Behold the power of pigment. Elevate your eyes with a streak of rich, highly pigmented pressed powder. This saturated shadow formula stays on all day long with non-creasing, eight-hour wear. The result: potent colour payoff that applies evenly, blends well and can be used wet or dry. Available in a kaleidoscope of colours, textures and finishes. Try using an eye primer such as MAC Prep + Prime Eye, which is considered among the best eye makeup for Asian eyes, then follow with a translucent powder. Priming your lids will help your shadow blend more smoothing without fading or creasing. Depending on your skins undertones, you will want to choose certain colors over others.
- Eyeshadow Colors For Asian Eyes
- Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
- Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Hair
- Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Skin
- Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
- Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
- Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Skin
MAC has an amazing number of highlighting eyeshadows!
I must say, any makeup addict might be tempted to hoard all or most but you in no way need this many!.. well, unless you are a MUA working on a remarkable variety of skintones and looks.
Eyeshadow Colors For Asian Eyes
It is wise to mention that as the swatches of most of the colors look close enough to be thoroughly confusing so visiting a store and trying it on your skintone is the best option!
I would recommend having at least one matte and one shimmery highlighter to begin with. On a bit more advanced mode, it’s good to have one neutral, one yellow based, and one pink based highlight – but it is not absolutely necessary!
I hope that you find this helpful in your search for the perfect highlighting eyeshadow from MAC!
• GESSO
Finish – Matte
Color – Stark white
I would advise to use this only if you want a very strong highlight, or if wearing purples, yellows, blacks or greens. The texture is a bit chalky.
If you would like one similar to this with shimmer I would suggest you to go with MAC Crystal Avalanche or MAC Vapour.
• CRYSTAL AVALANCHE
Finish – Veluxe Pearl
Color – Highly frosted bright white
It can be an interesting shade to use, because of both its brightness and the frostiness of its finish, so using a light touch with it may be best. It’s the perfect inner corner/brow bone highlight shade, especially if you have fair, porcelain skin. Dark skin tones might find this a bit bold and bright. It’s a really pigmented shimmery white that makes you look more awake, and it really makes your eyes look bigger. I compared this to White Frost, and this is a much more pigmented eyeshadow, and it blends really well.
• VAPOUR
Finish – Velvet
Color – Peach pink with violet pearl
I would prefer to describe it a wash of pink with a HINT of lavender. Because of the slight bluish tone, I think it pairs easily with other MAC colors such as Shale, Steamy, & Surreal.
• BLANC TYPE
Finish – Matte
Color – Creamy beige
This is a perfect matte highlight. It is great for blending out other colors or toning down anything a bit too extreme or harsh looking. It’s also one of those shades that looks classic on its own. It does a great job of covering up any discoloration under the brow.
• VANILLA
Finish – Velvet
Color – Ivory with slight pink undertones
Vanilla is a thumbs-up shade for fair, light and even medium skintones. There is a tiny bit of sparkle in the pan, but it doesn’t really translate to the eye. It’s soft and easy to work with and has good pigmentation. Orb is similar but more pinky/peachy.
• MYLAR
Finish – Satin
Color – Creamy white with shimmer but it is more like a subtle sheen
I think it is great to wear when you want to do a neutral no-makeup look. Mylar has a mostly-matte finish though MAC enlists it under satin. It can look a little chalky because of its finish and color, though the payoff is good and application is smooth.
• BRULE
Finish – Satin
Color – Soft creamy beige
Brule is a close match to most light skintones. It can be used as an all over wash or a very subtle highlight and also for for transition blending. Just like Mylar, MAC calls it a Satin, but Brule appears nearly matte on the eye.
• SHROOM
Finish – Satin
Color – Beige with shimmer
Although MAC considers it a Satin, I think it is much more like a frost. This color is extremely popular since it is a very neutral highlight, meaning it does not lean pink or yellow. If you like a noticeable shimmer in your highlights Shroom might be a good option for you!
• DAZZLELIGHT
Finish – Veluxe Pearl
Color – Soft beige
MAC says Dazzlelight is a neutral with shimmer but I think it is more of a soft beige white with a hint of warmth. Goes quite well for all light to dark-medium skintone range. Most people love to wear it in the inner corners of the eyes! This and Vanilla are my eternal fav!
