What’s an unsung makeup hero? For me, it’s an oftentimes underrated makeup morsel, a permanent collection product that scoots under the radar screen of many makeup lovers but regularly rocks my world. The long-running Unsung Heroes series features some of my favorites.
I’ve had *three* conversations over the last few days about warm brown eyeshadow palettes.
Have you noticed when you walk into a Sephora, an Ulta or a drugstore that those six-pan palettes with orange browns and reddish browns are everywhere? It’s like, Oh, there’s Urban Decay Naked Heat, and there’s NARS Wanted, and there’s Anastasia Modern Renaissance.
They’re all over the place!
I’m a fan. I think they’re fun. My heart’s all, “Blow out those warm orange-y and red smoky eyes until your wrist falls off, K!” but my mind’s like, “Realistically, you have 15 minutes to do your makeup today, so look for shortcuts.”
Shortcuts: I’m all about them.
I’ve been starting my smoky looks lately by layering two cream shadows together, one lighter and one darker, to jump start the smoky gradient effect.
I might not always have the time to layer and blend with the care that smoky eyes usually need (but who does, really?), but this trick at least gets me halfway there.
This warm matte chocolate brown is Bite Beauty Multistick in Honeywheat ($24), and it’s the lighter shade I’ve been using in most of my smoky eye looks lately. I think it’s the best base shade for those orange-y and reddish brown palettes (or pretty much any nude/neutral palette in your stash).
It’s a multipurpose cream stick for lids, lips and cheeks with a pliable consistency that you can easily push around with your brush. It’s not oily or greasy, though, so it actually stays where it belongs once it sets, which takes about five minutes.
Other creams blend into it easily, too, and powder shadows glide across it without sticking to any spots.
Ingredients
- 5 mg Trans-Resveratrol: Derived from Vitis Vinifera and Polygonum Cuspidatum
- Sugarcane Derived Squalane: Feeds lips and skin with hydration and supports regeneration
- Weightless Amino Acid-Coated Powders: Create a smooth, blendable application
Triisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate*, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate*, Squalane*, Silica*, Coconut Alkanes*, C10-18 Triglyceride*, Cera Albla (Beeswax)**, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter**, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax**, Jojoba Esters*, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax**, Mica*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Wax, Bismuth Oxychloride*, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables*, Flavor*, Stearoyl Glutamic Acid*, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate*, Tocopherol*, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax*, Polyglycerin-3*, Trans-Resveratrol*, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil**. +/- May Contain: Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891)*, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499)*, Carmine (Ci 75470)*, Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Red 40 Lake (Ci 16035), Manganese Violet (Ci 77742)*. *Natural, **Organic.
Most of the time I use it on bare lids and draw a few chunky strokes along my lash line. Then I feather it out with a domed brush as I move up toward my crease and brow bone. After that, I blend a darker cream shadow directly on top to start the smoky gradient.
For a super fast smoky eye, you can even stop right there.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
