Most women don’t realise that the eyelids are one of the oiliest parts of the face. If you don’t
believe me, go ahead and wipe your eyelids. You will find the same kind of oil you would find
in your T-zone.
Oil is the number one killer of eye shadow. So all oil must be removed from your eyelids
before applying eye shadow. .
If you have some doubts about this, try this little experiment. Prep one eye according
to the steps below, and then apply eye shadow. Then apply eye shadow to your other eye as
you would normally do, without prepping, and watch the difference in the way your eye
makeup lasts on your prepped eye. And you will never retouch your eye makeup, even on twelve-hour because your eyes are prep properly.
Step 1
Cleanse your lids with a water-based cleanser. You can also use alcohol- and perfume-free
baby wipes—that’s what I use on every shoot. Do not moisturise your eyelids afterwards.
Step 2
The biggest question: do I apply foundation to the eyelids or don’t I? My answer is yes,
absolutely, every single time. Why? Because your eyelids, if you look closely at them, have
blue and red tones or tinges. When you apply foundation, you knock out all the blue–red
tones, giving you a great neutral canvas to allow your eye shadows to be true to their colour.
(To test the true colour of your eye shadow, particularly if it’s your favourite, apply a swatch
of it to the back of your hand, and another swatch to your fingertip. And look at the difference
in colour.) And remember, all foundations contain a moisturiser of some kind. This is all the
moisture you will need on your eyelids.
Step 3
Lightly powder the eyelids with translucent powder. You can do this with a cotton pad.
Powder will go cakey (not what you want) if you have too much oil or moisturiser on your lids.
