The right eye shadow makeup design not only enhances the colour of the eyes, but also corrects the appearance of droopy, protruding, or deep-set eyes.

Eye shadow designs look fabulous if theyre subtly done and properly suited to the individuals eye colour and shape. On the other hand, a poorly applied eye makeup design in garish, unblended shades makes the wearer look like a small child who snuck into Mommys makeup case and wasnt quite sure exactly what to do with the contents! Getting it right takes practice, but no makeup lover will resent spending a few hours in front of the mirror to develop the right techniques.

Simple Eye Makeup Designs: Three Shades of Shadow

An uncomplicated, quick eye shadow design involves three shades of makeup: one for the lid, one in the crease, and a highlighting colour directly beneath the brow. The crease colour looks best when applied with a brush designed specifically for that area: MACs eyeshadow brushes #140 and #141 are excellent choices. They are used in a back-and-forth windshield wiper motion to shade and define that tricky area.

For eyes with low hanging creases, where the lid is barely visible (this problem gets worse with age, as the skin begins to sag), choose a lighter shade for the lid, and shade the crease with a darker colour. This will help the crease area appear to recede, while making the lid pop outwards. The lightest shade of all will be used under the brow as a thin strip of highlighter. As a finishing touch, always blend the design with some neutral beige shadow or translucent powder on a blending brush or Q-tip. The shadows should not look like distinct stripes of colour across the eye, but should appear to be natural shading.

For deep-set eyes, use the lighter lid shadow all the way up into the crease. Then apply a thin sweep of darker shadow above the crease in a semi-circle. Blend carefully as described above.

For eyes that appear to bulge, use the darkest shadow on the lid to make them seem to recede. Use the lighter shade in the crease, and place highlighter only under the arch of the eyebrow instead of all across the brow bone.

Those with almond-shaped eyes have the ideal eye shape, so no corrective eye makeup techniques are necessary. One simple way to accentuate almond eyes is to contour the inner and outer areas of the lid and crease with a darker colour; Bobbi Brown Essentials Eye Contour brush does this very well. Then colour the center of the lid with a lighter shade of shadow. Highlight under the brow bone with the lightest shade of all, and blend.

More Complicated Eye Makeup Designs: Four Eye Shadow Shades
Eyes that are close together or very far apart will look best with a slightly more complicated eye shadow design.

For close-set eyes, the 3-colour eye design should be applied according to whether the eyes are droopy, bulging, etc. Then choose a different dark shade of eye shadow and apply it to the outside corner of the eye: It should cover the outer ¼ of the lid and sweep out in a flare toward the temple. Trish McEvoy brushes #23 and 35 are both useful for creating a subtle flare that doesnt look overstated or produce one of those odd 1960s-type cats eye looks. The colour chosen for this flare should be the darkest shade in the entire design; for instance, choose eggplant for the flare if the lid is mauve, the crease a lighter shade of purple, and the highlighter is shell pink. Again, blending is crucial.

The flare technique works for eyes that are slanted downwards as well, but in those cases, the shadow should be slanted upwards in order to give the illusion of lift.

To make closely-spaced eyes look even further apart, apply the second coat of mascara only to the outermost lashes. Tweeze the eyebrow hairs closest to the nose just a smidgen beyond the tear duct, too. Some makeup artists advise contouring the temples with dark powder, and then blending the outer eye shadow flare into this contour; but this technique can look terribly unnatural if not perfectly done.

For wide-set eyes, apply the basic 3-colour eye shadow design according to specific needs. Then apply a dark shadow close to the nose and sweep it all the way up to the brow. The contrast of the lighter colours at the outer edge of the eye, and the dark shade near the nose will cause the illusion of closer-set eyes. Dont forget to blend well. Finally, put the second coat of mascara only on the lashes on the inside of the eye (closest to the nose) and the middle lashes, leaving the outer eye lashes somewhat thinner.

LOréal One Sweep Eye Shadow: Good Beginner Eye Makeup Kit

A professional makeup artist would turn up her nose up at LOréal One Sweep, but its a great way for the absolute amateur to start experimenting with eye makeup designs and variations of contrasting and complementary colours.

LOréal One Sweep Eye Shadow sets make it super-easy for a beginner to get started on learning how to apply a simple 3-shade eye makeup design. The sets include highlighter, crease colour, and lid shadow in a single block. A large, rather strange-looking sponge applicator comes with the product. Simply swipe the applicator across the block of three shadows, and then sweep it right over the eye area.

This produces a simple 3-shade eye design without having to choose shades or worry about application technique (youll still have to blend a bit with a brush or cotton swab, though). If a more complicated design is desired, just apply the other shadows right over the pre-prepared pattern.

The colours are pretty good, and the sets come coordinated in shades for blue, brown, and green eyes; though you may of course mix and match these depending on what shades look best on you. There are also LOréal One Sweep shadow collections for All Eyes, which contain some fairly nice neutrals. LOréal One Sweep Eye Shadow is available in two different styles as well: Playful for evening or special social occasions, and Natural for everyday wear.