What Are the Best Tips for Using Metallic Eyeshadow?

One of the best tips for using powdered metallic eyeshadow includes applying it smoothly, which can be helped by first using a neutral liquid shadow on the lids. It's also important to know how to create appropriate metallic eyes for both daytime and evening, depending on the amount of "drama" required. Basically, this means using eyeliner with glittery eyeshadow for night, but not during the day. When choosing metallic eyeshadow, it's a good idea to really consider skin tone since this type of product is so attention-getting.

As a general rule, people with warmer skin tones look best in gold metallic shadows, while those with cooler coloring look best with silver. Copper can look stunning on warmer skin tones, while taupe metallic eye colors can be especially flattering on people with cooler coloring. Both skin colors may usually wear more neutral colors such as brown metallic eyeshadow.

Eye color will also often affect how a certain shade of metallic shadow looks on a person, so it may take some experimentation to find the most flattering sparkly eyeshadow colors. Metallic greens may help bring out greenish tones in hazel eyes, while blues can be best for blue eyes. Sparkly plum metallic eyeshadow may help bring out the richness of brown eyes. One thing to avoid for any eye color is to match a metallic shadow with the same shade of eyeliner. Doing this, even for evening, tends to create an overdone eye that doesn't typically appear tasteful.

For dramatic evening looks, a neutral eyeliner such as brown or black should be used with metallic shadows. This can add drama without overdoing the metallic color. While applying metallic eyeshadow along the crease near the outer part of the eye and under the lash line can look great for nighttime, bringing the product up to the eyebrow should be avoided. As a general guideline, when dramatic, sparkly eyes are created, the lips should be toned down to avoid making an over-colored, clownish face.

For daytime, a sweep of metallic color across the lids without any eyeliner is often best. A nude lipstick or sheer gloss may be the ideal accompaniment for metallic eyeshadow. To apply powdered metallic eye shadows smoothly and perhaps also help them to stay vibrant longer, first adding neutral liquid shadow can be a good idea. Another tip is to dampen powdered metallic shadows with a fingertip or applicator and a little water to make them glide on easier.