A Love Letter To The Single Eyeshadow

There’s just one product that’s remained a constant in my make-up bag for the last five years: a single eyeshadow from Nars. The Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow in shade Telesto to be precise.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought the same mascara twice, I’m still struggling to find that elusive perfect shade of coral lipstick, and I’m always lured in by the hype of a new concealer. However, eyeshadow is a different story. The aforementioned Nars eyeshadow has seen me through holidays, festivals, work meetings, dates and more.

A chestnut brown shade with just a hint of gold shimmer (not glitter - an important distinction), it looks almost like a rusty copper on skin. After wearing jet black liquid eyeliner religiously for most of my late teens and early twenties, it was this eyeshadow that was the gateway product to wearing a distinctly more pared-back make-up look. It was the make-up item that made me realise that caking on a thick foundation and wearing four layers of mascara wasn’t a prerequisite to leaving the house.

While the humble solo eyeshadow was once the cornerstone of any beauty bag, in the age of Instagram flat lays and Youtube hauls, it’s been pushed to the back of the virtual beauty shelves. One eyeshadow is no longer enough. With their double-tap packaging and a chocolate box selection of shades, eyeshadow palettes have stolen the spotlight. Throw into the mix the pomp and ceremony that surrounds each new launch – expensive marketing campaigns, mega-scale reveal parties and lengthy waiting lists - it’s no wonder palettes have garnered such mass appeal amongst beauty fans.

In fact, in 2017, one in four people purchased an eye palette compared to just 9 per cent who bought a single eyeshadow, a Mintel report identified. However, I sense a sea change. Urban Decay, arguably the market leader in the palette category, announced earlier this year they were discontinuing their most popular product: the original Naked palette. After selling 30 million palettes and bringing in over $1 billion in sales, they called quits on the item and held a ‘funeral’ in Newport Beach, California. Naturally, this was shared via the brand’s social media channels. Marketing stunt or not, it suggests maybe the appetite for these arguably over the top palettes could be waning. Normally extortionately expensive (the popular palettes rarely retail for under £50), they’re rarely economical and often wasteful. I’ve never known someone to use every single shade or finish all of the twenty plus hues.

With the growing awareness around sustainability and a growing focus on skincare rather than make-up, maybe this is the time for the solo shadow to make its much-deserved comeback. After all, its benefits shouldn’t be understated. Firstly, if you find the right one, they’re supremely versatile in terms of the looks they can create. My favourite, the Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow, offers - yep, you guessed it - two varying intensity of finish. Dust on dry for a sheer soft finish, or apply wet to create a more intense and deep shade. It’s adaptable too and looks equally good applied along the lash line to create subtle definition, or buffed all over the eyelid to make a brown-hued smokey eye. On the odd occasion I do need to go from desk to dancefloor (or more realistically laptop to restaurant), it’s an easy addition to my make-up that instantly makes me feel more ‘done.’

Mintel may have attributed the rise of palette sales to the increase in the number of women looking for commuter friendly makeup to apply on-the-go, but I would argue that the single eyeshadow is a much more practical option. It fits in the most micro of on-trend handbags and can be applied on the tube while standing - even after three glasses of wine. If that’s not a good litmus test for quality makeup, I don’t know what is.

See: Our Go-To Single Eyeshadows