The Best Eyeshadow Ever Isn’t Eyeshadow At All
I love a good smokey eye, but until recently, my greasier-than-normal eyelids were seriously messing up my shadow game. Layering lid primer and sealing everything with a coat of makeup-grade shellac helped, but everything began to settle and crease after just a few hours of wear. Heartbroken, I’d scrub off my eye makeup and wonder if maybe I should just limit myself to mascara.
And that’s when I discovered that MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner ($16.50, MAC Cosmetics) makes the perfect eyeshadow. Like penicillin, this discovery was a fortuitious accident: I was going through my makeup closet (yes, I said closet), testing all the products I hadn’t looked at in a while. I ran across an unopened jar of Deliciously Rich, a taupe shade that I’d always thought was a little too light for the graphic cat eyes I gravitate towards. I smeared a little on my hand and was stunned at how blendable, how gorgeously pigmented and how sparkly it was. I immediately knew that I needed this glorious grey-brown on my eyelids; I mean, who can say no to incredibly fine copper and gold microglitter?
The results were phenomenal. I’ve never been a major fan or gel or cream shadows because they crease too easily on me, but this liner is another story. Without primer, it lasted an insane 12 hours on my oily eyelids (including through a rainstorm) without creasing or fading in the slightest. It came off easily with an oil cleanser, and the glitter didn’t adhere to my skin afterwards. Could this be the answer to my eyeshadow prayers, I wondered.
The answer is yes. I’ve since tried a variety of the Fluidlines as eyeshadow, and they are all absolutely flawless. I’ve found that they blend best when applied with fingers, rather than a brush—this helps give a smooth, uniform wash of color to your lids. You need to move fast once you apply the color, as they set within ten seconds, so don’t sleep on your blending game. My preference is for shimmery shades like Our Secret and Macroviolet, but the flatter shades like the classic Blacktrack work well, too—it just depends on what you’re into. One of the best things about these liners is that they form a perfect base for other eyeshadow—I use Deliciously Rich as my base shade when I do a smokey eye, and it extends the wear of the black and brown powder shadows I use around my lashline like NO other.
I’ve often written about how you should experiment with products, because practically everything in beauty has an alternate, awesome purpose—and this is proof. My new favorite eyeshadows are actually eyeliners, and my holiday party makeup is going to be unstoppable as a result.
More from Daily Makeover: The Easiest Smokey Eye Tutorial Ever