• NYLON
Finish – Frost
Color – Pale gold with shimmer
It is one of the frostiest eyeshadow I have ever seen. This is a very shimmery and pigmented pale gold eyeshadow. It gives a perfect glow that almost looks ‘wet’. This eyeshadow is perfect to use as a brow highlight, in the inner corner of the eye, or to add a bit of glow to the tops of your cheek bones.
• RICEPAPER
Finish – Frost
Color – Peachy gold with shimmer
Has great texture and is very smooth! It is versatile, shows up well, and does not fade. Really brightens up the eyes. You can wear this color alone or blend which a darker shade such as ‘Cocoa’ ‘Charcoal’ or ‘Chimney’. For skintones NC 44 onwards, it might show up as a bit whitish but still is good for highlighting brow bones and inner corner of the eyes.
Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
• NAKED LUNCH
Finish – Frost
Color – Minimal pink with shimmer
It’s a warm peachy-beige shade that comes off almost looking champagne coloured when applied. Due to it being a frost shadow it adds just the right amount of shimmer to open up the eye area and pulling a little bit of focus. You can wear it as a lid shade, but it makes a great highlight, especially if you are doing a look with other pinks! It’s pigmented yet discreet, so you can definitely wear it on an everyday basis even though it is a frost eyeshadow.
• ORB
Finish – Satin
Color – Soft peachy-beige
A soft pinky-peach beige color, Orb is ideal for warm skin tones. You can use it on the brow to warm up a look or blend away harsh lines when working with pigments. Great all over or brow bone color for neutral looks.
• BISQUE
Finish – Matte
Color – Soft muted pink beige
This functions much like Orb. It has more of a tan base, is a little deeper in color than Orb and looks especially great when paired with brown as a neutral combination.
• PHLOOF
Finish – Frost
Color – Pinky-beige
It has good color payoff and applies smoothly. It helps define and brighten eyes with a little sparkle. looks fab on lighter lovelies and darker divas alike. Because it’s neither too cool nor warm, it’s a little unlike many other highlighting MAC eyeshadows like Shroom and Vex. I think it works well on a wide range of skin tones.
• VELLUM
Finish –Lustre
Color – Iridescent white with bluish-violet shimmer-sheen
In the pan it looks like a simple white shade, but on the lid it transforms into a gorgeous off-white duochrome infused with iridescent light purple and blue. The color payoff is decent but not great, though the uniqueness of the shade tends to make it worth the effort. It has good pigmentation for a frost finish, applies smoothly.
• VEX
Finish – Frost
Color – Grayish-beige-pink with a tinge of olive-green
It has good color payoff, and it’s one of the more unique shades by MAC. A light wash all over the lid makes me look fresh and awake. Since it has a pink/green duochrome it pairs well with tons of shadows, from purples to greens to neutrals. If applied heavily, might look stark for skintones beyond NC 40.
• WHITE FROST
Finish – Frost
Color – Shimmery soft white
It has a smooth feel. Some people have color payoff issues with this shade. I find it to be fairly buttery and blendable. The shimmer is subtle, and keeps the color from looking chalky unlike matte whites. I sometimes use it for lighting up dark shadows and blending harsher colors together. But dark-medium beauties, proceed with caution as it might look a bit too light.
• GRAIN
Finish – Satin
Color – Soft, warm beige
It’s like a lighter version of MAC Arena. Goes with almost anything and everything. This is the perfect nude shadow that gives a no-makeup correction to the eyelids. Lovely low sheen, no glitter here. It really seems to brighten my eyes without being glittery or shiny.
• RETROSPECK
Finish –Lustre
Color – Paled gold
Really nice subtle beige gold shade. It’s a little rough and a tad bit glittery but the color is beautiful. It has a slightly gritty texture which makes it prone to fall out. This is a perfect highlight color for a brown/gold/black smokey eyes.
• HUSH
Finish – Frost
Color – Peach-pink with a subtle iridescence
It is a light peachy beige, with subtle pink duochrome effect. Sheerer color than one would expect after seeing the pan. A lovely brightness comes through without any noticeable shimmer, MAC has got the balance just right and it is very useable as a highlighter, all over lid colour or a good base.
• JEST
Finish – Frost
Color – Light-medium peach
Jest which has a more pinkish tone than Naked Lunch. It’s a frosty peachy beige, blendable and brightens up eye area. Medium to dark skintones will find this to be a good highlighter.
