Notable ingredients: silk tree extract | Number of shades: 3
Best Liquid Eye Shadow: Violette_FR Yeux Paint
Why it’s worth it: For a longwearing, easily spreadable formula that you can swipe on with your fingers, try a liquid formula. For a super pigmented wash of color, Nam loves Violette’s FR Yeux Paint (as does our commerce editor Sarah Han). The doe foot applicator is helpful for dotting just a hint of color on your eyes, then blending with your fingers. Plus, the color payoff from just a little bit of pigment spread across your lids is excellent. The shades, from matte Yves Klein blues (Dieu Blue pictured above) to sparkly purples and pinks, can also be applied with a thin angled brush as an eyeliner.
Number of shades: 15
Best Budget Eye Shadow: Colourpop Supershock Shadow
Why it’s worth it: At $7 a pop, Colourpop’s creamy Supershock shadows deliver high-quality shimmery hues for less than the sale prices of many other options on this list. Available in over a dozen options—from the light periwinkle (Dream Much) seen here, with inflections of pink and silver, to metallic and opalescent white—there are a variety of pretty shades and finishes to choose from. Since they go on a little sheer, they’re also ideal for layering over a base color for extra sparkle, and again, worth a try for accessibility alone.
Number of shades: 14
Frequently Asked Questions
How should people apply individual eye shadows with their fingers?
For single shadows, blending with your fingers versus using a brush is especially encouraged, since you won’t have to get as precise with a single shade as you would layering a number of colors together. Stiles previously told us that she often ditches her brushes in favor of getting her hands dirty. “I use my fingers for shadows all the time, at work and on myself,” she said. “At work, I use them to lay on color in a more concentrated way, and on myself, I use them to create a wash of shadow on the lid.”
On clean skin and with clean hands (give or take some eye primer for added grip), New York City-based makeup artist Yuui Vision has recommended using your ring finger to pick up and apply pigment to the thin skin around your eyes, then blending out the hue with your middle finger. Vision added that you can dab color on the area of your lid where you want to concentrate the pigment, then alternate blending with those two fingers until your look feels complete.
How should people apply eye shadow singles with a brush?
If you prefer more control and precision, using a brush and following the natural shape of your eye can help you buff and smudge your shadow to perfection. Everyone has their go-to makeup bag VIP, and for Nam, one of hers is Chanel’s double-sided eye shadow brush, which includes two retractable brushes (one on both ends). See more of our expert-recommended makeup brush recommendations here.
What are the best single eye shadows for people with oilier or crepier lids?
For people whose lids get as oily as third-day hair by noon, Nam says an eye shadow primer (her favorite is Urban Decay’s Primer Potion) is key. She also recommends switching out your powder eye shadow for a long-lasting liquid eye shadow, stick, or pot. “The best part of using a non-powder eye shadow is that you can easily create a beautiful and fast eye shadow using your fingers,” she says. “Use it alone and swipe on your favorite mascara.”