Clara Hendler / Allure
When it comes to eye shadow, liquid formulas are about as foolproof as it gets. "It's nearly impossible to mess up with liquid eye shadows because they're so creamy and easy to work with," says makeup artist Allan Avandaño, who adds that you can wear them alone or atop powder eye shadows. They usually come in easy-to-tote-around tubes that are perfect for throwing in your bag if you're crunched for time, prefer touching up throughout the day, or want to amp your eye makeup for post-work activities.
They're pretty effortless to use and beginner-friendly, to boot — simply swipe, blend, and go. "Start at the lash line in the middle of the eye and then build up from there," advises makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes. "Use a fluffy kind of eye shadow brush that allows you to blend and apply at the same time." If you want to step it up a notch, take this tip from makeup artist Delina Medhin: "I love to lay down powders to build shadow and depth, then add the liquid as the topper." Makeup artist Amrita Mehta points out the opposite method, noting that "liquids make a great base for powder eyeshadow and help with longevity as well" — so you can really customize these no-fallout formulas to your own liking. However, whatever order you choose, don't flounder when it comes to application. "You only have a limited amount of time to blend the shade before it dries on your lid," Mehta explains. "Once a liquid eyeshadow has set, it doesn't budge." The best formulas, which you'll read about soon, don't even break down through workouts, rain, or humidity.
You also can't argue with the intense pigmentation that generally pairs with liquid eye shadows. (Fret not, plenty of brands also offer sheer finishes if that's more of your vibe.) Regardless of whether you're an eye shadow expert or a new convert, all the reasons are there for adding a few liquid products to your collection. Makeup artists can't get enough of them, either, and favor a range of drugstore and high-end options that deliver gorgeous, otherwordly results.
Take a look at the 18 of our favorite liquid eye shadows, approved by beauty editors and makeup artists, to add to your rotation, stat.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Ilia Beauty Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint
Ilia Beauty's Liquid Powder Chromatic Eye Tint picked up a 2021 Best of Beauty Award and Readers' Choice Award because it's both beginner- and expert-friendly and dries down quickly to a pigmented, soft powder finish that won't sink into creases or fade after a few hours. While the doe-foot applicator easily spreads across your entire eyelid in one fell swipe, the flat, thin brush works like a charm for a low-key, graphic eyeliner look. Choose from eight flattering shades, including Gleam (a soft, pale gold pictured above) for a flawless look.
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Huda Beauty Matte & Metal Liquid Shadow
New York City-based makeup artist Tobi Henney is infatuated with the double-ended Huda Beauty Matte & Metal Liquid Shadows — especially French Lace & Diamond Drip (icy lilac) — because each tube provides two different finishes. It's essentially like having two products in one. The doe-foot applicator side lends a matte finish for all-over color, or you can use the side of the applicator to create a liner effect. If you need utter precision, flip it over to the thinner, paintbrush-like end for a buildable metallic liner effect.
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Danessa Myricks Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Color
It's honestly hard to find a beauty expert who doesn't love Danessa Myricks Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Color — especially when it comes to professional makeup artists and Allure editors, who've awarded it with a Best of Beauty title. These highly pigmented and budge-proof creams come in just about every shade you'd ever need in matte, metallic, and high-shine iterations. Take Carrot Top (a vivid matte orange pictured above), for example. Time to embrace the rainbow with these multitasking, all-day-lasting formulas that you can wear alone, mix and match, or pop onto your eyes, cheeks, and lips. It's your makeup playground — we're just living in it.
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About-Face Daytripper Matte Fluid Eye Paint
Halsey has stolen the hearts of makeup devotees everywhere with the launch of About-Face, and the same could be said for the Daytripper Matte Fluid Eye Paints, specifically. This bright bunch of lightweight, watery pigments can be applied directly onto your eyelids with the flat, doe-foot applicators and, as such, pack an intense wash of color that you can easily blend out with your fingers or finesse into a cat-eye shape. Alternatively, you can take a sharp, flat brush and take some color from the applicator itself to draw more precise, intricate lines and art.
