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How to apply brown eye shadow

Whatever your colouring, earth tones and golden hues are designed to make your peepers pop.
Nicky Pellegrino

How to blend:

  • Most palettes have a pale shade to be used as a base or highlighter. Applying it first reduces moisture and tones down any discolouration so your lid is ready for other shades. If you like a very natural look, this may be all you need.

  • The medium tone can be used over the whole lid from the lash line to the crease. Use a fluffy shadow brush.

  • A deeper medium shade is applied as contour in the crease. This gives deep-set eyes some definition. Begin at the outward edge of the crease and work inwards, blending and repeating to create a smooth look. Always blend powder shadow with a clean brush. And make sure your brushes are soft, and be gentle with them to avoid heavy lines that are harder to blend.

  • The darkest shade is an eyeliner. The line should be thinnest at the inner corner of the eye and thicken as it moves outwards. Most powder shadows can be applied dry or used wet for more intensity.

  • For smoky eyes, apply a double layer of liner, starting with dry powder, then cover with a gel or pencil, blending. Never use more liner beneath the eyes than on top.

Trouble shooting tips:

  1. If the skin around your eyes is crepey, steer clear of shimmery finishes and go for soft matte shadows.

  2. If you have dark circles under your eyes, don’t use liner on the lower lashes.

  3. If you have deep-set eyes, don’t use dark shadow as it’ll make them look smaller.

  4. If you want to make eyes look bigger, line them all the way round and be sure to connect the lines at the inner and outer corners.

Who suits brown?

Brown is a universal colour that can be worn by everyone; however, there are different tones and shades. Warm brown eye shadows suit green, medium-brown and hazel eyes. Cooler brown shadows contain more blue pigment so are better suited to blue, green and deep brown eyes. If brown make-up on brown eyes seems too boring, liven things up with a bit of plum.

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