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Fun Fact #10893: I used to make beauty videos on Youtube.

Hold on there pal: close that tab you just opened because I scrounged the internet and completely wiped all traces of my slightly embarrassing adventures as an amateur vlogger. Thank goodness.

Today, I’m heading back to my “roots” and I’m bringing you some of my favorite eyeshadow looks using my absolute favorite palette: Urban Decay’s Naked 3 Palette. Honestly, the entire Naked line is a great investment for beginner makeup users. They offer a wide variety of eyeshadow looks with 10 or 12 eyeshadow colors.

It can be used on varying skin tones and offers natural looking eyeshadow looks every time. The quality is soooo nice: the smooth and vibrant color is what kept me purchasing each new palette in the line. I totally recommend these to anyone! And if you are feeling overwhelmed about how to use them keep reading for some easy instructions and looks!

Eyeshadow Basics

Before we begin with the color choices and my recommendations, you’ll need to know some terms and I’ll make some recommendations on brushes–that I also love using and will make for some flawless makeup looks.

Vocabulary:

• Lid- This is typically where you’re going to apply your basic color and/or you’re matte base color to even out the eye lid. I like to apply a base color, typically matte, because your eyelids are naturally oily and can sometimes cause uneven application of eyeshadow.
• Inner Lid- The inner lid is the inner half of the eyelid and typically a lighter color is applied here to really help brighten and enhance your natural eye beauty.
• Outer Lid- The outer lid is the outer half of the eyelid and typically a darker color is used to enhance the shape of the eye and put emphasis on the lighter inner corner. Dimension is added.
• Crease- The darkest color in the look is applied here and adds dimension to the entire eye. Start at the outer corner and add the darker shade on an angle around the natural crease of the eyeball about 3/4th of the way in. BLEND.
• Inner Corner- Apply a lighter color here to make yourself look more awake and give the visual trick of wider eyes!

Tools:

Sigma Shader Brush  // Urban Decay Primer Potion // Angled Crease Brush // Fluffy Blender Brush

• Eyeshadow Primer- I personally use the Urban Decay Original or Sin primer every single day. It’s a part of my everyday makeup look and I absolutely love this stuff! Whenever I’m doing a matte look, I’ll use the original primer, but if I’m feeling more of a shimmer look, I’ll use Sin because it has a little glitter in it that makes it the perfect brow bone shade as well. Primer is good to keep your eyeshadow on all day/night long. As a college student, not having to reapply/touch up your makeup is seriously so nice. Primer is one way to reach that goal.
• Flat Shader Brush- You’ll need this for applying eyeshadow to the lid. I currently use the Flat Shader Brush that comes with the palette, but my mom uses the Sigma brush pictured above.
• Angled Crease Brush- My favorite one is from the brand Elf for $1. I know right. This brush is perfect for flawless application of the shadow to the crease.
• Fluffy Blender Brush- If you’re doing a smokey eye or a little bit more dramatic day time look, you’ll need to blend your crease color with your lid to make it look less dramatic and more clean. A fluffy blender brush can clean up your entire look!

The Looks

Keep in mind that I have a medium/dark complexion, and these looks can all be adjusted to match lighter skin tones. In the Day looks, I would suggest using Nooner or Liar for your crease to lighten it up. Keep the same crease color for the night look for maximum effect!

These are looks that I use personally for different occasions on campus. Look #1 is my everyday eye look because it has a little bit of shimmer, but is really natural. The key to flawless makeup is to enhance your natural beauty. So, for daytime, I keep it very natural and just add a hint of shimmer to accent. I spice it up for “nights on the town”: more shimmer and a little bit of a darker smokey eye is a given.

I hope you enjoyed these looks! Sound off in the comments or on twitter @theswirlblog [Mention us, we respond, I promise.]! If you liked this post, and would like to see more beauty posts (How-tos or what not) let me know! I love your feedback/suggestions.