How to Use Eyeshadow to Create Bold Eyeliner Looks

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So many people have adopted the eyeliner look as their daily uniform, winging out their liner before going to work or out to dinner. The bold cat eye has been an enduring classic from the era of old-Hollywood beauty, when the eyes took center stage above the lips.

From Ariana Grande’s thin cat-eyes to Amy Winehouse’s overdone, bright cat-eyes, celebrities from Adele to Nicki Minaj constantly flaunt their own daring versions of the style.

In the modern era, eyeliners are offered in almost every color (and finish) imaginable. However, not all options can deliver precise application, vibrant pigmentation, and/or long-lasting staying power. Also it is understandable if you adore the statement liner look but aren’t sure you want to commit to owning certain colors. Fortunately, you can use your favorite eyeshadow to create eyeliner looks that will turn heads. To decide which application approach is appropriate for you, you simply need to select your desired final appearance.

So, How Do You Use Eyeshadow to create Bold Eyeliner Looks?

The pros offered some advice for perfecting the cat-eye, whether you’re an expert at this stage or a complete novice. Applying your cat-eye makeup while keeping your eyes open and staring directly into the mirror is the best approach to ensure that it takes the form you want. If it doesn’t appear the way you want it to while your eyes are wide open, even though it may look fantastic when your eyes are closed, then you might be missing the point.

Keep reading to learn all about how to use eyeshadow to create bold eyeliner looks from DIY creation to precise application. 

1. Blurred or Smoky Liner 

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Trying to achieve a more worn-in eyeliner look? Blurred, smokey liner effects are made to come to life with eyeshadow. Use a thick brush with a greater surface area if you prefer something a little more smeared or smokey. 

You may also use a flat paddle brush with a rounded tip; the softly rounded edge creates a smoldering, smudgy appearance that can instantly perk up your eyes. 

Step 1: Pick your shadow. Use eyeshadows that are creamy and blendable if you want to get a more blurred appearance. 

MAC 219S Synthetic Pencil Brush
MAC COSMETICS

Nordstrom

MAC
239 Synthetic Eye Shader Brush

Ulta Beauty

Step 2: Load your brush and apply. After choosing your eyeshadow, lightly swipe it along your lash line using the tip of your brush. Instead of dabbing, you can create a smokier appearance by gently dragging. This [method] works particularly well at the lower lash line for a very seductive, smoldering appearance. 

Urban Decay Cosmetics
Wild Greens Eyeshadow Palette

Ulta Beauty

Pro tip: Eyeshadow with a shimmer, frost, metallic, or matte finish will have greater fallout. To prevent it, push the shadow firmly into place before blending and smudging it with a clean brush (you can dry-clean your brush by rubbing it along a clean towel or tissue). In other words, apply with one brush and mix with another. 

2. Tight Lines 

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It all comes down to your preferred tool if you want to replicate the look of ultra-precise gel or liquid liner. MAC Cosmetics senior national artist Keri Blair suggests using a tiny, tightly angled brush for control, precision, and a tight, well-defined line to ensure that the product is applied and placed correctly. 

Step 1: Choose your color and finish. For optimal results, pick a matte or strongly pigmented eyeshadow. 

MAC
208 Synthetic Small Angled Brow Brush

Ulta Beauty

Step 2: Press the shadow into the lash line. Similar like using a knife to cut into bread, use the brush’s longer side to lead your line. To achieve the greatest intensity, stamp the eye shadow onto the skin in a circular motion. Eye shadow has great staying power because it sets on the skin like any other powder would. 

Step 3: For greater effect, flick it out. Nydia Figueroa, a well-known makeup artist, advises the same method for drawing precise shadow-based lines, but she also proposes flicking the line out into a wing. Then, she continues, “you may use your eyeshadow to draw a sharp wing with an eye cream or makeup remover on a Q-tip.” 

NEOGEN Dermalogy Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml

Skinstore

3. Wet Application 

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You dislike the smudges or blurred look that dry eyeshadow as an eyeliner produces. An alternative to liner that is really intense can be made by blending your preferred shadow with a moisturizing spray or mixing medium. 

Step 1: Choose your brush. You’ll achieve the best results while using dampened eyeshadow and a fine, angled brush. 

Step 2: Dampen your brush. Once you’ve decided the brush you want to use, just spritz it with your moisturizing spray or, if you’d rather, soak it in water. 

Banila Co
Dear Hydration Intense Essence

Ulta Beauty

Step 3: Pick up eyeshadow. Gently dunk your brush into your shadow when it has been moistened. A great alternative is to scrape some of the eyeshadow onto a palette or tissue using a disposable mascara wand, spatula, or brush. However, keep in mind that some shadows will harden in their pot if they get wet. The eyeshadow will now be loose, so dampen the brush and dip it into it before applying it to your lash line. 

Step 4: Make a trace of your lash lines. Swiping eyeshadow across your lash line is a quick and simple technique to apply it while it’s moist because it’s less likely to cause fallout. Wet shadow gives you a lot of freedom to experiment with different graphic shapes and intensities, depending on the formula of the shadow.

In conclusion

It’s not necessary to stock up on every color of eyeliner to try out different colored lined lid looks. Instead, you may get creative with your eyeshadow application, choosing to either diffuse it while it’s dry or etch it on while it’s damp. Enjoy yourself while doing this and try different looks, forms, intensities, and unique color combinations. There is no right or wrong, and by viewing your makeup collection as colors and textures rather than just eyeshadow, lipstick, and blush, you may create an almost limitless variety of cosmetic looks. Another crucial point to have in mind? Touch-ups are completely common; even makeup artists have to carry out them. To make cleanup simple, always keep a few cotton swabs on available.

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