• SAY YEAH
Finish – Veluxe Pearl
Color – Apricot pink with a golden shimmer-sheen
Incredible color. When I want a glowy natural look I use this. comparatively, Expensive Pink but far more peachy. It has a hint of pink and yellow, but not much at allIt’s quite shimmery, and the color payoff/pigmentation is good. Again, a blessing for medium to dark skintones.
Most of you may have tried quite a few of these shades. Which one is your favorite?
Don’t forget to write if you find the post useful and informative.
Images: http://mmuh.blogspot.in, http://www.sponjitamakeup.net, http://www.temptalia.com
Hi-ho-and-a-merry-oh, everyone!
Haven't blogged for a week coz I've been working on a series called Eyeshadow Tutorials for Asian Eyes. Man! It was a lot of work but I'm really pleased with the outcome. I hope this series can help more Asians better understand their eye shape and those who have Asian clients!
In this 1st installment of the Eyeshadow Tutorials for Asian Eyes series, we take a look at where to place eye makeup on the Asian eye.
When I first started out, I had no idea where or how to place eyeshadow. My eye makeup efforts were previously limited to eyeliner and mascara and sometimes, just a light dab of ONE eyeshadow color. It also took me years of trial and error to finally stop my mascara from making me look like a raccoon by mid day.
When I purchased my first eyeshadow quad, I was lost.
WHERE DO THESE FOUR COLORS GO TO??? 😮
I had no idea the eye could be divided into so many parts – lid, crease, contour, highlight..... whut?!
I had no idea that there are so many ways to shape the eye, combine colors, or use colors to emphasize or recede certain parts of the eye.
Google and Youtube, of course, presented me with tutorials and eye charts from their wealth of resources, but most of them were limited to the Caucasian eye.
It took me quite long to understand that I cannot copy the Western way of applying eyeshadow because one of the most prominent differences between an Asian and Caucasian eye is the ‘crease’, or rather, lack of.
If you haven’t already checked out my post on the differences between the Caucasian and Asian eye, please do. It will definitely help you understand this post better too!
You would realize by now, if you have read the post mentioned above, that while the Crease of the Caucasian eye coincides with the Orbital Rim, the Crease of the Asian eye merely defines the Fold of the eyelid. If you have a Fold, it means you have double eyelids – prominent or hooded.
It is the fact that the Orbital Rim and Fold of the eye do not overlap that characterizes the Asian eye, and not the stereotypical slanted eye shape.
In half of the world’s Asian population, there is complete absence of a Fold. For the remaining half who possess a Fold, the Fold commonly does not coincide with the Orbital Rim.
I am very proud to be Asian, and it is my wish to help as many people out there to understand the Asian eye better and apply the most flattering eye makeup for their own eye shape and contour.
Here is, finally, my own eye shadow placement chart to share with Asians who want to understand how and where to apply eye makeup better.
Asian Eye Makeup Placement Chart
This chart would also be useful to help makeup artists understand how eye makeup looks can be better applied on Asians.
The chart is based on my own eye – large, round, with prominent double eyelids, and does not coincide with the Contour Area. You can see if any of these 14 Asian eye shapes look like yours!
The placement of eyeshadows can vary for different looks, but here is the basic breakdown of parts of the eye.
I included pictures for every part of the eye instead of having just one complete picture with all the different parts outlined, simply because I always find it troublesome to read and refer to only one picture at the top all the time. Took me many hours to draw the outlines, but the result is definitely worth the effort. I’m sure you will find it more straightforward to understand too!
Now let’s get started!
Eyelid
While the Lid can be covered in just one eyeshadow color, it can also be divided it into vertical halves – inner 1/2, outer 1/2; or thirds – inner 1/3, middle 1/3 and outer 1/3.
The first eye makeup look in this tutorial shows exactly that.
Inner 1/3
The inner 1/3 of the Lid spans from the inner section of the eye to the edge of the iris. A lighter color compared to the middle and outer colors is usually placed here.
Middle 1/3
The middle 1/3 of the Lid is directly above the iris. A darker color than the inner 1/3, but lighter than the outer 1/3 is usually placed here.
Outer 1/3
The outer 1/3 of the Lid covers the edge of the iris to the outer edge of the eye. The darkest color of the lot is usually placed here.
The Vertical Gradient Method is discussed in the second installment of this series, and Horizontal Gradient Method in the 5th installment, of the Eye Makeup Tutorial for Asian Eyes series.
