If you're a beauty fanatic, chances are, you have one of those giant eyeshadow palettes with at least a dozen shades. It probably felt like the perfect purchase — so many options right at your fingertips. And it's so much cheaper than buying all those singles. But the truth is, eyeshadow palettes can be tricky to navigate, mainly because of the variety of choices they include. More often than not, one tried-and-true color will become your go-to, while others are left almost untouched and inevitably go to waste. And personally, we don't like to play favorites.
Since party season is the perfect opportunity to get out of our color comfort zones, we challenged ourselves to come up with three holiday makeup looks that use just one shadow palette, the Tarte tarteist™ PRO Amazonian Clay Palette (which is cruelty-free and formulated without any nasties like parabens or phthalates). And get this — we mixed, matched, and blended every one of its 20 (yes, 20) colors. Choose a palette that includes a selection of both warm and cool tones, matte finishes, and super-shimmery shades for the greatest variety. Though we went all out to use as many of these velvety-smooth shades as possible, you can of course go with as many or as few shadows as you need, depending on your desired effect. Now, grab your trusty palette and get to work.
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Bright Eyes
While our wardrobes might lean toward neutral, monochromatic themes for the foreseeable future (that’s winter for you), an all-over warm eye in shades of terra-cotta or rich copper can add a little color to your look.
Step 1:
Use a fluffy shadow brush to blend a mixture of hues onto your lids as a base. (We used a combination of burnt orange and deep red.) You can also run one of these tones along your lower lashline in place of eyeliner. Step 2:
Pat a shimmery gold shadow onto the middle of your lid and into the inner corners of the eyes to add dimension and brightness. Step 3:
Buff a deep-copper or chocolate-brown shade (depending on how dark you’d like your look to be) into the outer edge of your crease to give your eyes added depth. Finishing Touches:
Complete your eye makeup with one coat of mascara. Add a touch of color to your lips with a peach lipstick in a matte finish. Then, dust a natural-tinted blush over the apples of your cheeks. Your entire look will be warm and cozy (even if you're not).
Use a fluffy shadow brush to blend a mixture of hues onto your lids as a base. (We used a combination of burnt orange and deep red.) You can also run one of these tones along your lower lashline in place of eyeliner. Step 2:
Pat a shimmery gold shadow onto the middle of your lid and into the inner corners of the eyes to add dimension and brightness. Step 3:
Buff a deep-copper or chocolate-brown shade (depending on how dark you’d like your look to be) into the outer edge of your crease to give your eyes added depth. Finishing Touches:
Complete your eye makeup with one coat of mascara. Add a touch of color to your lips with a peach lipstick in a matte finish. Then, dust a natural-tinted blush over the apples of your cheeks. Your entire look will be warm and cozy (even if you're not).
All That Shimmers
Glitter and the holiday season go together like tinsel and holly, but it can be a hassle to apply. Use shimmery or foil-finish shadows to achieve the same sparkle and pigment — minus the mess.
Step 1:
For this deep, glimmery eye, start with a lighter shade for the base. We used a lavender shadow here. Step 2:
Next, choose your main shadow color, like this rich blue, and pack it onto your lids. Feel free to layer it on, building the color as you go. Step 3:
Apply a dark-purple shadow to the outer corners of your eyes, blending it in for added dimension. (You can also use a black shade if you prefer a darker look.) Finishing Touches:
Brush on a coat of volumizing mascara, like Tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara, but keep your lips light in contrast to the dark eye. Apply a nude matte lip color. Finally, finish with a dusting of highlighter across the tops of your cheekbones for a touch of light.
For this deep, glimmery eye, start with a lighter shade for the base. We used a lavender shadow here. Step 2:
Next, choose your main shadow color, like this rich blue, and pack it onto your lids. Feel free to layer it on, building the color as you go. Step 3:
Apply a dark-purple shadow to the outer corners of your eyes, blending it in for added dimension. (You can also use a black shade if you prefer a darker look.) Finishing Touches:
Brush on a coat of volumizing mascara, like Tarte Maneater Voluptuous Mascara, but keep your lips light in contrast to the dark eye. Apply a nude matte lip color. Finally, finish with a dusting of highlighter across the tops of your cheekbones for a touch of light.
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Smoke Show
Hands up if you have always been told to never, ever wear a bold eye and a strong lip together — we thought so. Well, forget everything you've heard. You absolutely can.
Step 1:
Line both your upper and lower waterlines with black eyeliner. Step 2:
Next, use a fine-tipped shadow brush to sketch out a soft, winged shape that extends slightly past the outer corners of your eyes. We used dark-brown shadow, rather than black, because it's easier to rectify any mistakes with a softer shade. Step 3:
Then, use your brush to drag your shadow along your lower lashline, smudging as you go. There's no need for perfection here. Step 4:
Finally, build some black shadow onto each lid, concentrating on the middle and outer regions, and blend it into a slight winged shape. Add a touch of pale pink or white shadow to the inner corners of your eyes to open them up and keep your eyes from looking droopy. Finishing Touches:
Give your brows some added definition with a coat of brow gel, and dust bronzer over the tops of your cheekbones. Finish with a swipe of bright-red, rule-defying lipstick.
Line both your upper and lower waterlines with black eyeliner. Step 2:
Next, use a fine-tipped shadow brush to sketch out a soft, winged shape that extends slightly past the outer corners of your eyes. We used dark-brown shadow, rather than black, because it's easier to rectify any mistakes with a softer shade. Step 3:
Then, use your brush to drag your shadow along your lower lashline, smudging as you go. There's no need for perfection here. Step 4:
Finally, build some black shadow onto each lid, concentrating on the middle and outer regions, and blend it into a slight winged shape. Add a touch of pale pink or white shadow to the inner corners of your eyes to open them up and keep your eyes from looking droopy. Finishing Touches:
Give your brows some added definition with a coat of brow gel, and dust bronzer over the tops of your cheekbones. Finish with a swipe of bright-red, rule-defying lipstick.
All products by Tarte.