What Makes An Eyeshadow Great - With Cassandra McClure

Cassandra's advice: choose an eyeshadow that applies easily with just one swipe, or that has a coverage that’s very buildable. One swipe of the shadow should give you the pigment you’re looking for, or at least a base to keep building up the color with.

On ĀTHR Beauty: the formulas are very creamy and soft – just a light touch will give you major color payoff.

For success with eyeshadows, blending is key. A blend-able eyeshadow will slide across the lid easily and won’t settle into the skin on contact.

On ĀTHR Beauty's Palettes: I love them because they blend easily using just your fingers! They of course work with a brush as well, but having both options is great.

As a clean and sustainable Makeup Artist, the formulation and packaging are very important to me. A lot of my clients experience irritation & sensitivity to harsh chemicals so I only choose non-toxic products that are safe for use on everyone, including pregnant or nursing women.

On ĀTHR Beauty: I love that the formula is not only completely clean, but all the ingredients are sustainably and ethically sourced. The zero-waste packaging is just next-level and I hope the rest of the industry follows suit.

On the removal of mirrors: Since I travel a lot with my kit, I look for packaging that travels easily and isn’t too bulky or heavy. I am so onboard with removing mirrors from palettes – no one uses them and I always travel with my lighted makeup mirror anyway.

In my profession, multi-use products are essential. Any item that's taking up space in my kit must work in multiple ways for my clients. ĀTHR Beauty's palettes are a fantastic example of this, I have used their shadows for:

• Filling in the brows
• On the cheeks as a blush
• As a bronzer and/or highlighter
• On the lips under gloss
• As an eyeliner (top and bottom)
• In the hairline to mask greys or thinning areas

This is why safe ingredients are so important. When you’re wearing these products near your eyes or on your lips, you don’t want to be questioning their safety.

On ĀTHR Beauty: The formula is unique because of the ultra-nourishing ingredients. It’s nice to know that the shadows are not only clean, but that my clients are receiving additional skin benefits while they wear them.

A well-thought-out palette should have a range of shades (at least 6) that complement each other and look great on most skin tones. As a Makeup Artist this is a must, but also for the everyday woman, you want a selection of shades you can actually wear!

On ĀTHR Beauty: I’ve found these palettes can be used on almost anyone. There’s a good variety of shades and finishes (matte, shimmer, duochrome, metallic, satin). Also, the shadows work well with each other and with other shadows.

And for day-to-night: you can easily bump up your look by layering one of their shimmers over a matte or by adding a dramatic cut crease.

Cassandra chooses shadows that are easy to work with, that you can wear both day & night, and that resist fading, creasing, or fallout.

On the ĀTHR Beauty palette: the shadows go on very creamy and soft. They aren’t harsh on the eyes and don’t flake all over the place. I also love their workability; you can easily apply all the shadows with just your fingers if you like! They work on oily skin, dry skin, and with/without a primer which is great for just about everyone.

This is a common one that lots of people miss – they’ll just apply shadow on the lid and forget the bottom. Take the color all around your eye to bring the whole look together.

If you dip into multiple shadows with the same applicator, the result can look muddy.

This is another common mishap – people will apply all the shadows and then save blending for the end. This can also create a muddy, messy appearance. Blend each area (and each color) before adding more colors.

Find an inspiration picture on Pinterest! It helps to have an idea of the direction you’re going in and the end-result you want.

If you have oily skin, are in a hot climate/higher altitude, your shadows will be more prone to creasing. To combat this, make sure your lids are cleansed and use a primer if you need to. Layer eyeshadow on in thin layers. If you’re still having trouble – spray a setting spray on a brush and pat on top of the shadow after you’ve applied.

Lean more towards the matte shades. If you’re using a shimmer, use one like ĀTHR Beauty’s that has skin-smoothing ingredients built in. It’s one of the only shimmers I would use for mature skin because of its nourishing formula.

Cassandra recommends purple and pink shades for something extra and golds/browns/neutrals for your everyday look. For darker skin tones, lean towards brighter colors for better visibility against your skin.

Earth tones look beautiful with blue/green eyes, and you can always work with golds, browns, blacks, grays to really make the lighter eyes pop. For more fun, try an aqua for blue eyes or an orange for hazel eyes!

Really though, there are no rules. Put the palette up next to your face in the mirror and see which shades bring out your eyes. Experiment, have fun with it!

Another thing I tell my clients: Find a celebrity that has similar coloring to you (eye color, skin tone, and hair color) and go through their red carpet looks for inspiration! This is a great place to start - try recreating their different beauty looks one at a time.