My Holy Grail Eye Makeup Products

When it comes to getting my full makeup done, I always spend more time on my eyes than the rest of my face. My tiny eyelid space has gone through many eye makeup products, but now I’m glad I don’t have to spend too much money figuring out what works for me.

Eye makeup is very important to learn, because it can transform one’s look from dainty to dramatic. Whether I’m aiming for a simple everyday look or I want to show my makeup blending skills, I always find myself gearing towards these five holy grail eye makeup products.


Eye Shadow Primer

I used to skip eye shadow primer before, but now I realize how important this is when it comes to prolonging the eye shadow and making the colors stand out. For my primer, I use MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, one of the most popular shades in the paint pot line. This one has yellow pigments which work well with my medium, Asian skin. The other popular shade is Painterly which works better for those with pink undertones.

Technically, MAC Paint Pot is a cream eye shadow, but a lot of makeup enthusiasts use this as a primer or eye shadow base. I find that this product keeps my eye shadow in place for 6 hours or so (8 hours in cold climates), which is a good thing because I have slightly oily eyelids. If I don’t use this primer, I'd see my eye shadow building up on the crease when my eyelids become oily throughout the day.

Using the Paint Pot can be tricky and the method of applying it works differently on every person. When I first used it, I dabbed the product on my eyelid using my ring finger. The heat from my finger somehow “melts” and softens the product so it was easy to apply. However, the product can dry up pretty easily as the cream gets exposed everytime the lid is opened. When this happened, applying the product with my finger became difficult, so I put eye cream on my lids and then immediately apply MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot with a flat, synthetic brush.

Price: Php 1,100+ at MAC Philippines counters, US$ 22 at Maccosmetics.com
Shade I use: Soft Ochre

Tartelette in Bloom: my everyday eye shadow palette

Tartelette in Bloom palette: browns, peaches, taupe, and chestnut shades

Eye Shadow Palette

I’ve gone through a dozen palettes and countless single eye shadows, but I just find myself constantly using Tartelette in Bloom from Tarte and the Modern Renaissance by Anastasia Beverly Hills. Both palettes are cult favorites. Although these palettes are quite on the high-end side, they are a value for money, for I don’t think I’ll need more eye shadow palettes for the next two years (or even more). These high quality eye shadows are easy to blend and provide excellent color pay-off. Plus the packaging of each product is so chic!

For an everyday natural look, I prefer to use Tartelette in Bloom since the colors are more on the neutral side. The shades picked for this palette work well together and they give a modern touch on the usual neutral brown palette. This includes a mixture of warm taupes, peaches, browns, and reddish brown colors.

I like how there are more warm than cool tones because warmer toned eye shadows look great on medium skin. The palette has 9 matte and 3 shimmery finishes. Sometimes, shimmer shadows are chunky and patchy, but the ones from Tartlette in Bloom apply well on the lids. For the base shadow my top picks are flower child and smarty pants. I use sweetheart and rebel on my crease, both looking good when blended. My go-to shimmer shade is funny girl which I deposit on the center of my lids with my ring finger. To darken the outer corners of my lids, I mostly use leader. And to line my lower lash line, I combine leader and activist. Oh and I love how Tartelette in Bloom smells like marshmallows!

Price: Php 2,500-3,000 (Shopee PH and online resellers), US$ 46 at Tartecosmetics.com

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance: Look how pretty those berry shades are!

Now for special events and more dramatic looks, I pick my Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette. I thought beauty influencers were just exaggerating on how good this palette is until I ordered mine from Beautylish.com. I get superb pigmentation even if I just barely dip my brush into the shadow pan. The palette can get messy because of the shadows’ powder kick-up, but I’ve learned to be light handed when using the Modern Renaissance.

The most striking feature of this palette is its unique color selection. The 14 shades present a contemporary look on the colors used in Renaissance paintings. Warm bold berries, browns, and oranges are in matte finishes, while shell and golden hues are in fine, metallic finishes which look stunning when light hits the eyelids. Believe it or not, I already used every color in this eye shadow palette!

