Matte eyeshadows are great day to night looks – light and breezy for the daytime, but equally alluring and glamorous at night.
Yes, you can achieve the glitz and the glam even without the glitter. Use color, different techniques, and shapes to bring attention to your eyes without a pound of shimmer.
Here’s how to rock it like a model.
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How to Look Like an Instagram Model With Matte Eyeshadow
1. Soft Matte Eyeshadow
We’re loving the romantic vibes from soft matte eyeshadow looks, paired with brushed up brows and feathery lashes. Grab two matte shades and apply the lighter shade all over the lids, and the deeper one on your crease corners.
Finish off with a fierce cat eye to bolden the look, or end with the wispy lashes to maintain the feminine and flirty allure.
Brown isn’t the only way to go, choose a shadow shade based on your eye color. Contrasting colors make each other pop and stand out, so grab your matte eyeshadow palette and evaluate the color wheel.
2. Smoky Matte Eyeshadow
You can always return to the classics, because of the timeless appeal they are always in vogue and 100% reliable.
Dark, smoky eyes have always been done with the best matte shades, and they never needed glitter to make them glamorous – the magnificence is innate.
Grab three shades, two of the same hue, and one pop of color. Paint your entire lids with the lighter of the two shades, apply the darker shade to your crease.
Use the tip of your finger to apply your pop of color shade in the middle of your lids. To bring back light to your face, apply highlighter in areas where the light hits your face: the tip of the nose, above the cheekbone, and your brow bone.
Tip: The best matte eyeshadow for brown eyes will include greens, especially in emerald and olive green tones.
3. Rainbow
Matte is never flat if you make full use of the rainbow. Rainbow shadows are a fun look and a great look to perfect your buffing and blending technique. Focus the darker shades on the crease to highlight your eye shape, and keep the middle of your lids light to create the illusion of larger eyes.
You don’t need to use all the colors of the rainbow, you can choose three contrasting colors and attain the same effect. Not sure which colors to begin with? Go back to the color wheel and choose three opposite colors – could be pink, yellow, and purple/blue!
4. Solid Bold
Grab your best matte eyeshadow singles, pack it all over your lids and call it a day (eyeliner optional)! For this kind of look, opt for a bold color like orange, hot pink, or even mint. These colors have great shock value and will help you cop an electrifying look.
If bold colors are too intimidating for you at the moment, finish off your eye makeup with a classic cat-eye and falsies. This will bring a more classic dimension to your high voltage look. Brown hues will leave you with either a black eye or raccoon eyes and no one wants that.
5. Monochromatte
Elevate your matte eyeshadow look into an entire face makeup look, going monochromatic from eyes, cheeks, and lips. Go for a pretty pink makeup look for your day-to-day. Add drama to your eyes by painting your lower lash line with your most dominant eyeshadow shade.
Don’t have the exact blush match? Use the same eyeshadow shade for your cheeks for a complete shade match hack. Combine your lipsticks until you achieve the right shade, it’s time to get extra creative!
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6. Matte Ombré Eyeshadow
The ombré eyeshadow look is the perfect look if you want to play with matte shades. You’ll be able to create dimension by playing with color, focusing deep shades on your creases and corners and painting the parameters with light shades to open your eyes.
If you want to highlight the colors and the blending technique you so skillfully mastered, keep the lashes minimal as not to cover your work. Eyeliner will also consume a lot of real estate, so tight line instead of your upper lashes.
7. Shadow Liner
Everyone’s exchanging their eyeliner for eyeshadow, creating cat eyes, and Egyptian stares with shadow shades instead. Do your eye makeup as usual, but extend your crease shade and flare upward to imitate eyeliner.
If you’re an eye makeup novice, reach for your favorite shade and paint it all over your lid. Grab a complementary color or a different shade of the same hue and use that for your eyeshadow liner. You can graduate to a wing liner once you’ve mastered the wing.
Tip: Don’t forget to apply primer before painting on your matte eyeshadow. A great primer will lock the powders in place, and help the pigments to really show up. Because we’re using powders close to the lash line, make sure you reach for a waterproof primer!
8. Cut Crease
The cut crease is a technique used to bring out the pigment of a light shade against a dark setting. Cut creases are a great way to achieve polished looks and the lighter pigments at the center of your eyes will really open up those baby blues!
Apply a deeper shade on the outer corners of your eyes, leaving space in the center of your lid for a light shade. Grab your concealer, and apply it where you would tap on your lighter shade. Once the concealer has dried, paint on your cut crease shade and blend it with the rest of your shadows.
9. White Liner
This year has birthed plenty of beauty trends, and the white liner is one for the books! Draw on a white graphic liner to add interest to a subtle matte eye makeup look. White goes with all colors, but make sure your graphic line accentuates the shape of your eyes to bring out your best features.
For downturned eyes, flick the tail end of your liner upward to open up your eyes. Beauties with upturned eyes can imitate the angle of your lower lash line to emphasize your natural cat-eye.
10. Terracotta
Here’s a shade both 2020 and I will never grow tired of! Terracotta shades are best executed in matte textures as it’s best able to portray the natural clay and earth vibe. For an ethereal goddess look, let me introduce you to your new favorite everyday shade.
Paint it all over your lid, or keep it near your lash line. You can get away without a crease shade as long as your blend and diffuse at the outer corners.
Check out Brianna’s beginner tips and tricks to applying eyeshadow:
Feeling more confident with your matte eyeshadow look? Whether you own a Mac matte eyeshadow palette or a great drugstore one, you’re sure to cop luxurious looks! The right color combination, placement, and technique will draw both light and attention to your eyes.
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Which matte eyeshadow makeup look made your eyes pop? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments section below.
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