Tips for Beginners...EYESHADOW TYPES

Tips for Beginners...EYESHADOW TYPES

What is EYESHADOW?
Simply, it is a type of makeup that is used to accentuate the eyes. Eyeshadow can be used to shade, contour, lighten, brighten, make eyes appear larger, smaller, closer together, further apart and create all kinds of illusions and artistic effects. Many different types of results can be achieved through different uses of color, shading, and blending techniques.

Types of EYESHADOW
Like with most other makeup, eyeshadow can take different forms - pressed powder, loose powder/pigment, cream/gel and liquid.

Pressed Powder

This is the most popular type of eyeshadow and most people are familiar with this type. These are combinations of pigments and bonding ingredients (plus any other special additives or preservatives) that are pressed into a dry solid form. Small swipes of the product is then easily picked up by a brush, sponge or fingers. These are mostly used dry because liquids can ruin the pressed product. There are advances that allow pressed eyeshadows to be used wet and dry but these are usually specific to baked or mineralized eyeshadows. Pressed eyeshadows are easy to travel with and can come in single or multiple (palettes, quads, trios, etc) form.

PROS - Widely available. Longer shelf/storage life since they are dry products.

CONS - Only baked or mineralized formulae can be used both wet and dry.

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Loose Powder/Pigment

 

This is also another popular type of eyeshadow that gained fame through MAC Pigments and the many many mineral companies (I use companies loosely...no pun intended) that are now available on the market. Just as the name suggests these are loose powders made of pigments and other filler ingredients (sans bonding products). These are versatile since they can be used wet or dry and can be mixed together or with hair and body products and can be used to create different nail polish and even lip colors.

PROS - Very versatile. Can be used wet (foiled) or dry and can be mixed with other products. Longer shelf/storage life since they are dry products.

CONS - Can be messy since they are loose powder.

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Cream/Gel 

Cream/Gel eyeshadows are cream/gel based versions of eyeshadows that can be used alone or as a base for powder eyeshadow. I say cream or gel because the terms are used interchangeably for emollient based eyeshadow products. Since these are emollient based, they offer more possibilities for formulation than their powder counterparts. Most brands boast crease resistant, water-proof, smudge-proof formulae. These can also come in pencil form which is the same concept but as a pencil rather than in a jar.

PROS - Crease-proof, water-proof, smudge-proof formulas are available.

CONS - These don't blend as easily as powder eyeshadow. Shorter shelf/storage life due to the product 'drying out' or hardening. Provides a great breeding ground for germs because of the moisture which also shortens storage life.

Tips - Cream/gel products last longer when they are in a glass container that can be tightly sealed. The opening should also be small to avoid exposing too much of the product to air.  Use a synthetic brush for better application of cream products.

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Liquid

 

Liquid eyeshadows are similar to cream/gel eyeshadows but are in a liquid form. The liquid can vary with thickness and viscosity.

PROS - Crease-proof, water-proof, smudge-proof formulas are available.

CONS - Don't blend as easily as powder eyeshadow. Shorter shelf/storage life due to the product 'drying out' or hardening. Provides a great breeding ground for germs because of the moisture which also shortens storage life.