When you have found the perfect neutral eyeshadow for your skin tone and eye color and have managed to buy your ideal nude eyeshadow palette, it’s time to put your makeup application skills to the test. We’ve included a step-by-step guide to applying nude eyeshadow in a way that is long-lasting and flattering. We’ve finished off with a few tips and twists on neutral eyeshadow to keep things interesting.
How to Apply Nude Eyeshadow Like a Pro
- Prep: Makeup of all sorts always looks better when the skin below it is healthy. This means making sure your eyes are clean and well moisturized before you start your nude makeup look. You can use a dedicated eye cream, but even a gentle moisturizer can work to hydrate your eyes.
- Prime: To make sure your nude eyeshadow lasts all day, apply an ultra-thin layer of primer or concealer. You can apply it with a thin concealer brush, or even just with the pad of your ring finger.
- Base Color: Set that layer of cream with your base shade, using a large fluffy brush and a tapping motion that won’t disrupt the base. The base shade is an all-over color that is neither darker nor lighter than your skin tone. This can also be the shade that is most prominent on your eyelid.
- Crease Color: Next, apply your crease shade, a neutral eyeshadow color that is just a few shades darker than your skin tone. Apply this nude eyeshadow with a small, round eyeshadow brush, in a windshield wiper motion. Starting at the outer corner of the eye, pull the shadow up into where the bone of the eye socket slightly sticks out just above the crease.
- Blend: Chances are you won’t need to blend out that crease color too much, but if you do you, you can do so with the help of the fluffy brush you used to apply that all-over base color.
- Highlight: Using a shade that is slightly lighter than your skin tone (you can also opt for a shimmery shade), highlight the inner corner of your eye. This will give you a brighter, more open-eyed look. You can also slightly drag that highlight color into the lid for added brightness.
- Deepen: If you’d like, amp up and deepen your look by applying a darker crease shade to the outer corner of your eye using a smaller eyeshadow brush. Blend it out along the edges just a bit with the round crease brush you used earlier.
- Shadow Liner: As an option, you can also use that dark crease shade to line your eyes your favorite way. Use a small eyeliner brush or angled brush. You can rock the nude eyeshadow as eyeliner along the top lash line, all around the eye, or only on the bottom in case you’d like the channel the ‘90s.
- Finish off: Fill in your eyebrows as you normally would. Swipe on a bit of mascara, and add any other elements that are key to your makeup look like concealer, foundation, powder, blush, lip products, and anything else you like.
Nude Makeup Tips: Ways of Wearing Nude Eyeshadow
- If you’re hoping for a true nude makeup look (just think of every actress in every film when she just wakes up), then stick to matte nude eyeshadow colors that are as close to your skin tone and undertone as possible. Skip the dark crease accent and the bright inner corner highlight, and only apply one or two coats of mascara. Keep the rest of your makeup neutral, with raspberry blush and lip tones if your coloring leans towards cool or peach blush and lip tones if your coloring leans towards warm.
- If you want neutral yet smoky makeup, then change your nude eyeshadow routine just a bit: apply your medium crease shade to your lid, and use a darker accent color as a thick eyeliner. Smudge it along the lash line both above and below the eye for that perfect soft smoky effect.
- Nude eyeshadow colors are also perfect for a glam look! Once you finish applying your eyeshadow as I instructed earlier, apply a thin line of liquid or gel liner and wing it out. Pop on some false lashes and swipe on red lipstick for maximum seduction.
- If you want to open the eyes up a little bit more, line your waterline with a nude pencil or eye-safe concealer, in addition to highlighting the inner corner of the eyes. This will make the eyes appear bigger, brighter, and more awake.
- If you’re in a real rush, you don’t have to use eyeshadows for your nude makeup look! Instead apply your usual face powder all over the eye, and add just a touch of your bronzer in the crease.
Photos via @marianna_hewitt, Instagram
