You're Doing It Wrong: Blending Liquid Eye Shadow

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New York Fashion Week may be over, but Halloween prep is already underway.

Lucky for you, the makeup tricks we learned backstage at the runway shows can easily assist in the makings of your next Taylor Swift , Handmaid's Tale or Wonder Woman costume.
Take, for example, liquid eye shadow, the trendy product every beauty brand from Dior to Stila to e.l.f. Cosmetics is touting. Before NYFW, we would apply the product, diffuse it out with a blending brush, only to see pigment entirely fade. Or, it would either get all over the place or not blend at all.

With your busy schedule, you'd rather just use powder than go through the fuss that comes with liquid eye shadow, right? Turns out, those tiny, disposable brushes in your small shadow palettes may be useful for something.

Stila global executive director of creative artistry, Sarah Lucero, has the ultimate trick for you. The beauty pro, who led the makeup efforts behind such shows as Cinq a Sept, Cynthia Rowley and Banana Republic, believes in a minimal-fuss technique, she told E! News.
Once you glide the liquid shadow across your lid, let it dry a bit before building on more. When blending, use a small brush provided in eye shadow compacts (you know, the ones you never use)—rather than a blending or shadow brush, which can be too large and disruptive, Sarah advised. The compact brush is small and able to get into the lid crease and eye corners without lifting up pigment.

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When it comes to application, "less fuss is more," according to the pro. After your first applicator brush or finger swipe, try to refrain from moving the product too much until it's semi-dry and ready for a different coat. It'll look better the less you touch it, the expert assured us.
Whether you're going for an ethereal fairy look or just really love the consistency of liquid eye shadows for everyday wear, this trick will help with blending—and finally make use of those tiny brushes you were probably never going to use.
We call that a win-win.