Crease-Free Eyeshadow?!?! It Can Be Done!!!

One of the questions I get time and time again is how to get crease-free eyeshadow. Not to brag, but I honestly haven't had problems with creasey eyeshadow. So, I thought about what it was that I was doing differently than my friends who would ask me "how'd you get your eyes to look like that" and I had an epiphany. After looking at the products and techniques that my friends who had creases in their eyeshadows versus those who didn't I realized there were a few key differences.

1. Buy better brands of makeup. I know that some people are scared away from shopping at department stores and Sephora for make-up and beauty products because of the higher prices than say Wal-mart, but trust me when I say that the extra money is worth it. I can remember my first venture into Sephora and the faintness I felt when I realized that I had just spent $20 on eyeshadow, but once I saw the quality in the product it was then that I became an addict! Beauty products that cost more tend to have higher quality ingredients. These higher quality ingredients allow greater pigment and greater wear time. The great thing about that is the fact that you aren't constantly having to reapply your make-up, whereas your friends with the lower quality products do. That in turn means that they will run out of their product faster and will just have to cough up more money to get more. When you look at it this way you realize that you really aren't paying more.

2. Cream shadows and loose powders work the best for crease-free looks. There are also a number of solid powders that look fine as well, but cream shadows and loose powders take the cake. Both of these products are able to get into every nook and cranny of your eyelid, thus given you a more even coverage.

3. Always, ALWAYS, use a brush to apply eye shadow. I am the first to admit that I used to be very lazy when applying cream shadow that came in a tube. I would just put a little on my finger, dab and spread away, and be done. I eventually realized that the natural oils from my fingers were interfering with the coverage of my shadow. By using a brush you cut out this problem.

4. If these tips still don't help you, try a primer. Some primers even have pigment in them so if you wanted to you can wear them sans shadow.

Some of my favorite eye shadow products...

Any Bare Escentuals Eye Shadows. These loose powder shawdows over perfect, crease-free coverage everytime. What I really love about these shadows is that each one is essentially two shades because they are wet/dry shadows. Apply your shadow dry to have nice, sheer color. Add a little water to your brush to make the color more sheen and metallic. Bare Escentuals also helps you blend perfectly matched shades together by constantly releasing eye shadow collections like those below. If you have never tried Bare Escentuals but have wanted to, I suggest starting with the shadows. They are absolutely unbelievable.


Nars Cream Eye Shadow in Pearl Beach. I specify this shade because in my opinion this shade looks fabulous on everyone. It's a shimmering opal. Don't be shy about shimmer...it makes your eyes pop.

Any Stila Shadow Pots. Super creamy, flawless coverage, and high pigment. Each shade has subtle shimmer to it too. I kid you now when I say that I always get stopped by strangers who want to know what I am wearing when I wear this shadow. Fabulous!

Laura Mercier Mineral Eye Powder. Similar to the Bare Escentuals mineral powders, these LIMITED EDITION mineral eye powders are extremely bold and full of color. Get great coverage with one swoop of a brush.

Clinique Touch Tint. These come in both regular and shimmer shades. My absolute favorite shade is Nude Sparkle. I was persuaded by a seller at the Clinique counter to purchase the Nude Sparkle as a base and primer for the Strawberry Fudge eyeshadow duo I was purchasing and soon realized that I loved the Touch Tint on my eyes all by itself. The directions on their website tell you you only have to use your finger to put it on your eyelids, but remember what I said earlier about using a brush! Many shades to choose from.

Urban Decay Primer Potion. If you insist on using a primer, this is the best one I've seen. It's also a nude primer so it won't change the shade of your shadow.