I’ve sung the praise of the ‘one and done’ eyeshadow for ages, but recently, it’s the main thing I use for eye looks. I don’t know if it’s pandemic fatigue, or a general IDGAF vibe, but right now I’m emphatically NOT in the mood to mess around with five shades, blending, and brushes. SO. Enter my favourite products that deliver on the one and done eyeshadows front.
What constitutes a good one-and-done shadow?
Texture and Colour!
Obviously, you’re looking for a formula that blends easily and a colour that’s dimensional enough to cheat that ‘actually I used at LEAST three shades and various brushes’ look. I love shimmery shadows with a bit of dimension, and for my skintone, taupes and bronzes work great. Generally, I’d say go with colours that’re close-ish to skin colours: pinks, beiges, browns, olives all work great because they fit the bill to look kinda subdued, but with a twist.
Liquid shadows
You’d think that a lot of creamy eyeshadows or eyeshadow sticks would fit the bill, but beware! Look at Stila’s Glitter and Glow (review), for example: finicky to blend, and thus, for me, not a ‘one and done’. Stila’s Shimmer and Glow, though? Much better (review)!
Sticks
Then there’s the OG of one and done eyeshadow sticks: By Terry’s Ombre Blackstar. Here’s my secret: I don’t like them (why). Much better? The Kiko dupe, called Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow. They perform admirably: no over the top glitter, basic, but never boring shades, can be blended with fingers or brush, perform well on their own (but are great as a base, too).
Pots
Charlotte Tilbury’s Eyes To Mesmerise (review) is a product that for me works better now that it’s old and just a tiny bit dried out – freshly opened I find it a tad too emollient (and crease-prone). But it definitely delivers on the colour front: those are incredibly nice colours!
If you’re an old-school Mac girl, here’s one for you (or not, I guess you already own them all): Paint Pots. And oh, remember when they used to release really cool colours?! Now it’s clearly geared towards base products, but they’re nice on their own if you want to rock a neutral, matte eye.
Powder
When it comes to powder eyeshadows, I LOVE Mac’s Extra Dimension eyeshadows (review). They’re soft enough to blend easily, and always look lovely sheered out and blended (and even work when you use your fingers to apply).
Also incredibly versatile? Blushes, bronzers and highlighters for giving some dimension and colour to your eyes (review, look) while looking demure due to their colour – they’re all, after all, made to blend with your skintone.
elf no budge shadow stick – review
elf went bankrupt, went away and came back. They didn’t change much, as far as I can see: they still carry trendy, cheap makeup, with the occasional versatile gem. One of them are the no budge sticks:
“This no budge, metallic cream eyeshadow stick features a long-lasting formula that helps avoid smudging, smearing, and creasing.
Smooth formula glides on easily and flawlessly
elf
Convenient twist-up design
Includes a sharpener allowing you to sharpen the tip to use as an eyeliner, or sharpen after everyday use for precision.”
It comes in four rather neutral shades. The one I own is Bronze Metal, because I love a good bronze. This one is rather on the cool side, mainly because the bronze base colour includes a lot of silver flecks.
Application/Texture
elf’s no budge shadow stick is very unfussy: apply straight from the tube, blend with either fingers or a synthetic brush with medium give: done. I always pair a one-and-done shadow with some smudgey liner and mascara.
I use my go-to primer underneath because that’s what I always do, no budge claim or not, and it stayed on admirably – the swatch even held up when I took a shower! (Yup, it’s INCREDIBLY waterproof.)
There’s only one downside: because of the uneven distribution of silver sparkles, this MIGHT look just a tiny bit patchy on your eyelids, depending how the light hits. It wasn’t a big enough effect to worry me.
Verdict
Easy, quick, and versatile – worth its 5€! (But also try the one-and-done options above!)
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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