7 Easy-to-Use Eyeshadows to Enhance Your Eye Makeup in Your 30s

Best Eyeshadow For Your 30s

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Have you noticed that these days, eye makeup is more like doing fractions and less like, well, makeup? “Add the darkest shade on 1/3 of the eye and use the medium shade for 2/3 of the eyelid”. For someone in her 30s, wearing eye makeup or applying eye shadow should not be this complicated!

Most of us don’t have the time to apply concealer let alone do an eye makeup look layering 6 different shades. And eyeshadow palettes with 36 different shades are not helping!

Even if it’s always fun to experiment with makeup in your 30s and try different looks with different colors, we all need natural, effortless, everyday eye makeup looks too.

On the flip side, some of us rely on eye makeup as wearing heavy base makeup can make wrinkles and fine lines more visible. So we also need flattering, versatile, and easy-to-apply eyeshadows as well.

If you’re wondering what’s out there, below are the best eyeshadows for your 30s to create any kind of look you want.

1. Nars Single Eyeshadow

Nars Single Eyeshadow in Sophia - Best Eyeshadow For 30s

One-and-done eyeshadows are so practical and easy to use. You only use one shade over the eyelids to wake up the eyes and that’s it. They’re great for creating natural looks without wearing too many colors on your face.

They’re not about re-shaping the eyes with makeup but about a simple wash of color to jazz up your look. You can always get more single shadows and mix and match between them.

But a single color is always elegant, flattering, and practical. This is a great eyeshadow single with tens of different colors and finishes.

This particular shade is called Sophia, which is a matte brown and is the ultimate shade to use with a bronzer. You can go ahead and skip base makeup and just use this shade and a warm bronzer to complete your look.

Shades: 20
Finish: Matte, shimmery, metallic
Size: 0.04 oz/1.1 gr
Good To Know: Paraben-free

2. Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow

Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow in Rose Gold - Best Eyeshdow For 30s

Cream eye shadows are easy to blend and always look more natural than powder ones. You don’t even need a brush. You just dab the cream over the eyelids and swipe it a couple of times and you’re done.

This pretty eyeshadow is incredibly flattering for 30-somethings. It almost feels like whipped cream. This particular shade is called Rose Gold, which is a shimmery pink that makes the eye area look more youthful instantly.

The shimmer is soft and elegant as opposed to sparkly and glittery. It’s the perfect vibrant finish to create dewy makeup looks.

Shades: 11
Finish: Shimmery
Size: 0.24 oz/7 ml
Good To Know: Paraben-free

3. Urban Decay Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette

Urban Decay Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette - Best Eyeshadows For 30s

Crow’s feet are not the only wrinkles we deal with in our 30s. Our eyelids also look more wrinkled. Applying shades that are too bold and in contrast with each other makes those wrinkles more visible.

Using warm, soft colors like browns and neutrals wakes up tired-looking eyes without drawing too much attention to the area.

If you’re into palettes, you might as well go for this one. It has both shimmery and matte colors all of which are super flattering for any eye color. You can mix and match and create detailed looks as well.

But you can also use lighter shades as eyeshadows and darker shades as eyeliners to define the shape of your eyes. Either way, the palette is a great multi-use eye palette you can use in your 30s.

Shades: 12
Finish: Matte, shimmery
Good To Know: Paraben-free, cruelty-free

4. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in Khaki - Best Eyeshadow For 30s

This is a multi-tasking makeup gem and will be your new staple. The eyeshadow pencil doubles as an eyeliner to define the eyes, use on your waterline, or smudge out your eyeshadow.

There is a variety of colors in both shimmery and matte shades. This shimmery shade is called Khaki and is a greyish-brown that looks super flattering on green-blue eyes.

It can be built up to create more dramatic looks and can also be toned down by blending in to create softer, natural looks.

Shades: 24
Finish: Matte, shimmery
Size: 0.05 oz/1.64 gr
Good To Know: Paraben-free

5. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick - Best Eyeshadow To Wear In 30s

Speaking of pencils, this is a cream eyeshadow stick with an amazing velvety feel. Every single shade in the line is a natural-looking color that can be your base color or complementing shade.

Just apply the stick directly onto the eyelids and you don’t even need to blend or play with it. It just neutralizes any discolorations on the eyelids. Plus, they last super long, stay put all day, and are suitable for sensitive eyes.

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Nude Beach

Shades: 25
Finish: Matte, shimmery
Size: 0.05 oz/1.6 gr
Good To Know: Paraben-free

6. Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette

Makeup By Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette - Best Eyeshadows To Wear In 30s

When in doubt, go matte. Because shimmer can be tricky. Even though the right dewy, wet shimmer looks more youthful and lively, the wrong shimmer can magnify wrinkles and won’t help with hooded eyes or droopy eyelids.

If gravity has caught up, go for a matte finish to blur out the visibility of wrinkles around the eyes. This palette is all matte and neutral to enhance your natural beauty in the most sophisticated way.

You can mix and match for full-glam looks. Because it’s amazing for classy smokey eyes and the best matte eyeshadow palette for your 30s. But you can always use brown shades to line and define your eyes.

As an eyeliner color, brown looks much softer than black. In fact, using black colors too much is a common makeup mistake that makes you look older.

So just grab an angled brush, dampen it with water, dip it into one of the brown colors, and apply it as you’d apply eyeliner.

Shades: 12
Finish: Matte
Good To Know: Cruelty-free

7. Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette

Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette

Speaking of using eyeshadow as eyeliner, here’s another palette you can utilize in different ways. These palettes come in different colors ranging from light pinks to dark browns. But all of them have a high color payout.

There are matte shades and shimmery shades and I can use every single one of them as eyeshadow, eyeliner, and even light contour on the cheeks.

And lately, I’ve been using matte shades as lip liners because the colors are so long-lasting and budge-proof. Even though there’s a bit of fallout during application, it’s worth it.

Shades: 9
Finish: Matte, shimmery

So these are some of the best eyeshadows and eye shadow palettes you can use in your 30s to enhance your eye makeup. These are easy to use and apply, which makes them preferable if you’re new to makeup as well.

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