Note that I used ‘usually placed here’ for all thirds. Firstly, the 3 colors can be of equal color strength, and secondly, the vertical division method is not as often employed on the Asian eye.
For many Asians, the Lid area can be rather small, and some may not have a Fold at all. In most Asian eye makeup, the Vertical Gradient Method, which involves applying eyeshadow horizontally across the Lid so that a vertical gradient is formed, is ideal. Confused? Check out this post to understand the difference between Vertical and Horizontal gradients.
Inner Corner
The Inner Corner is the small area that points towards the nose. It can be expanded a little onto the inner 1/3 of the lid and also the the inner 1/3 of the lower lashline.
A little highlight color at the Inner Corner of the eye does wonders to make the eyes look brighter and more awake. I like to use MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating or NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk as a base, then layer with a light eyeshadow color like silver, beige, while, pink.
Crease
Ah, the Crease.
In Caucasian eye makeup talk, the crease is the line of indentation right above the lid, where the Lid folds. That indentation below the brow bone marks the natural Crease, and it is further emphasized by using a deeper eyeshadow color to create depth in the eye.
The Crease of the Caucasian eye typically coincides with the Orbital Rim.
For Asians, if the Crease is defined by where the lid folds, then placing a deeper color at the crease will only serve to make the eyes look smaller, especially if you have heavily hooded eyelids, or a very small lid area.
Check out the different types of Asian eyes and appropriate makeup!
The Crease of the Asian eye typically does NOT coincide with the Orbital Rim.
For all my tutorials, I rarely use the term ‘Crease’, because that would be confusing to many Asians, and ‘Crease’ really means ‘Fold’ to me.
If I need to state that eyeshadow color must be placed 'at/above the Crease’, I will simply say that it needs to be placed ‘at/above the Fold’.
More explanation will be done in the 4th installment of this Eye Makeup Tutorial for Asian Eyes series - Defining the Contour Area.
Contour Area
I like to use Contour Area and Orbital Rim interchangeably.
A transition color is usually placed at the Contour Area, to transit from the eyelid color to the brow bone highlight. One color can be used as a transit color on the Contour Area, but it can also be divided into a gradual transition of colors, moving towards the brow bone.
For Asians, there is no clear indication (just by looking) of where the Contour Area is exactly, unlike in the Caucasian eye where the Crease is at the Orbital Rim. In that case, you want to apply the transition color at the Orbital Rim, and blend the color out so that there won’t be an artificial-looking line sitting on an unseen indentation.
Therefore, instead of trying to fake a Crease that isn't there (like if you have a low Fold or none at all), ignore the Fold and transfer your energy to work on the Contour Area.
By sweeping eyeshadow above the Fold onto the Contour Area, you bring instant lift to the eyes and enhance the shape of the eye area.
If this is not clear yet, an entire tutorial on Defining the Contour Area will be covered in the 4th installment of this Eye Makeup Tutorial for Asian Eyes series.
(I know this is hard! =S I took a long time to figure it out too!)
Outer-V
As if it is not already hard enough to locate the Outer V on the Caucasian eye, the lack of overlapping of the Crease and Contour Area on the Asian eye makes the task even more daunting.
To start, imagine a line extended out from the Lower Lash Line, but not beyond the Border (to be covered in a while). That is one stroke of the ‘V’.
In Caucasian eye makeup talk, the other stroke of the ‘V’ is found on the ‘Crease’. Easy. The Outer V is also called the Outer Crease, because it really lands on their Crease. But I prefer not to use the word ‘Crease’ for the Asian eye to eliminate confusion.
Since we Asians cannot use the ‘Crease’ as an easy way out, the other stroke of the ‘V’ is usually found sitting on the Orbital Rim. You can see from the diagram above that the upper stroke is above the Fold. This will be the case for most Asians. Again, you want to blend the Outer V out well so that it does not look too unnatural on the Asian Eye.
Placing a dark color on the Outer V creates shadows and brings more depth to the eye.
Because there is much more to discuss on the topic of the Outer V, a detailed tutorial on Defining the Outer V will be covered in the 3rd instalment of the Eye Makeup Tutorial for Asian Eyes series.
Kinda heavy, isn’t it, the top parts?
*Phew
Now what’s left are the easy parts, because there are no obvious differences for these parts between the Asian and Caucasian eye.
