Ways to Wear Red Eyeshadow (Guest Post by Wakenda)

Hey! My name’s Wakenda, and I love colorful indie eyeshadows. If your like me, you probably have a few colors in your stash that you’re not quite sure what to do with. Sure, swatches are gorgeous on your arm, but how do you use them on your face?

Red eyeshadow is one of those colors that can be totally intimidating. When I first got into indies I had no idea what I would ever do with it. But as I’ve branched out, it’s developed into one of my favorite colors to wear, in part because it’s bolder and more out there than the neutrals and purples I used to stick to. So today I’d like to share some ideas on how to use the red eyeshadows sitting in your stash.

This is pretty much the first look that I ever did with red eyeshadow, and it’s a great place to start if you’r new to the color, because it’s simple and pretty and the red’s there, but not too bold. It reminds me of the patch of red on a delicious fresh peach!

For this peachy look, I used Hello Waffle’s Cortexiphan, Fey and 23. I primed my lids and then applied Fey, a gorgeous peachy rosy gold, all over my lid, concentrating on the inner portion. 23, a pinky gold, goes on the outer third to half of the lid. Then I used a very fine tapered brush to carefully apply a line of Cortexiphan, a warm red with a satin finish, directly into the outer half of my crease. I angled another line of red up and out from my outer corner to meet the first line in a V. Then I used a clean, fluffy blending blush to blend, blend, blend! The goal is for the original line of red to be entirely diffused. When all the harshness of the red is blended out, you can stop blending, add some winged liner and mascara and call it done!

This one is a pretty classic smoky eye look, with red added to the lid. With my more hooded eyelids, the red stays pretty subtle when my eyes are open. I feel very gothic, but that’s appropriate for a look that uses shadows named after two vampires and the hellmouth on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

For this smoky eye, I used three colors from Notoriously Morbid‘s Slay Me collection, Boca Del Infierno, Bloody Awful Poet and Gypsy Curse. As always, I primed my lids before I began with the shadows. I pressed Boca del Infierno, a matte burgundy red, all over my lid, making sure the coverage was rich and even. Then I used a q-tip dipped in some facial lotion to tidy up the edges and made sure the shape was flattering to my face and even on both sides. This left crisp edges to be blended out later. Then I used a flat brush to press Bloody Awful Poet, a matte black, into my upper lashes and on top of the outer corner of the red, like I was tracing over the bottom edge of the shape I’d drawn with the red shadow. I blended the two together. Next I took a round blending brush and used Gypsy Curse, a matte taupe/grey, to blend out the entire top edge of the red shadow, eliminating any harsh edges. I lined my upper lashes and lower waterline with black pencil liner, and then smudged some more red below the outer third of my lower lashes. I finished with curled lashes and a heavy coat of mascara.

I wanted to pair red liner with a contrasting color. As I was looking through my stash, Shiro’s Glowstick of Destiny caught my eye, so I decided to go with a patriotic red, white and blue look. I love how sparkly and fun this look is, and will probably wind up wearing something similar when the Fourth of July finally rolls around.

For my Fourth of July-inspired look, I used Shiro’s Unforgettable, Glowstick of Destiny and Cake! I primed my entire eye area and then carefully patted Fyrinnae‘s Pixie Epoxy, a glitter fixative, onto my mobile lid. I waited 20 seconds for it to set and then patted plenty of Glowstick of Destiny, a pale blue with a strong gold duochrome, on top. I used my highlighting brush to sweep Cake!, a white with a reddish sheen, from my crease up to my brow. Then I applied black liquid liner along my upper lashes, winging it out at the outer corners. I mixed Unforgettable, a sparkly red, with Darling Girl’s Superstar Serum and used a liner brush to trace the mixture along the upper edge of the black liner. I also mixed some Superstar Serum with Cake and applied it on the lower waterline. I finished the look with a coat of black mascara.

So there you have it. Three ways to actually wear your red eyeshadows, from the mattes to the sparklebombs. Are any of these looks you’d consider? I think the third one’s my favorite, which definitely surprised me. It just feels fresh and fun. If none of these looks are your style but you have reds you’d like to find a way to wear, check out my blog. I have a bunch more red eyeshadow looks over there. Thanks for reading, and thanks for having me, Luna!

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