 In today's Monday makeup lesson, I want to share some tips and tricks on how to improve your eyeshadow application. I have been a makeup artist for 10 plus years now and I still have to remind myself of these steps from time to time, but these are also great for beginners and should hopefully help you improve your eye makeup application. But before we get started with all that, if you are new here to the Make a Chair channel and you enjoy tutorials like this, then I might suggest hitting the subscribe button below. It's totally free. And if you're already subscribed, then thank you and welcome back. And with all that said, let's get started. Tip number one, to set or not to set, that is a question I want you to ask yourself. By now we all know the benefits of applying an eyeshadow primer. It helps your eyeshadows to last longer, creates a blind canvas for you to work on, especially if it's tinted like the one that I use. But one extra step that I always do is I apply a light wash, or in other words a sheer layer of an eyeshadow or a translucent powder over the primer to remove any of that damp tackiness, stickiness that the primer can leave behind on the lid. This is a great step if you're applying dark shadows because the texture of the base and the texture of the shadow are going to be the same and therefore they will blend so much smoother. However, for some, a sticky primer will actually give the shadows more grip and this will prevent that muddy finish. So even though I am a setter and that's what works best for me, if you always end up with that overblended kind of muddy effect where all the shadows are kind of blending together a little bit too much, try not setting the lid. This will leave that tacky finish, add more grip and this will help you be a bit more precise with your application. Now if you're not sure which one is going to work best for you, then next time you're testing out a makeup look, set one eye with primer and leave the other one slightly damp and then just apply as usual. This will help you figure out what works best for you. On the topic of eyeshadow primer, I did have a question that came in last week from HP and they say, hey sweetie, I guess I must be really confused about eyeshadow primer. Last time I asked you why it's not applied beneath the lower lashes and this time I'm wondering why you don't apply it all the way up to the brows when you know you're going to be putting eyeshadow there and I'm so glad you asked me this because I need to clarify I do apply primer from the lash line all the way up to the brow. I know when I'm applying it I tend to focus on the lid and the crease because that's the main areas I want to focus on but as I blend this out it does go all the way up to the brows. Just the main attention is going to be on the lid area and any of the oiliest parts or the areas of the eye where I'm applying the most amount of shadow. But thank you for bringing this to my attention because I know it doesn't look so clear in the clips that I show so I really appreciate you asking this my friend but yes you do apply it from the lash line all the way up to the brow completely covering the eye area. Tip number two, slow it down. This is something that I am guilty of this sweeping over and back really quickly. The windscreen wiper motion. This is how I learned to apply shadows and it's what I'm most comfortable with. However not all looks need that quick over and back and some eyeshadows are actually best applied a little slower. It also depends on the look that you're creating, the depth that you want and your actual eye shape so let me explain. If you follow your natural eye shape the curve and the contour of your eye and this over and back motion work great together because the eye shape does some of the work for you so you're basically just following along with the curve. However the older I get the more in my eye moves and this sweeping over and back motion and applying the shadows really quickly is actually ending up in areas that I don't want. By slowing it down I create a much better shape and I can be a little bit more precise on where I need it. This is also a great technique for hooded eyes, mature eyes on even eyes so if you have uneven eyes where one of them needs to be slightly adjusted slow down your application. This will just avoid you following the natural shape of your eye. It's also great if you're creating a look that works against your natural eye shape so if you have say round eyes but you want to create a foxy look, slow down your blending to avoid the natural curve of your eye from ruining the look. Tip number three, get cozy, layering eyeshadows. I don't know why I need the steps like this but just bear with me. So layering your eyeshadows is another way of mixing the shadows together but it's actually happening on the lid itself instead so say you have two eyeshadows, a light and a dark and you really want something in between. Apply one, for me I applied the lighter of the two, then apply the darker one and then reapply the lighter one. This will prevent that dreaded mismatch that you can get from picking up a little bit of shadow on both of the brushes, applying it on your eye only to realize that your eyes don't match because it's impossible to get the same mix again and again but applying one at a time will give you a lot more control. So you're almost mixing it right in front of you rather than mixing it on the brush and then having to make so many more adjustments because it's not going to blend the same way. It also creates a lovely smooth clean blend so if your blend is always a little bit too harsh try out this technique. Step number four, be a night owl and get some light inspiration. Again I don't know why I named them these things but I just thought it would be more fun. As I talked about in my last video if there is a shadow that you have never tried, a texture, a shade that is so out of your comfort zone, before you go to bed and remove your makeup apply that shadow. Just apply it over what you already have on your eye. I am a night owl, I get really inspired at night even though I also wake up really early in the morning but grabbing that shadow I'm afraid of and applying it over everything I've already applied without that worry that I have to wear it all day is really inspiring and because I probably have lashes and mascara and some of the framework done I don't have to go to all those extra steps and go to all that extra hassle of completing the look. I get to actually see how the shadow is going to work for me and you never know you might end up finding a shade that you really love but was just always afraid to try. Tip number five, a eraser pen but for your lashes. I also talked about this in my last video but you want to check your lashes before you finish a look especially if you have any like frosted shades or loose pigments that you've applied because they might end up on your lashes and no amount of mascara is going to cover that fallout. So that's why I use an eyeliner to cover that fallout. Yes we're just darkening the fallout but it works pretty well. I always end up with that light inner corner on my lashes and it drives me bananas but you also want to watch for the outer corner as well as you can see I miss that outer corner but that's why I'm here to make the mistakes so you don't have to. This will help frame your look completely and create that really nice depth of darkness right on those lashes which is what I love. So those are my top tips for improving your application but if you do have any questions you can definitely leave them below. I will either get back to you directly or they might feature in an upcoming video. If you'd rather they didn't feature in a video that's totally okay as well just let me know and I will get back to you directly and if there's anyone that you know who would benefit from learning some extra techniques then maybe send them this video so we can all learn together and as always my friends be kind to yourself be kind to others and I had a pretty tough week last week so I'm trying to tell myself that I'm proud of myself for getting through it and I want you to do the same. So tell yourself that you're proud of yourself and you're doing the best that you can and I will see you guys in a video really soon.