Eyeshadows with a metallic effect: which ones to choose and how to apply?

Evgenia Yaroshenko-Chumakova , international class master, member of the Ukrainian national makeup team, certified judge of the Association of Beauty Championships, teacher at Makeup&Style School PERLAMUTR

When to use metallic eyeshadow?

Traditionally, shadows with a metallic effect are used for evening makeup. They look impressive under the glare of spotlights and artificial light due to their reflective ability. However, no one is stopping you from adding light shades to your daytime makeup.

Products with a metallic effect look most advantageous on tanned, dark skin - the shimmer appears more clearly.

Metallics favorably highlight both matte skin and a slight glow. But I still recommend not to overdo it with shine, as your face may have an unkempt, oily sheen.

What beauty products should you pay attention to?

A metallic effect on the eyelids can be achieved using baked, liquid and dry shadows. Liquid shadows are usually dense on their own, but if you want to enhance the mirror effect, you can add one layer on top. And dry shadows look more beautiful after applying with your fingers.

Baked shadows deserve special attention.

• They differ from ordinary ones in the way they are made. The mixture of mineral pigments and shimmering particles with water is actually baked - under the influence of high temperatures, the moisture evaporates, and the remaining mass becomes dense and homogeneous. This fusion of shimmer and colored pigment when applied (especially wet) gives a foil effect, a mirror surface.
• The color retains its richness: on the skin it looks the same as in the packaging. This is exactly what ordinary shadows lacked, and as a result, “baking” was invented.
• Baked shadows are characterized by increased durability. According to numerous reviews, they do not crease or fall off. If you are especially worried about durability, apply a primer to your eyelid.

What application methods should I use?

How to achieve such an effect so that not just a glow, but a foil effect appears on the eyelids? Easily!

For example, by wet application. Many of the girls who use eye shadow every day don’t even think about the fact that they can be applied in different ways. I'll tell you about the wet method. Why is he so good? Firstly, the coating is more intense in color; it seems to gain some density. Secondly, the wet method of application significantly increases the durability of makeup.

You don't need special tools or additional resources. It is enough to moisten the brush in water, remove the remaining liquid with a paper napkin, and then use it to distribute the shadows over the skin of the eyelids.

The wet technique is especially important when using baked eyeshadow.

Who should avoid metallic eyelids?

You should be extremely careful if you are going to do this type of makeup on an adult woman, as the shine attracts attention and adds volume to the application area. And on skin with age-related changes, strong radiance is inappropriate, and can even spoil the impression of our beauty!

It is also worth refraining from this kind of makeup for girls whose eyes have a large anatomical volume of a movable eyelid. When applying metallics, we do not balance, but on the contrary, we add even more volume where there is plenty of it!

In this case, I recommend using a medium-dark to dark base shadow! If you want to add a festive touch to your look, it is better to use finely ground mica, as it gives a delicate shine.

Photos courtesy of the author.