I don’t know why, but this year, I’m totally into that “Bronze Goddess” look for summer. I love pairing bronzes, golds and coppers on the eyes with a bronzer or bronze-y blush and a nude-ish lip. While metallics on the lips are the next big thing to happen (after years of matte formulas), today I’d like to show you my most-loved metallics for eyes for my summer look!
There’re some drugstore choices, some MAC, but nothing really expensive. If you want to breach out and include a metallic eye in your summer makeup wardrobe, you can do that easily, because all of my choices are quite easily accessible.
Metallic eyeshadows for summer?!
What I love most about all of my choices below is that they’re all so easy to wear. I usually use them as a wash of colour all over my lid and usually don’t bother with things like transition shades and defining and highlighting. Because of their reflective properties, these shades do it on their own. Win! (Because who wants to do a really elaborate eye look when it’s blazing hot?! Not me!)
Golds
The repurposed one
Two very different shades in every possible way, ColourPop Dirty Talk (Creme Gel Colour, 6$) and MAC Woodwinked are my choices for a golden eye (hah!). Dirty Talk is a very light, very bright gold that I don’t just use as a liner but also as an eyeshadow or as an eyeshadow base. I can picture that one very easily on both fair and blue-eyed beauties and also on medium- and dark-skinned ones on which it’ll be a striking contrast to their skin tone. I really like the formula as well – it’s smooth, quite shimmery but without any glitter particles, and quite long-wearing. Perfect for summer!
The neutral one
MAC Woodwinked (6$ in pan, 16$ in pot) is totally different. It’s a very neutral, nearly demure golden shade that I’d call nearly natural. It’s great for an effortless everyday look, easy to wear for nearly all skin tones but medium. This will vanish on you, sadly. It has MAC’s Veluxe Pearl’s formula, meaning it’s a soft metallic shade that’s easy to apply and blend. MAC calls it an antique gold in their site, and its spot-on. I like to wear it for a look that’s very pared-back and appropriate for all occasions. Just add a black liner, some mascara and wham! Done. And you’ll look effortlessly polished with just that little extra.)
Coppers
The K-Beauty favourite
Oh, how I love my coppers lately! It all started with this awesome compilation of copper looks in Allure, and I was hooked. MAC Antiqued and Moonshot Powder Block frangelico are my jam right now. I’ve written about Moonshot frangelico (around 15$) in my favourites before, and while you can certainly wear it solo, I love to frame it with a darker espresso-brown to make it pop. All my blue- and green-eyed ladies, you’ll love this one. Wonderful texture (actually quite similar to MAC’s Veluxe Pearl formula but maybe a bit more firmly pressed), no glittery fallout. What’s not to love?
The smokey eye candidate
MAC calls my next candidate, Antiqued (6$ in pan, 16$ in pot), ash-brown with bronze, and I’d like to know what they’re smoking at MAC. Really?! If you’d want to describe it poetically, you could go for sooty copper, but ash-brown? Just no. It’s coppery, it’s smokey, it’s awesome. If you’re fair, it’s a bam in your face copper in the best way possible, and I like to wear it with loads of black liner that I smudge up and out in the corners for the easiest smokey eye ever. Great for a summery, sooty evening look.
Bronzes
The glitter bomb
And now we’re coming to the best and most-beloved metallic, bronzes. If I could wear one shade for the rest of my life, this would be it. Also – gorgeous for about every skin tone and eyecolour. Colourpop Super Shock Shadow On the Rocks ($6) is the ColourPop eyeshadow formula is the one I love least of all their categories, especially the Metallics. I always have glitters all over my face when I wear them, but the lived-in smudgey look is something I don’t mind during summer. On the Rocks is a warm gown-bronze with golden and pink glitters that’s fun for parties. The bouncy formula super easy to apply – I just use my finger, which makes it great and easy for vacations.
The holy grail
L’Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow in Bronzed Taupe ($7.99/ around 10€) is one of my most-used everyday eyeshadows. I love the Infallible formula which is like a pressed pigment that comes in a pot with a stopper. (Very similar to Armani’s Eyes To Kill in the glass jars, actually.) Bronzed Taupe is exactly what it says – it’s a bronze that leans taupe, giving it a slightly smokey, grey tinge.
It’s super easy to apply, just like the ColourPop (I actually think it’s easier to apply with fingers than with a brush), and it’s a true one-swipe-wonder. I wear that every time I want to wear a fun shade that’s nevertheless nearly neutral. I wear it with black liner, usually. You can wear everything with it – nude lipstick, red lipstick, purple lipstick, and pair it with nearly every blush shade as well. The formula is great (holds up great in humid and hot climates), it’s versatile, and it’s holy grail.
The Tom Ford dupe
Max Factor Excess Shimmer in Bronze (£7,99/ 9€/ 16$) has a mousse-like texture that was called a dupe for Tom Ford’s Cream Color For Eyes when it was released. I can’t say anything about that claim, but it’s a good cream eyeshadow, dupe or not. It’s a very warm, brownish bronze with a fine gold shimmer that you’ll have to apply in thin layers to build it up. It’s texture isn’t the best for me when it’s hot and humid (it tends to crease even with a primer), but otherwise, it’s a dream. Easy to apply with fingers, looks awesome on it’s own, add a liner and go. Like the bronzes mentioned above, I think truly anyone can wear this colour. Also, cheap and easily available in the drugstore!
Availability
ColourPop is available from their site.
MAC is available at counters and online worldwide.
L’Oreal infallible eye shadows may be tricky to find, recently Temptalia re-ordered them on their site. In the US, they’re also available at drugstores.
Max Factor is available at drugstores (dm, boots, Superdrug) or Douglas and Amazon.