While there's plenty of play time before they dry down — once they do, they're not going anywhere. Take it from news editor Nicola Dall'Asen: "I've worn the Matte Fluid Eye Paints on the stickiest of summer days, in pouring rainstorms, and even during workouts when I've been in a pinch for time."
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Credo Exa Light Show
For no-budge shimmer, you can't go wrong with Exa's Light Show Color Melts. These versatile gel pigments come in four multidimensional Sparkler and four Foil shades and can be worn as eye shadow, highlighter, or layered on top of powdered eye shadow, lipstick, and blush. The possibilities are quite endless. Shades like Roller Rink (a burnt terracotta with chartreuse shift), shown above, instantly amp up any look. Each tube is also spiked with sea algae, manketti oil, and vitamin E for smooth-as-heck application and lasting hydration. Creasing? We don't know her.
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Haus Laboratories Glam Attack Liquid Eye Shadow
Medhin name drops Haus Laboratories Glam Attack Liquid Eye Shadow as one of her go-to formulas, and that probably has something to do with its one-swipe pigment and creamy texture. Mehta is another fan and says they "add a really nice glow to any eye look," whether they're worn alone, layered, or "placed in the inner corner of the eye for a bit of brightness," as she puts it. Her favorite out of the buildable, non-creasing shades are Blue Jean Dream (baby blue pictured above) and Rye (rich cocoa).
Before they dry down, you can blend them out like a powder shadow or keep your lines crisp for a graphic look. If we're being honest, we're quite ga-ga for these tubes. (Get it?)
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Kosas 10-Second Liquid Eye Shadow
There's a reason Kosas named this Best of Beauty-winning product 10-Second Liquid Eye Shadow — that's really how long these eight vibrant shades (including Globe, a neutral champagne pictured above) take to apply. One swipe will paint your eyes with watercolor-like pigments that you can blend with fingers or leave on their own. As long as you give the tube a hearty shake beforehand, you'll get a serum-like burst of metallic pigment in mere seconds.
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Beautycounter Lid Glow Cream Shadow
Makeup artist Kirin Bhatty shouts out Beautycounter Lid Glow Cream Shadow because, in her words, "having a clean option that still has gorgeous color pay-off is a hard thing to do, but Beautycounter has nailed it." (We recognize that "clean" is an iffy, hard-to-describe term, so you can read more about Allure's standards to find out what makes the cut for us.)
All 10 illuminating shades (including Luster, a shimmery pale rose pictured above) dry down to a silky, no-budge finish. Best of all, they're infused with a nourishing blend of cucumber, chamomile, coconut butter, and shea butter to soften and moisturize your delicate eyelids area.
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Depixym Cosmetic Emulsion
Let's face it: Your face is no different from a blank canvas. Depixym's Cosmetic Emulsions look very much like aluminum paint tubes and allow you to bring out your inner artist. The 20-shade range covers everything from clear to bold forest green and firetruck red shades (like #8054, a matte ruby red, shown). Whatever you choose, rest assured that these pigments are totally non-transfer — so much so that you'll need a solid oil cleanser to break them down.
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One/Size Eye Popper Sparkle Vision Liquid Eyeshadow
Just like its name suggests, you'll be a total vision with just one layer of One/Size's Eye Popper Sparkle Vision Liquid Eyeshadow. These glittery formulas are all about high-impact, actually-opaque sparkle without messy fallout and flaking. If you've ever wanted to embody that kind of shimmery, wet look, this is the product for you. Wear it on its own (no primer needed) or as an eyeshadow topper for an extra hint of glam. Either way, 1 P House (champagne nude with silver reflects shown above) won't let you down during a night out on the town.