There’s something about this color scheme that excites my creativity and makes me want to create different looks. Sometimes I get tired of the neutral browns, so I like to experiment and practice my eye shadow skills with this palette. I also like that ABH Modern Renaissance includes a decent dual ended brush perfect for blending and packing on colors.

Price: Php 2,500-3,500 (Shopee PH and online resellers), US$ 42 at Anastasiabeverlyhills.com, Sephora.com, and Beautylish.com.


Eye Liner

I recently discovered a new holy grail eye makeup product from my former colleague – and that is Club Clio’s Kill Black Waterproof Pen Liner. I was used to applying eye liner in liquid and gel form and I realized I’ve been hiding under a rock for so long. Why haven’t I used this Kill Black liner sooner?!

The first time I used a pen liner was three years ago and it was a Revlon one. I disliked it so much because on my third use, it was already running out of “ink” and it wasn’t that black at all. The second one I used from e.l.f. was a waterproof eyeliner pen and it was worse than Revlon. It was completely dried up and I was never able to use it – just tested how flimsy the pen applicator was. So I got turned off by a pen type liner because of these two products.

HOWEVER, Club Clio Kill Black liner stays true to its name. It’s very black and easy to use despite me using a pen liner for the first time in years. Although I find a liquid liner is much easier to use at the inner corners of my eyes, the Waterproof Pen Liner from Club Clio makes it effortless to create a wing at the outer corners. I can’t imagine how many errors I made with liquid liner, when I can simply draw the thinnest flick using Club Clio Kill Black.

Price: Php 500-800 (Shopee PH and online resellers), US$ 20 at Clubcliousa.com, KRW 15,000 at Clubclio.co.kr
Shade I use: Kill Black/001

Benefit Roller Lash: favorite mascara ever.

Mascara

If you have read my holiday wish list, you already know what’s coming up next. It’s no surprise that my favorite, go-to mascara is Benefit Roller Lash. For almost a year now, I constantly use my Roller Lash and just switch to my Heroine Make waterproof mascara on special occasions or if I’ll be in outdoor locations for several hours.

What I love about the Roller Lash is... well, to be honest, everything. First, the packaging is so stylish and clever, that the wand handle resembles hair curlers (thus, the name “Roller”). The print on the packaging doesn’t come off even if the tube rubs against other products in my makeup pouch (I always carry this mascara in my bag). I’ve been using this second tube for nearly 6 months now and it still looks brand new.

Second, its unique wand is made of tiny rubber bristles that easily hooks and curls the lashes. You won’t find me carrying a lash curler inside my everyday makeup bag – it’s that good! Because the bristles are tiny, applying mascara on my short, upper and lower lashes is a breeze. Before using Benefit Roller Lash, I can’t apply any product on my lower lash. Because my lashes are so tiny, I easily poke the wand onto my lower lash line, thus smudging my eye makeup. Now applying mascara only takes me a few seconds.

Lastly, there’s something about the formulation that keeps my lashes curled and appear to be longer and thicker. I can wear this for 6 to 8 hours without smudging (unless I’m out all day under hot and humid weather, then it could smudge a bit but not too much like Too Faced Better Than Sex macara). In addition, I like how it doesn’t clump, goop, or make my lashes stiff upon application (keeps my lashes soft actually). Remember how I said I use this mascara for nearly 6 months? It’s because the product doesn’t dry out so easily, that you can prolong the use of one tube even if you don’t wear mascara everyday. I just apply one coat and I instantly look wide awake and polished, and then I’m out the door. Best part of all – it’s easy to remove even with just a wet tissue!

Price: Php 1,500 at Benefit Cosmetics Philippines and Sephora.ph, US$ 24 at Benefitcosmetics.com

My holy grail eye makeup: Modern Renaissance, Tartelette in Bloom, Mac Paint Pot, Roller Lash, Kill Black

What are your favorite eye makeup products? Are some of these your holy grail, too? Let me know in the comments section below!


Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I bought these makeup with my own money and my thoughts on these products are 100% honest and based on my experience.