My Favorite Eyeshadows

My number one favorite type of eyeshadow is Lancome's Color Design Eyeshadow ($16.50). They come in dozens of different colors and can be matte, sheen, shimmery, metallic, or intense. They give great color payoff and hold incredibly well throughout the day.

Volcano, which is a shimmery taupey-gray color is one of my favorites. When paired with warm neutrals, it looks more brown, but when paired with cool colors like blacks and silvers, it looks more gray. I love having that option of transition.

The New Black is a metallic true black packed with tons of silver glitter. I love to use this all over the lower eyelid for a very dramatic look, or blended in at the lashline for a soft, smoky look.

Filigree is a pale, shimmery cream color that can be used with literally just about anything. It's perfect as an all-over starting color, as a highlighter up on the brow bone, or just smudged a little in the inner corner of the eye (doing this brightens the whole eye area).

Personal Style (left) is a shimmery pale aqua that looks amazing with The New Black for a dramatic eye. Fashion Forward (right) looks especially pretty with pale pink in the spring for a candy colored look.

The Fall 2009 Declaring Indigo Color Collection brought us the Indigo Charm color quad. This one was hard to find once it launched because of unbelievable popularity. It has two shades of indigo, both intense, one with gold glitter in it and one with it. The other two shades in the quad are a lighter metallic gold and a darker, almost dirty gold that's also metallic. Paired with red lips, this look was innovative, fresh, and unique.

A few last shades I love are Makeover (a pale shimmery pink), Impress (a metallic chocolate brown), Statuesque (a matte true black), Faux Pas (a matte medium brown), and Designer (a metallic olive green).

This one is Makeover.

This one is Faux Pas.

This is Designer.

Another brand of eyeshadows I love are MAKEUP FOREVER's Singles ($19). They come in matte, semi-matte, and iridescent and have an extensive range of colors. They're soft and easy to blend, but not crumbly.

My favorites are Lavender 9 (a vibrant matte lavender), Neon Pink 75 (a bright matte fuchsia), and Rust Orange 36 (a matte apricot-orange). These are pictured in order below.

MAC's Eyeshadow Singles ($14.50) some of my favorites, too. They are smooth, fine powders that apply evenly and blend easily. I particularly love Chrome Yellow (a matte, vibrant yellow), Beauty Marked (a deep burgundy-ish black with sparkle), and Plumage (a deep, matte teal).

Sephora's Sephora Brand Colorful Eyeshadows ($10-$12) are available in a matte finish, pearl finish, chrome finish, and their newest mono finish that has more intense, bold color. These definitely deserve a mention because they are oustanding - they have a wide range of colors, they're pressed and don't break up easily, and they all blend well. Another honorable mention as far as drugstore brands go would be Cover Girl's Eye Enhancers line ($3.14-$4.84) - they have recently come out with fantastic shades in singles, duos, trios, and even quads, and the quality is really great. The JK Jemma Kidd line (sold exclusively at Target) also has fantastic eyeshadows, running from $16-$29.

I love eyeshadow, and I love lots of bold color. All of these brands I've mentioned have a long list of colors to choose from, and they're all great quality products and I wouldn't recommend them otherwise. Have fun with color - try it in new ways, try out shades you wouldn't normally dare to, and wear it confidently!