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Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow
All you need is one or two swipes of Rare Beauty's Stay Vulnerable Liquid Eyeshadow for full-but-not-overwhelming color payoff. These weightless, liquid-to-powder eye shadows are perfect for a minimalistic look — in fact, Nearly Berry (rich berry shown) is currently the boldest shade out of the range. They'll dry down pretty quickly to a soft, satin finish but you definitely have enough time to sheer them out with a brush or finger.
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Glossier Lidstar
Makeup artists Allan Avandaño and Ingeborg love the lightweight Glossier Lidstar shadows for their foolproof formula and versatile shade range. All eight shades (Slip, a sheer baby pink, is shown above) are "sheer, blendable, and very flattering on all eye colors," according to Ingeborg. These buttery formulas glide onto lids with ease and stay there for up to 12 hours without creasing, fading, or smudging. Go ahead, be impressed.
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E.L.F. Cosmetics Liquid Glitter Eye Shadow
These Liquid Glitter Eye Shadows by E.L.F. Cosmetics are every bit as sparkly as they are wallet-friendly. Like a club dancefloor in a tube, the silvery shade Disco Queen shown above is always sure to start a party. No wonder these petite, purse-friendly formulas won a 2020 Best of Beauty Award in the Steals category — it'll be the best $5 you've spent in quite a while.
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Violette_Fr Yeux Paint
Mehta counts Violette_Fr's Yeux Paint among her favorite liquid eye shadows because these long-lasting formulas require little application time and then you can honestly forget about them — until you catch yourself in the mirror — because these smudge-proof formulas are just that dependable. "Tout (taupe) is my favorite matte shade and Rose d'Aurore (shimmery burgundy rose) is my favorite when I'm in the mood for some sparkle," she says. While a professional makeup artist (Violette) is behind this line, you definitely don't have to be one to get the hang of Yeux Paint after just one use.
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Ciaté London Shadow Flip Multichromatic Shifting Liquid Shadow
Don't let the itty-bitty size of Shadow Flip Multichromatic Shifting Liquid Shadow fool you because Ciaté London gave these babies some serious power in the pigment department. Each shadow shifts between hues, so your eye looks take on different colors in various light settings — because we're all about surprises. Peacock, above, shifts from green to blue to purple and is a look.
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Almay Velvet Foil Cream Shadows
Another of Medhin's favorites, Almay Velvet Foil Cream Shadows are perfect for no-makeup makeup days. This range of neutral and bold shimmers (take, Violet Eyelet, for example) can brighten the eyelids in less than a minute. All 12 shades are spiked with soothing vitamin E which contributes to the smooth, creaseless finish.
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MAC Dazzleshadow Liquid
If you're on the hunt for a really glitzy, look-at-me option, MAC's Dazzleshadows are an excellent option. "They almost look like they could be sparkly lip glosses but are, in fact, long-wearing eye shadows that come in several colors and finishes ranging from glitter to chrome," explains makeup artist Elisa Flowers. She likes to apply them two different ways: layered on top of regular powder eye shadows for a glittery accent (like Not Afraid To Sparkle, a sheer silver/multipearl glitter, above) or applied in multiple layers for an extra bold look.
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Dominique Cosmetics Beautiful Mess Liquid Eye Shadow
You don't need expert-level makeup skills to get along with Dominique Cosmetics's Beautiful Mess Liquid Eye Shadow — in fact, the imperfection is kind of this product's point. Mix and match any of these six glitter-packed shades — including Daydreamer, a metallic brown with golden shimmer shown — for a color-shifting look that doesn't require much time nor effort. But whew, get ready to snap so many selfies.
Keywordseye shadowliquid eye shadowGlossierM.A.C.Estee Laudershopping guideshoppingeye makeupmetallicDanessa MyricksAlmayL'Orealelf comseticsCiaté LondonKosasHaus Laboratoriesmakeup artistHuda BeautyVioletteBeautycounterilia beautyAbout Faceeyeone/sizerare beautycredomakeup