How to Use a Big Eyeshadow Palette When You're a Beginner

Big eyeshadow palettes are tempting. Twenty-four or thirty-five beautiful colours, all in one place, for less than the price of a few single shadows.

Then you open it at home and freeze. Which shade goes where? Why does it look muddy? Why does the colour look nothing like the pan?

Every palette, however big, works on the same simple system. Once you understand it, you will use far more of the shades.

Every shade has a job

Look at your palette and sort the shades into these five groups:

1. Base shade: a light matte close to your skin tone. It evens out the lid and helps other colours blend.
2. Transition shade: a soft matte one or two shades deeper than your skin. It goes in the crease and creates the blended look.
3. Crease or depth shade: a deeper matte brown, plum or grey for the outer corner and crease.
4. Lid shades: shimmers and metallics for the centre of the lid.
5. Highlight shade: a light shimmer or matte for the inner corner and brow bone.

Bright colours like blue, green and pink are fun extras. You add them on top of this basic structure.

The Miss Rose Dual Fantasy 24 Color Eyeshadow Palette includes warm neutrals, jewel tones, metallics and mattes, so you get every one of these roles in one palette.

Shades for desi skin tones

• Transition shades: warm caramel and soft terracotta usually look most natural on wheatish and medium skin. Very light, cool taupes can look ashy.
• Depth shades: chocolate, plum and deep bronze work beautifully on brown eyes.
• Lid shimmers: gold, bronze, copper and rose gold flatter most Pakistani skin tones.

The only brushes you need

• A fluffy blending brush for the crease
• A flat shader brush for the lid
• A small pencil brush for the lower lash line and outer corner

A dual-ended set keeps things simple. The Miss Rose Professional 2 in 1 Dual Ended Brush Set has a detail end and a coverage end on each brush and works for foundation, powder, contour and eyeshadow.

Look 1: Everyday soft brown (5 minutes)

1. Pat the base shade all over the lid.
2. Sweep the transition shade into the crease with windscreen-wiper motions.
3. Add a little deeper brown to the outer corner and blend.
4. Mascara and a thin line of liner.

Look 2: Golden party eye (10 minutes)

1. Transition shade in the crease.
2. Deep bronze on the outer third, blended into the crease.
3. Gold shimmer pressed onto the centre of the lid with a fingertip or damp flat brush.
4. Smudge the bronze under the outer lower lashes.
5. Highlight in the inner corner, then liner and mascara.

Look 3: A pop of colour (10 minutes)

1. Transition shade in the crease.
2. Pat a bright shade, such as emerald, teal or fuchsia, on the lid.
3. Blend the edge into the crease shade so there is no hard line.
4. Add the same colour under the outer lower lashes.
5. Keep the rest of the face soft, with a nude or pink lip.

If you love sparkle, a palette that combines shadows and glitters is useful. The Miss Rose 12 Color Eyeshadow and 6 Color Glitter Palette pairs twelve pigmented shadows with six glitters for adding sparkle to any of these looks.

Why your eyeshadow looks muddy, and how to fix it

• Too many colours: stick to three or four per look.
• Dirty brush: wipe your brush between dark and light shades.
• No transition shade: deep colours applied straight onto bare skin look patchy.
• Blending too much: stop once the edges look soft.

Make the most of a big palette

Most people use the same four shades and ignore the rest. Try this: once a week, build a look around one shade you have never touched. Pair it with your usual transition shade and a neutral lip.

You will learn which colours suit you, and your palette will feel like a much better buy. Take a quick photo of each look so you remember the combinations you liked.

Why the colour doesn't match the pan

Shimmers and brights often look sheer when swept on with a fluffy brush. Use a flat brush, press rather than swipe, and build up. A light eyeshadow primer or a thin layer of concealer underneath makes colours brighter and helps them last in heat.

Browse every palette in our eyeshadow collection.

Frequently asked questions

Which shade goes in the crease?

A soft matte shade one or two tones deeper than your skin. It is called the transition shade.

Should I apply eyeshadow with fingers or a brush?

Fingers are great for pressing shimmer onto the lid. Brushes are better for blending mattes in the crease.

How do I stop eyeshadow creasing?

Use an eyeshadow primer or concealer set with a little powder, and avoid heavy cream products on the lids.

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