Every Note Leaves a Mark

I don’t know about you but my favorite part of doing makeup is playing with my eyeshadow. I love to sit and mix colors together, discover different techniques and discover new brands. However, with a lot of us and the time we have in the mornings, being able to actually sit and play with our makeup can be far from our morning routine. With so many new inventions in the beauty industry, the one I have found that really sets everything else apart is eyeshadow pencils. With the pencil that is a liner, primer and pigment all in one, you can create a beautiful, dramatic look in the amount of time it takes to turn on your coffee maker.

I was first introduced to the concept of the eyeshadow pencil about three years ago. I instantly became more interested in them the more I used them and realized that many other companies were coming out with them as well. Although they were on my “want to learn more” list, I ended up taking a two year hiatus from the beauty industry and forgot all about them. That was until just recently when I re-entered the industry and was given five pencils from NOTE Cosmetics to try. I am all about a great dramatic eye, but just like many others, I run out of time in the morning. With these beautiful, full pigmented colors that last all day without creasing, I can get that beautiful smokey effect with no problem.

These pencils, which are paraben free, cruelty free, and vegan, glide on literally like butter. And they are also easy to sharpen. With anything that goes around my eyes, I do tend to get nervous cause I have extremely sensitive eyes. With these there is no problem cause they are made with a sensitive skin formula. I have been using them every day for about a week now and have found little trick to make them work better and stay on longer.

First tip is to make sure your eyelid is completely dry and free from any cakey or clumpy foundation or concealer. I know how sometimes when we put a primer on or our foundation, we tend to not let it dry around the eye—also with these pencils you don’t even need a primer because it is on in itself.

Second, apply it to one eye at a time, blend it in with your finger, and allow it to completely dry for at least 30-40 seconds.

Third, if applying more than one color, apply them quickly together so you can blend them evenly into each other.

And lastly, if your finger is not working, use a nice packing brush to help blend them out to achieve that smokey look.

I personally also like to use the lighter colors as my base color, then build with regular eyeshadow. I apply the shadow pencil to my lid and blend it in with my finger. After it’s dry, I start gently packing in my eyeshadow colors, starting with the lightest shade, and working from there. Trying these different little techniques and playing with the shadow pencils really lets you create a dramatic, beautiful look in little to no time at all. Still, I suggest playing with the pencils and getting to know what they are all about so you feel comfortable doing it.