How to Blend Eyeshadow
Find the crease of your eye., Cover the whole lid in your base color., Choose your second color., Apply the second color., Clean your brush or choose a new one., Blend the center of the lid., Blend the crease color., Continue both blending processes...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find the crease of your eye.
Depending on the shape of your eyelid, you may have a pronounced crease or a subtle one, but everyone has a crease in their eyelid.
To find it, close your eyes half-way, then pull lightly up on your lid. -
Step 2: Cover the whole lid in your base color.
Choose a base color that works well for your eye color and/or skin tone, and dip your brush into it.
Swipe the brush across the whole lid, following the crease you found in the previous step for your upper boundary.
Don’t apply color above the crease — it’ll look strange! , A color that’s slightly darker than your base shade will work best.This is the color that you’ll apply in the crease to create the illusion of shadow and depth.
Rub your brush on a towel or paper towel before dipping it into your second shade to prevent getting the first color into the palette for your second color. , Beginning at the outer corner of your eye, run the brush along the crease that you found in the first step.
Make sure you apply this color evenly along the crease, but don’t bring the color all the way down to the inner corner of your eyelid.
Don’t worry if there’s a stark contrast between the two colors at this point — it should look a little strange at this point. , Because you want to blend together the makeup that’s already on your eyelid, not add more makeup to the mix, make rub the brush against a clean cloth or paper towel in order to remove any remaining makeup from the bristles.
A towel works a little better because of its rough texture, but paper towels don’t require washing. , Beginning once more at the outer corner of the eyelid, make small circles with your brush, moving inward until you've reached the center of your eyelid.
Repeat this process from the inner corner of the eye.
Although you should not be dragging your base color up into the crease color, you should be mixing the two colors gently with your circular brush motions. , Move your brush back and forth across the crease of your eye like a windshield wiper, blending the color horizontally.
Gradually move the brush downward toward the base color, keeping the brush moving in the same back-and-forth motion.
Again, you should be gently drawing the crease color down into your base color, blending them together. , Switch back and forth between blending the base color up with small, circular motions and blending the crease color down with sweeping back-and-forth motions until you can no longer see a stark distinction between the two colors.
Don’t over-blend, or you’ll end up with overly dark, smudgy eyelids. , Especially when you’re starting out, you might apply too much makeup and end up looking a little clownish.
If you apply too much eye shadow, lightly dab at the excess eye-shadow with a piece of Kleenex or a cotton swab.
If you’re very unhappy and would like to start over, remove the makeup with makeup wipes or with eye makeup remover and a cotton swab, and begin again with a clean canvas. , While you could use anything from your fingers to a tip to blend your eye shadow, clean brushes will result in a flawless blending effect.
Spritz your brush with a daily cleanser every time you use it.
Just spray it onto the brush and let it dry; this will prevent bacteria from growing in the bristles.
Once a week, give your brushes a deep cleaning by using a gentle shampoo on it.Run the brushes under warm water to rinse out leftover makeup.
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and a gentle shampoo or brush cleaner.
Swirl your brush around in the water, dabbing it against the bottom of the bowl to separate the bristles.
Rinse it under running water, repeating the process until no more makeup-colored water runs off the brush.
Gently pat the bristles dry with a cloth or towel, then let them air dry. -
Step 3: Choose your second color.
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Step 4: Apply the second color.
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Step 5: Clean your brush or choose a new one.
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Step 6: Blend the center of the lid.
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Step 7: Blend the crease color.
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Step 8: Continue both blending processes until you're satisfied.
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Step 9: Check your makeup.
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Step 10: Always make sure your brushes are clean.This is the most important step for blending eye shadow properly.
Detailed Guide
Depending on the shape of your eyelid, you may have a pronounced crease or a subtle one, but everyone has a crease in their eyelid.
To find it, close your eyes half-way, then pull lightly up on your lid.
Choose a base color that works well for your eye color and/or skin tone, and dip your brush into it.
Swipe the brush across the whole lid, following the crease you found in the previous step for your upper boundary.
Don’t apply color above the crease — it’ll look strange! , A color that’s slightly darker than your base shade will work best.This is the color that you’ll apply in the crease to create the illusion of shadow and depth.
Rub your brush on a towel or paper towel before dipping it into your second shade to prevent getting the first color into the palette for your second color. , Beginning at the outer corner of your eye, run the brush along the crease that you found in the first step.
Make sure you apply this color evenly along the crease, but don’t bring the color all the way down to the inner corner of your eyelid.
Don’t worry if there’s a stark contrast between the two colors at this point — it should look a little strange at this point. , Because you want to blend together the makeup that’s already on your eyelid, not add more makeup to the mix, make rub the brush against a clean cloth or paper towel in order to remove any remaining makeup from the bristles.
A towel works a little better because of its rough texture, but paper towels don’t require washing. , Beginning once more at the outer corner of the eyelid, make small circles with your brush, moving inward until you've reached the center of your eyelid.
Repeat this process from the inner corner of the eye.
Although you should not be dragging your base color up into the crease color, you should be mixing the two colors gently with your circular brush motions. , Move your brush back and forth across the crease of your eye like a windshield wiper, blending the color horizontally.
Gradually move the brush downward toward the base color, keeping the brush moving in the same back-and-forth motion.
Again, you should be gently drawing the crease color down into your base color, blending them together. , Switch back and forth between blending the base color up with small, circular motions and blending the crease color down with sweeping back-and-forth motions until you can no longer see a stark distinction between the two colors.
Don’t over-blend, or you’ll end up with overly dark, smudgy eyelids. , Especially when you’re starting out, you might apply too much makeup and end up looking a little clownish.
If you apply too much eye shadow, lightly dab at the excess eye-shadow with a piece of Kleenex or a cotton swab.
If you’re very unhappy and would like to start over, remove the makeup with makeup wipes or with eye makeup remover and a cotton swab, and begin again with a clean canvas. , While you could use anything from your fingers to a tip to blend your eye shadow, clean brushes will result in a flawless blending effect.
Spritz your brush with a daily cleanser every time you use it.
Just spray it onto the brush and let it dry; this will prevent bacteria from growing in the bristles.
Once a week, give your brushes a deep cleaning by using a gentle shampoo on it.Run the brushes under warm water to rinse out leftover makeup.
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and a gentle shampoo or brush cleaner.
Swirl your brush around in the water, dabbing it against the bottom of the bowl to separate the bristles.
Rinse it under running water, repeating the process until no more makeup-colored water runs off the brush.
Gently pat the bristles dry with a cloth or towel, then let them air dry.
About the Author
Timothy Long
Experienced content creator specializing in lifestyle guides and tutorials.
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