Don’t get me wrong—makeup-related compliments from anyone at any time are wonderful, but there’s something about receiving a compliment from, um, an actual makeup artist that just kind of transcends all others. Makeup artistry is their profession, after all.
Now, I don’t score this particular kind of coveted remark often, but I have noticed an interesting pattern. Any time a makeup artist has openly admired my makeup, it’s always been on my shimmery shadow MO. And since I pretty much abhor powder and cream formulas, their compliment always befalls whichever liquid eye shadow I happen to be wearing on that blessed day. (Spoiler: I have lots of liquid eye shadows I collect and adore equally.)
As someone who is rather inept when it comes to eye makeup (for years, I strictly wore mascara and maybe a quick flick of liquid liner), my obsession with liquid eye shadow makes sense. While it may sound counterintuitive (liquid equals mess, right?), these types of formulas usually involve way less mess and fallout, they’re easier for me to blend, they’re faster to apply, and they don’t move once they dry. For someone who adores the look of ethereally glimmering eyelids (Hi! Me!), there couldn’t be a better medium. Therefore, I pretty much exclusively wear liquid eye shadows in lieu of the powder options most makeup artists seem to prefer.
Because all of the best liquid eye shadows have scored me loads of compliments over the years and because summer is approaching and ’tis the season for a fuss-free liquid formula to shine, I’m sharing nine of my all-time-favorite liquid eye shadows below. Plus, some game-changing makeup products to pair them with because why would you stop at your lids when compliments are on the table? Keep scrolling.