Gray Trifecta

It took me forever to find the perfect shimmery gray eyeshadow shades for a base, contour, and liner. So many were matte, didn't spread well, had huge chunks of glitter in them, were tinted toward blue or pink, et cetera. I finally found what I was looking for at Sephora (no surprise there!). These are all powder shadows. The base, which you would normally apply from the lash line to about ¼" below the eyebrows…

Aside: I say "below the eyebrows" instead of how makeup artists say "to the browbone" because for a long time I was confused as to what it meant to apply shadow "to the browbone." I thought it meant applying it up to the eyebrow hairs. I would read that and think, heck no, if I do that, I'm going to look like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show! Maybe that would work in a fashion editorial, but not for a trip to Ralphs! Then I figured out that it meant to apply it up to the top of the eye socket, to the point slightly below the eyebrow where the bone protrudes.

…is the delightful Stila shadow "Cloud."

The medium gray, which took me the longest to find, is surprisingly from Urban Decay. I always thought of that brand as too punky and puerile for me, but when I took a closer look, that wasn't the case. They do have quite a few outrageous colors, but most of the edginess is in the packaging and the shade names, not the product itself. Who knew? The color, inaptly called "S&M," is the ideal shimmery medium gray. I use a long-bristled, dome-headed brush to apply this in the crease, like I'm tracing around the top half of my eyeball with the brush. That said, my gorgeous sister Becca prefers to use her fingers to apply shadow, and I'm sure she would do a fine job of it that way as well. It's really not too tricky. I also add some to the outer corners of my eyes to create the illusion of distance, since my eyes are slightly close-set. Finally, I use a stubby smudge brush to spread a little of this shade just below my bottom lashes.

The third color I use is another Stila shadow called "Pewter." This one is highly pigmented, so make sure you gradually layer on the color until it's just right. I like to use a tiny flat, angled brush to apply this as a liner on the top lid. You can use the brush wet, too. This is not necessary to intensify the pigment, but will help to reduce the little specks that fall off the eyelids during application. It just depends on whether you want a softer, less noticeable line (use dry) or a harder-edged, more defined line (use wet).

For night, I would also blend a little Pewter into the outer half of the crease, and would use that shade with the smudge brush to line all around the eye to create a bold but diffuse look.

The instructions are long for completeness' sake, but this can be done in less than five minutes. Give it a try and tell me what you think!