Eyeshadow for Beginners: The Neutral Look and Which Colours Suit You

Eyeshadow is the makeup step that scares beginners most, and it is the one with the smallest payoff for the most effort if you do it wrong. The good news is that a beginner eyeshadow look is three colours, one brush, and five minutes. No cut crease, no halo eye, no twelve-shade palette. This is the neutral look that works every day, and the colour section that lets you go further once the neutral look feels easy.

Start with the neutral look. Learn it, wear it for a week, and only then add colour. The neutral look is the foundation every other eye look builds on, and it is the one you will use most.

What you need

Three eyeshadow colours: a light matte for the lid, a medium matte for the crease, and a darker matte for the outer corner. One fluffy blending brush, one flat brush for the lid, and an eyeshadow primer or a thin layer of concealer set with powder. That is the whole kit. You do not need a twelve-shade palette, and you do not need shimmer yet. Matte is easier to blend and more forgiving than shimmer, which shows every mistake.

The neutral look, step by step

Prime the lid first. A thin layer of eyeshadow primer, or concealer set with a light dusting of powder, gives the shadow something to grip and stops it creasing by midday. Skip the primer and the shadow fades and creases within a couple of hours.

Then the three colours, in order. Sweep the light colour over the whole lid, from lash line to brow bone, with the flat brush. This is the base. Then the medium colour in the crease, the fold above your eyelid, with the fluffy brush, using small windshield-wiper motions back and forth. This is the depth. Then the darker colour in the outer corner, the outer third of the lid, blended up and out slightly. This is the definition. Blend the edges between each colour until there are no hard lines. If you can see where one colour ends and the next begins, blend more.

Finish with mascara. One coat, top lashes only to start. Mascara is what makes the eyeshadow look finished rather than unfinished, and it is the step beginners skip most.

Blending: the skill that matters most

Blending is the whole game. A well-blended look with cheap shadow looks better than a poorly blended look with expensive shadow. The rules are simple: use a clean fluffy brush, use small motions, and blend longer than you think you need to. If the colour looks patchy, the brush is dirty or the shadow is too thick. Tap the excess off the brush before you touch your eye, and build colour in thin layers instead of one heavy layer.

Colour section: which eyeshadow colours suit you

Once the neutral look is easy, colour is the next step. The rule is the same as foundation: match your undertone, then pick a colour family that works with it.

• Warm undertones: warm browns, golds, coppers, and terracotta. These make warm skin glow and look natural.
• Cool undertones: mauves, taupes, cool greys, and soft pinks. These sit naturally on cool skin without turning orange.
• Neutral undertones: most colours work. Start with soft browns and taupes, then try anything.
• Olive undertones: warm browns, olives, and golds. Avoid pink-based shadows, which can turn ashy on olive skin.

Eye colour matters too, but less than undertone. Brown eyes take almost any colour. Blue eyes pop with warm coppers and bronzes. Green eyes pop with purples and plums. Hazel eyes take both warm and cool. And the rule for a first colour is to pick one, not five: one coloured shadow in the crease, with the neutral lid and outer corner from the base look, is a complete look.

If you want the eyeliner to go with it, my e-boy eyeliner tutorial covers the starter liner, and the hooded eyes eyeliner guide covers liner when the lid folds over the lash line.

What not to do

• Do not skip primer. Unprimed shadow creases and fades, and no amount of blending fixes that.
• Do not use one heavy layer. Thin layers blend. Heavy layers patch.
• Do not match your shadow to your outfit exactly. A blue shirt does not need blue shadow. Match your undertone, not your clothes.
• Do not start with shimmer. Shimmer shows every blending mistake. Learn matte first, add shimmer later.

Eyeshadow questions

How long does a beginner eye look take?

Five minutes once you know the steps, ten while you are learning. The neutral look is three colours and two brushes. Anything longer is a more advanced look, not a better daily one.

Do I need expensive eyeshadow?

No. A cheap matte palette with the three colours you need is enough to learn on. Spend money on brushes first, shadow second, because a good brush makes cheap shadow blend and a bad brush makes expensive shadow patch.

What if I have hooded eyes?

Hooded eyes change the placement, not the look. Put the crease colour slightly above the fold so it shows when your eyes are open, and keep the lid colour light. My hooded eyes eyeliner guide covers the placement in detail.

If you want the whole system behind this article, Complete Femboy Makeup Guide — eyeshadow is one chapter. The guide covers the full face, base, eyes, lips, and setting, in order.

Keep reading: E-Boy Eyeliner Tutorial: The Femboy Starter Guide for the liner that goes with this look, and Soften Masculine Features With Makeup for the rest of the face.