Eye shadows come in a variety of finishes. The finish determines the way the shadow will look and appear on your eye once applied. The most popular or common finishes are matte or shimmer. Some women prefer matte eye shadows over shimmer eye shadows because they don’t like the glittery look shimmer eye shadows leave on the eye once applied. Others prefer shimmer eye shadows over matte because they prefer the shimmery or glittery appearance these shadows leave on the eye and feel matte eye shadows are too dull. It’s really your preference and what looks best on you depending on factors such as your eye shape.
A matte finish is stark. What you see is what you get. There are no embedded glimmers and matte shadows tend to be true to color.
Matte shadow examples:
Notice the matte finish is true to color and has no glimmers embedded within the pigment
A shimmer finish has obvious glitters embedded in the pigment. These glitters are typically silver or gold or a mixture of both. Some shimmer eye shadows may appear different in color when applied to the eye. This is due to the silver or gold glitters that mix with the primary color. This combined with your skin complexion can change the color of the eye shadow.
Shimmer shadow examples:
Notice the shimmer finish has glitters embedded within the pigment that give the shadow a metallic look.
Which finish do I prefer?
I like both finishes. Sometimes matte eye shadows look too dull on my skin complexion while some shimmer eye shadows can look too glittery. This depends on a number of factors such as the eye shadow brand, the quality of the eye shadow, or how it is applied. Some eye shadow brands have awesome matte finishes but not so great shimmer finishes and vice versa. Also, where you apply the eye shadow on your eye is key in pulling off a look that is cohesive. It’s all about trial and error and having the courage to experiment to find which eye shadows and finishes work best for you.
What I tend to do is pair a shimmer eye shadow with a matte eye shadow. This works best for my eye shape. I have a slight hooded eye. This means you can barely see my eyelid when my eye is open. Also, hooded eyes do not have a noticeable or defined crease. I use an eye shadow application technique which incorporates both a matte and shimmer eye shadow.
Hooded eye example:
My standard eye shadow application technique:
The Lid
I apply a light eye shadow that has a shimmer finish to the lid. This makes my eyelid look more profound and makes my whole eye appear larger.
The Crease
I apply a darker eye shadow shade to the crease of my eye. This application is done very carefully as I do not want to have raccoon eyes. My eyes in general are very small, so if I am not careful when applying darker colors, my eyes will look dark, which will make them appear smaller. For extra drama for those nights out, I will apply an even darker shade to the outermost crease area of my eye. In this case it's ok. Everyone loves a dark smokey eye...I'm no exception!!!
Although I’m not an expert, the eye shadow application technique I just described is based on my own experience and applying eye shadow on other women with hooded eyes.
In conclusion, a matte or shimmer finish are just two examples of eye shadow finishes. Eye shadows come in a wide variety of finishes. Another popular eye shadow type are shadows with a baked finish. These eye shadows combine both matte and shimmer finishes, and look absolutely beautiful when applied with a damp brush.
So, are you a matte or shimmer girl?
I would love to hear from you….
Smooches my beauties!!!!
All images were pulled from google
