5 Eyeshadow Tips for Korean Eye SHapes

I used to work so hard on recreating makeup looks from YouTube. I’d copy step by step and get all the same products, only to open my eyes and be disappointed. When my eye was open, I couldn’t even see the look! It was so sad, and for the longest time, I accepted that eyeshadow looks just didn’t work on me. Now that I know that’s absolutely NOT TRUE, I’m very excited to share with you the techniques I’ve learned for applying everyday eyeshadow that shows up on my eye shape!

Since along with the tips, there is a step by step tutorial on how to get the look from the post’s cover photo, I’m starting out with showing you the palette I used in the photos (Huda Beauty Nude Light):

Huda Beauty Nude Light Palette. Colors used: bottom middle (light peachy pink), bottom right (warm pinky brown), middle right (pink shimmer)

Just a note about trying K beauty looks: The colors I seem to see K Beauty posts use most currently are browns, soft pinks, and tans. Korean marketing seems to blend out shadows more when they show off the swatches, while in the US, they are all about how bold a shadow’s color can be with just one swipe. If you only have crazy pigmented US brand colors, well - so do I, and you can still get the soft K beauty look! Tap excess product off your eyeshadow brush after dipping in or blend it on your hand first to soften the pigment. And for the record, this is not to say you shouldn’t use a bold color - you should always go with what you like most - but for beginners, a softer color can help show you the placement so you can build up the color later if you want to.

The three colors I used from the above palette were the three bottom right shades. Specifically: bottom middle (light peachy pink), bottom right (warm pinky brown), and middle right (pink shimmer). Here’s what they look like swatched on my arm:

Shade 1, Shade 2, Shimmer

Now on to the tips!

First, try applying the shadow with your eyes open! I never tried to do it that way until I saw it in K Beauty tutorials. I don’t remember the exact video, but once it was pointed out, I saw that in most K-beauty posts, the looks were being applied with the eye open. And it makes sense - if you want the look to actually show on your eyelid (whatever the shape may be), applying it with your eye open will tell you exactly what it will look like with no surprises later.

This tip may seem silly or obvious, but in a way, that’s kind of the theme of the whole blog. When I saw things working for everyone but me, I felt sad and assumed I just was just excluded. It simply didn’t occur to me there was another way. Now, I am here to tell you there is room for every feature to shine in the world of beauty!

Second, and I know this tip may seem intimidating to try at first, but apply shadow all over the lid and slightly above the crease, halfway up to the eyebrow. After you apply, blend the color out toward your brow so there are no harsh lines like so:

(Step 1) Left: where to apply shade 1 ;Right: result after step 1

I don’t know about you, but the tutorials I was watching in the 2010’s always talked about applying or blending shadows “in the crease” and “highlighting the brow bone”, so applying shadow this in between section seemed really intimidating to me. The first time I tried it I was thinking “this looks like too much”. But, I was only feeling that way because I was actually seeing it show up on my face for once!

Third, just like any look I used to follow, a darker color can be used in the outer corners of base shade area for some more dimension. But also try applying the darker color to the lower area of the base shade. This can help the the colors from looking too distinct like so:

(Step 2) Left: where to apply shade 2 ;Right: result after step 2

This fourth step is optional, but sometimes can make for a really cohesive eye look and can complement dark eyes. If you have read past posts, this may seem familiar: You may want to try putting shadow well below the lower lash where the eye “puffs“ out the skin like so:

(Step 3) Left: where to apply shade 1 ;Right: result after step 3

The fifth and last tip is about my favorite part of any eyeshadow look: a shimmer topper. Any tutorial I can remember advised me to put the shimmer on top of the shadow on the whole eyelid. So I did - and I had a very pretty shimmer every time I blinked. Try putting shimmer on the area similar to where the base shade went to get very pretty shimmer all the time. Add some mascara and here’s the final look and the difference this final tip can make:

Left: Result of step 4 and final look; Right: result of only putting shimmer on the eyelid

Did these tips work for you? Let me know at @AdoptedBeauty on Instagram!