How to Use an Eyeshadow Palette to Create Any Look You Want

by Coco Lee February 25, 2022

Eyeshadows have been in use since the times of ancient Egyptians and Greeks with women wearing them to reflect the colors of blue and green gems. The tradition spread across the world and had evolved into fantastic color palettes in all hues and shades. But with so much on the market, you may well be confused wondering how to use an eyeshadow palette?

Overview of Eyeshadow Palette

To make things easier, let’s get you the details: palettes are usually designed to shade different parts of your eyes, and blend them for the stunning look you deserve. The best eyeshadow palette for beginners is one that comes in the pressed formula and is also the most common kind available on the market.

What color goes where?
Basic rules to apply color gradients of an eyeshadow palette
How to use an eyeshadow palette for a natural look
How to use an eyeshadow palette for a smoky look
How to use a brightly-colored eyeshadow palette

Know how to use the colors correctly as you read on and get the pretty salon look doing it up all by yourself with the simple stroke of a brush!

What color goes where?

Most eyeshadow palettes come with 2, 3, 4, 5 colors, or even beyond that are arranged in a way to help you use them better. The trick to using the colors of an eyeshadow palette right is all here. To begin with, identify the shades of the palette from light to dark. The lightest color is meant for highlighting and the darkest shade to add color definition.

Basic rules to apply color gradients of an eyeshadow palette

Here’s the tried and tested way of applying different colors shades of an eyeshadow palette telling you which color goes where as the basics of how to use an eyeshadow palette!

1. Light eyeshadow colors:

The lightest color of the palette acts as the highlighter for the eyes to open up the stage full of colors on your eyelids. Just like you should be applying face highlighter on the top of your features that reflect maximum light to accent it, for the eyes you should use the lighters shade on the brow bone and the inner corner of the eyes. This will play out the drama of colors, adding depth bringing out the contrasting play of darker colors.

2. Medium eyeshadow colors:

Depending on the type of look you wish to create, use the medium color shades to color your lids in cool or bright tones. Medium shades of a cool-toned eyeshadow palette will help you get the natural or no-makeup look. The best way to ace the look is by applying a shade similar to your skin color, or one that is slightly darker than the skin tone. Make sure to use a makeup brush and apply it evenly across the entire eyelid. Next, add dimension by applying darker of the medium shades along the crease of your eyes using a tapered end brush. This way, the eyelid skin will retain the color well.

For the high-voltage chic look, use the shimmer of the palette over the center of the eyelid. It will give an incredible and multi-dimensional glow to your eyes. Those in favor of smoky eyes will do well to nix the light-medium in favor of the dark medium colors. Apply the color all over the lid and blend it all the way around the eyelids to give it a flattering glam quotient.

3. Dark eyeshadow colors:

As with blushes and bronzers, dark shades of a palette are always meant to be used as contour colors. Coming to eyeshadows, you can also use the darkest pigments as eyeliners apart from using them to contour the eyes by creating a V-shaped outline in the crease of the eyes, making them look bigger.

How to use an eyeshadow palette for a natural look

Have fun with colors as you brighten up with a majestic natural look using neutral tones of an eyeshadow palette. You can either stick to the no-makeup look of neutral browns or add a pop of gold and glitter for color vibrancy. Nude Neutral from De’Lanci, an amazing neutral-toned palette of 15 colors is just what you need to wear the natural look that can effortlessly floor anyone, anytime!

Here’s the way to get it right:

1. Start with eyeshadow primer

Make sure that you have an even canvas to apply the lovely colors. Blend in a high-quality primer across the entire surface of the eyelids. Use your fingers to gently rub it in from along the lash-line up to the brow bone. The best eyeshadow primers come in lightweight formulae giving a matte finish for the color pigments to stand out against it.

Also Read: Best Ways to Organize Your Makeup Setup in 2022

2. Color up the natural look

Using a shade identical to your skin tone or one that’s a couple of shades darker. Use a fluffy brush to swipe the colors across the lids, blending it all the way for that perfect finish.

3. Mark the crease

With a tapered bristle brush as you take a darker shade and fill it in. Make sure to blend it all the way along the line where your eyelid folds naturally. This is also the time to go back to the fluffy brush and blend in both colors well to get rid of any harsh lines on the lids.

4. Give it a glow

Using the lightest color of the palette; dust it along the brow bones, and the inner corner of the eyes, adding a subtle shine to the natural look.

How to use an eyeshadow palette for a smoky look

A die-hard fan of the smoky eye looks? Create it using the warm brown shades of the Double Page Eyeshadow Palette in 36 colors by De’Lanci. The intense pigments of the palette can double up for the casual look and also the electric glam look.

Here’s how you can build up those enticing smoky eyes!

Begin with the primer, give your eyes the full matte coverage of the liquid to even out the crease, and build the stage for the colors to play out well.
Pick a matte shade of brown, black, or grey with the medium color tone, apply it on the lid surface using an eyeshadow brush, blending it all the way from the lower lid to the middle.
Add the smoky dimension picking a shade that is 2 shades darker and use the blending brush to color the outer corner of the eyes, gradually moving to the center of the lid. Use more pigment to get the perfect smoky blend which will give you a smooth transition between the overall shade and the darker shade.
Brighten it up with the lightest shade of the overall color applying it on the crease, all the way up to the brow bones, and around the inner corners. It will not just brighten up the look but also give the perfect gradient effect of a vivid smoky look. Blend it all the way for an intense-looking smoky eye!
Finish it with a dab or the darkest color of the combination using it right along the lower lash-line and blending it well.

How to use a brightly-colored eyeshadow palette

A few swipes of the rich colors of an eyeshadow palette for blue eyes like that of De’Lanci’s Flame Eyeshadow Palette in 18 colors is ideal to give you a scintillating look for a sparkling night out or even the toned-down day in the office. Craft out the look you desire using the palette according to the color gradient. From nude to the burning flame, you have it all for you to color up keeping with the mood.

Even out with primer and set the base for playing out the drama of colors on a plain eyelid and matte it up for a no-grease, long-retaining color effect.
Choose the primary color of the eyelids in its medium tone and use a brush to color up the lids evenly.
Opt for a darker shade to line the crease area for a dramatic gradient. Apply it with a tapered brush and blend it well with a larger brush.
Pick the lightest shade to highlight the brow bone, middle of the eyelids, and the inner corner of the eyes to open it up to the light effect, and see the drama unfold!

Final words

As the final summing of our rendition of how to use an eyeshadow palette, brown eyes, black eyes, blue eyes, or green eyes, choose high pigment eyeshadow palettes that will let you have fun with colors that are safe and healthy for your skin. There are umpteen palettes in the market that look good as products, but are often low on pigments, falling flat when it comes to giving out the desired colored look to the eyes.

De’Lanci brings to you an assorted choice of eyeshadow palettes in the pressed color format, flakes, and liquids for you to explore the world of eye makeup and enjoy it too. All products bearing the brand name come straight out of our indigenous modern manufacturing unit. Each cosmetic item is cruelty-free, hypoallergic, and comes at unbeatable prices for its international quality standards!