If you have fair skin, use a base shade that’s just a little darker than your skin tone. If your skin is darker, opt for a color that’s a little lighter than your skin, to make sure it pops. For example, if your skin is fair, then you might choose a champagne or light beige eyeshadow as a base color and light brown or taupe eyeshadow as your second hue. If you have a darker complexion, then opt for a caramel shade as your base and accent it with a dark copper shade.

Most eyeshadow palettes come with a sponge-brush applicator, or you can use a separate eyeshadow brush with bristles if you have one. Since this is a simple look, you’ll get a similar effect no matter which type of brush you use. If you don’t have a brush, use a cotton swab or a sponge applicator, instead. [3] X Research source

Do this whether you’re using a sponge brush or a bristle brush.

The color should fade slightly as it gets higher toward the crease. This will create a base for the rest of the look.

A large shadow brush will work well for applying the first shade, but then you can switch to a smaller brush for the accent shade.

Keep sweeping the brush back and forth to blend in the color, or swipe your fingers across the area several times if you prefer. Don’t leave any harsh lines where the color stops. [8] X Research source If you have hooded eyes, try placing the darker shade just above the crease to create the illusion that your upper lids are more visible.

To make sure you get the same color on both eyes, be sure to clean off any lingering color from the brush. You can do this by swiping the brush across a paper towel or the back of your hand. If your eyeshadow doesn’t look the same on both eyes, use your finger, a brush, or a cotton swab to wipe away some of the eyeshadow on the eye that has a little more. This will give you a more natural result than if you add more eyeshadow to the eye with less color.

If you have lighter-colored lashes, brown mascara will look the most natural. If you have darker lashes, opt for black. For an even more natural look, use clear mascara, which will define your lashes without adding any color.

When you’re applying eyeshadow, the brush you use can affect the finished look. If you want a more pigmented look, use a dense brush. For a more subtle color payoff, use a softer brush, instead. [12] X Expert Source Ashleigh GroundsMakeup Artist & Hair Stylist Expert Interview. 22 April 2020. For more contrast, use a medium-dark shade, like a rich caramel or pewter color on your eyelid. Then, use a darker shade, like a coffee or slate-grey tone, along your crease.

Make sure to use your second darkest shade for the crease, such as a medium grey or medium brown.

Opt for a shade with a bit of shimmer to highlight your eyes, such as a champagne with brown shades or silver with grey shades.

You can also blend your eyeshadow with a cotton swab if you’d like.

If you used a cool color for your smoky eye, stick with a cool highlighting shade, and vice versa. If you’d like, you can also highlight just under the arch on your brows.

You can also apply a little of the main eyeshadow color beneath your lash line to define your eyes.

If you’re using regular mascara, apply the second coat before the first has dried. If you’re using waterproof mascara, allow it to dry for a few minutes between coats. Using black mascara will give you the most dramatic lashes. However, if your lashes are very light, you may prefer the look of brown mascara, instead.

Luckily, powder eyeshadows are by far the most common option, and you can find them in any makeup aisle.

Opt for warm colors like peach, caramel, gold, and milk chocolate if you have warm undertones. Choose cooler shades like taupe, grey, and dark chocolate if your undertones are cool. Any of these shades will probably look good on you if your undertones are neutral.

Highlighting the inner corner of the eye will make your eyes look larger and more open. Shades with at least a little iridescence are best for highlighting, since they reflect light. Avoid putting shimmery shades anywhere with wrinkles, as this will emphasize them. Keep in mind that light shimmery shades will be more dramatic on darker complexions.

Also, adding dark shadow to the outer corners of your eyes can help camouflage fine lines.