Highlight
The Highlight area is also known as the Brow Bone Highlight because, well, the Brow Bone Area (aka Contour Area) is right below and placing a highlight above that makes it the Brow Bone Highlight. Geddit? =D
The Highlight area is directly below the brow, and a light or bright shade like white, beige, silver, is placed here to make it stand out when light hits the face.
This area can be larger or smaller than the area I circled on my eye. My favorite Highlight colors are Shroom from MAC and Vermeer from ABH Modern Renaissance.
Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Hair
Oh, one little difference I need to mention between Asian and Caucasian eyes is that the brow bone highlight will look more noticeable on the Caucasian eye because of a more pronounced brow ridge.
Upper Lash Line
The Upper Lash Line is where you apply eyeliner. This must be the most understood area of the eye. Haha!
My HG liquid eyeliner is the Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner. You get great control and smooth application from the brush to create the sharpest, smudgeproof eyeliner flicks. Apply eyeliner as close to the Upper Lash Line as possible. Tightline the Waterline with a creamy eye pencil like Clio Sharp So Simple Waterproof Pencil Liner, then apply your smudgeproof-waterproof mascara.
I used to enjoy gel eyeliners as they work best on my oily eyelids and the pigmentation is top of the line. My favorite gel liner was the Kate Gel Liner in BK-1 (review). I liked the Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black Ink (review) too.
This is also where false eyelashes should be applied, as close to the Upper Lash Line as possible.
Done with the upper part of the eye! YAY!
Lower Lash Line
You can have great fun with the Lower Lash Line too!
Just like the Lid and Upper Lash Line, the Lower Lash Line can be divided into inner, middle, and outer. If you divide the Lid into vertical thirds, you can follow the exact order in which the three eyeshadow colors are placed.
Alternatively, you can simply use dark eyeshadow colors to create a smokey look. Smaller eyes should avoid using black or dark brown all along the Lower Lash Line as these colors on the Lower Lash Line tend to make the eyes look smaller. A dark color can be used on the outer 1/3 of the Lower Lash Line, a mid tone on the middle, and a lighter color on the inner 1/3.
Some people use eyeliners on the Lower Lash Line. My favorite is a gorgeous dark brown glittery pencil from Clio that I've been using for years. When I'm in the mood for something extra, I'll top it up with a reddish brown color like Venetian Red or Love Letter from ABH Modern Renaissance. Warm colors look much nicer on my NC25 skintone rather than cool colors.
It is definitely alright not to put anything on the Lower Lash Line as well, but I prefer to apply a color or two for balance and dramatic definition.
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Waterline
Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
The Waterline is the watery area that is close to the eyeball. There are two – the upper and lower.
The UpperWaterline is where Tightlining is done – a method used to give the illusion of thicker eyelashes with the use of a black (typically) eyeliner.
On the LowerWaterline, some people use beige, white, silver to make the eyes appear bigger by visually extending the area. Or black, to give that dark look, but unless you have large eyes that won’t get compromised by black, try not to rim the entire eye with black liner.
I love Tightlining my UpperWaterline, but nothing stays or works on my Lower Waterline. After realizing that I am allergic to eyeliners on my LowerWaterline, especially eyeliners with shimmer, I don't touch it anymore and don't feel I'm missing out at all.
Border
I mention the Border here to show where eye makeup should not go beyond. An imaginary line can be drawn from the edge of the Outer Lower Lash Line towards the edge of the brow.
Normally, no color or line is place on or beyond the Border, unless an artsy look is intended – some people place rhinestones or draw dots at the border or extend eyeshadow way beyond the line.
While it is important to keep regular or even dramatic eye makeup within that zone, don't go draw a harsh line along the border or abruptly stop there. Remember to diffuse any color so that it looks naturally faded out.
In the next episode of this series, we will look into the Vertical Gradient Method of eyeshadow application.
Alright! Hope you enjoyed and benefited from the first installment of the Eyeshadow Tutorials for Asian Eyes series!
Let me know what you think! =D
Eyeshadow Tutorials for Asian Eyes series
Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Eyes
Part 1: Where to Apply Eyeshadow
Part 2: Vertical Gradient Method
Part 3: Defining the Outer V
Part 4: Defining the Contour Area
Best Mac Eyeshadow For Asian Skin
Part 5: Horizontal Gradient Method