Step-by-step guide · Eyes
How to do eye makeup
Eye makeup is built in three zones: the lid, the crease and the outer corner. Know the zones and even two or three shadows give you real depth.
What you'll need
- Eyeshadow primer
- Three shadows: light, medium and deep
- A soft blending brush and a small dense brush
- Eyeliner and mascara
- A light shimmer shade (for the inner corner), optional
Step by step
Prime
Close your eye gently and spread a thin layer of primer with your finger from the lash line to the brow bone. Shadow looks brighter and won't crease.
Put the transition shade in the crease
Lower your gaze slightly. With a soft brush, sweep the medium shade into the crease — the hollow you can feel just under your brow bone. Move it back and forth like a windshield wiper so the edge melts away.
Press the main color onto the lid
Press the light or shimmery shade onto the center of the lid, from the lash line up to the crease. Don't swipe; pressing makes color stick more intensely.
Deepen the outer corner
With the small brush, place the deep shade on the outer corner as a sideways V — one arm along the lash line, the other in the crease. Then blend the inside of the V toward the transition shade with a clean brush.
Connect the lower lash line
Look up — that's what exposes the lower lashes. Run the medium shade along the outer half of the lower lash line in a thin line and connect it to the top at the outer corner.
Liner and mascara
Lower your gaze and line the base of the upper lashes. Then keep your eye open, look slightly down and wiggle mascara from root to tip.
Tip: For the wing: the eyeliner guide.
Brighten the inner corner
Look outward so your iris moves out of the way, then touch the light shimmer onto the inner corner, right beside the tear duct.
Tips by eye shape
Hooded eyes
Put the transition shade a little above your natural crease, where it's visible with your eye open. More in hooded eyes makeup.
Round eyes
Pull the deep shade out horizontally from the outer corner to elongate the eye.
Downturned eyes
Lift the outer V up toward the brow tail.
Small eyes
Light, shimmery shades on the lid, a bright inner corner, and no dark pencil on the lower waterline.
Common mistakes
- Skipping primer: within a few hours shadow gathers in the crease.
- Not blending the edges: harsh lines stay between shades. Soften the transitions with a clean brush.
- A full dark line under the lower lashes: it shrinks the eye. Outer half only, and thin.
- Looking down while working on the lower lashes: it hides the area. Look up for the lower lashes.
FAQ
Which eyeshadow do you apply first?
The transition shade — a medium tone close to your skin. Building the crease first makes the lid and outer-corner colors blend into each other easily.
Why does my eyeshadow crease?
Oil and moisture on the lid. Use an eyeshadow primer or a little powder; setting a cream shadow with powder shadow also helps.
Which eyeshadow colors suit my eyes?
Shades opposite your eye color make it pop: purples and coppers for brown eyes, burgundy and plum for green, copper and peach for blue. For shades that suit your undertone, take the color analysis quiz.
Step by step, in front of your mirror
In Yarvia's lessons every step appears on screen, and the live mirror shows on your own face where to apply it. Color and placement tips follow your skin tone, undertone and face shape.
