complimented me on my eye makeup, and shared her makeup struggles with me. She told me that she struggles with her eyeshadow looking ashey. I decided to include some tips & tricks in this post to help prevent that in case you share her struggles.
Here is the eyeshadow look I wore last night:
For today, I not only used drugstore makeup, but also included brushes that can be purchased at a drugstore, or are extremely affordable. While this makeup look is created on myself, I have clients with a large variety of skin tones. I have included ways to adapt the look for different skin tones, still using affordable products.
For my foundation, I started with Wet n Wild Dewy face primer. I wanted to sheer out my Milani Foundation, so I mixed in a tiny bit of liquid highlighter from Wet n Wild. I applied a thin layer with a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge.
Next, I moved onto eyes before concealer or any other face products were applied.
Step 1: Apply a Base
I always apply an eyeshadow base, regardless of skin tone. However if you have a deeper skin tone, I highly recommend starting with an eyeshadow base. I do not recommend pure white for darker skin as that can increase the chances of an ashey looking eye. Instead, opt for a tan eye primer, or concealer. For colorful eyeshadow looks, try a creamy eyeshadow or NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in a similar shade to the powder eyeshadow you are wearing over it.
Since I am fair, I used NYX eye primer in Milk (white) as my base, blending over the top & bottom eye lids with a short dome brush. Be sure to only use a very thin layer to prevent creasing.
Step 2: Brows
There are some great brow products at the drugstore these days. I can find good quality products ranging from powders to pommade. For this look, I used a brow pencil from Wet n Wild, as well as a pommade from Milani. I applied the pommade using a small angled brush from Real Techniques.
To carve out the brow, I used a flat brush, and a concealer palette from The Icing. This palette was very inexpensive, and has colors to fit a variety of skin tones plus a few color correcting shades as well.
Step 3: Powder Eyeshadow
To ensure that your eyeshadow appears true to color on your eyes, it is important to choose a product with good pigmentation. Wet n Wild's eyeshadow palettes are truly impressive. They are available in a wide variety of color combinations, and the price is a steal given how pigmented and easy to blend they are. For this look, I chose the Rose in the Air eyeshadow palette. I have used this on my site before, but I really love the quality of this palette and feel it works well for a variety of looks.
If you want to highlight under the brow area, start with a matte or shimmer pencil, such as the below from Milani (optional).
Next, I picked up the warm transition shade on a fluffy brush, and blended it through my crease. If you want an affordable makeup brush set, Amazon.com has a lot of options available.
For deeper skin tones, try a transition color close to your natural skin tone. When applied over the lighter base, it will help define the eyelid.
To warm things up, I used the orange shadow in the palette, running it through my crease.
Warm colors look best on most skin tones and help prevent the ashey look that some cool tones can leave behind.
Use a clean brush to blend.
Using a large flat eyeshadow brush from Wet n Wild, I patted on some of the brick color, concentrating it on the outer corner of the eyelid.
For the inner part of the eye lid, I applied a light shimmery gold. Mixing in some satin or shimmer shadows with your mattes can also help decrease the chances of your shadow appearing ashey.
Eco Tools is one of the first makeup brush brands I recall buying from the drugstore. They offer a good variety of brush sizes and shapes, selling single brushes as well as sets.
I used a very small brush from this brand to define the very outer portion of the eye I used a dark matte brown from the palette, sweeping it along the lower lash line as well.
A full eyeshadow look can be achieved using just this one palette. However, this would not be a true drugstore favorites post without mentioning Milani eyeshadows. Their singles and palettes offer great pigmentation and a variety of finishes. I used a bright white to highlight the inner corner of the eye. Those with a deeper skin tone should opt for a light gold or champagne instead.
Step 4: Conceal
After all of the powder eyeshadow is in place, apply a creamy concealer to the under eye area. The one I used from Wet n Wild is a little on the thicker side, so a little bit goes a long way. The coverage is pretty full-on so I did not need a color corrector underneath. Using a Deluxe Crease Brush from Real Techniques, I buffed and patted the concealer over any dark areas.
Step 5: Blush
When it comes to blush Milani is the clear winner at the drugstore. Their blush quality rivals higher end brands in my kit. I swept a mixture of colors from their blush palette onto my cheekbones using a Wet n Wild angled blush brush.
*At This point I did go back in with a Milani black Kohl Pencil to tight line and fill in my water line. I also applied a few coats of mascara to my top & bottom lashes.
Step 6: Lips
Good quality lip products are very easy to find at the drugstore. It is the one makeup section that most brands are good at. NYX has some of the best lip liners, and I have a lot of them in my professional kit.
Wet n Wild lipsticks are a win for me because they have the best color options. You can find a lot of MAC dupes in their permanent range. Milani lipsticks are also a big winner in my book, as are those from NYX.
For gloss, I used a clear squeeze tube from Nuance (available at CVS), applying it with a small brush.
Companies like BH Cosmetics, Coastal Scents & Crown Brush offer very affordable makeup brushes online. I did not have a large fan brush from the drugstore handy, so I used the below brush from Crown, which is still super affordable.
This is my brush of choice to apply powder highlighter. Wet n Wild & Physicians Formula sell great powder highlighters for every skin tone.
In the picture above (lower right corner) you can see some good choices for eyeliner or eyeshadow bases.
Step 7: Bronzer
I don't always wear bronzer, but when I do, I like a warm matte formula. Physicians Formula offers good choices for light to medium skin tones. For deeper skin tones, I prefer a bronzer with a touch of shimmer, such as the below baked bronzer in Gingersnap from Black Radiance.
Step 8: Powder
For fair to medium skin tones, Physicians Formula offers a nice selection of pressed powders. I used a translucent powder by Nuance Salma Hayek. For deeper skin tones, I highly recommend Milani. Their colored powders offer a nice selection of shades, and their translucent powders are truly translucent without leaving any white cast on the skin.
Step 9: Eyeliner (optional)
Wet n Wild Creme Eyeliner in Carbon My Reach has been a staple in my kit for years. If you are someone who can't live without a winged liner, try this one.
Step 10: Setting Spray
E.l.f. Make up Mist & Set is another product I have been buying for years. The price is super budget friendly without sacrificing quality.
Here is a look at some of my other drugstore brushes:
Brands like Real Techniques, e.l.f. and Crown Brush give people an affordable option without having to use scratchy bristles.
Here is the final look:
A closer look:
What do you think? Did I mention any of your favorite products?
*All products in this post were purchased by me. This is not a sponsored post. I do have an affiliate link with Crown Brush, which can be found in my Synthetic Brush Guide and in my Twitter profile. If you chose to shop through this link, I do recieve a very small commission. This helps support the site.
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