An eyeshadow technique known as a “cut crease” is used to provide a unique and edgy effect. Currently, the cut crease is the most popular method of creating an eye shape with a lighter shadow “cutting” the lid against a deeper shadow. However, Diahann Carroll has been sporting this since the 1960s, so it’s not new. Eyes seem to pop and appears defined when a lighter shade of shadow is applied across the crease of the eyelid. This produces a simultaneous optical illusion and intriguing cosmetic trend! A cut crease look also ranks right alongside perfectly applied winged eyeliner and a sultry, smoky eye. If you’re a newbie to the game, don’t class creating this look as “impossible” , as it’s not that hard to accomplish! All you need to do is master a few super simple steps to appear like a real pro in record time. Here’s how you can get this cut crease look.
What You’ll Need to Cut a Crease
- An eye primer of your choice
- An eyeshadow palette, preferably a neutral shade one where there are distinct light and darker shades
- Your best concealer
- An eyeshadow brush, preferably with angled bristles
- Liquid eyeliner
How to Do a Cut Crease
Apply your Eye Primer
Preparation is always key when it comes to how long and well your makeup will apply. It’s therefore best not to skip this step. Eye primer can assist with the reduction of creasing, which can be unsightly and make your skin look older. Applying an eye primer will definitely make your eyeshadow stay on for longer too. It also helps boost a smoother eye area surface and makes your eyeshadow apply better. It also helps to brighten up your eyelid with a bright base, which is essential when creating a cut crease look!
Apply a little coat of primer to your lids using a tiny eyeshadow brush. It’s likely that you don’t need quite as much substance as you believe, so go easy on the product. It should take around the size of a mustard seed to apply to each eyelid. Be gentle with your skin when you apply the eye makeup primer, being sure to avoid squeezing or pulling at your eyelids. If you’re using lower liner, be sure to apply along the bottom lash line as well.
Apply Your Eyeshadow
Use the most neutral shade in your eyeshadow palette to dust across your entire eyelid. This includes the area underneath your brow bone as well. Take a darker shade of eyeshadow to define the area just about your crease.
Use a Concealer
Neaten up the borders of your dark eyeshadow by applying a light concealer over the lid. Spread concealer outward and over the tail of the eyebrow with an angled brush. Apply your concealer just underneath the darker eyeshadow that defines the area just above your crease. The concealer should cover the entire beneath your darker eyeshadow.
Apply Your Lighter Eyeshadow
Apply a white or cream eyeshadow over the area where you’ve applied your concealer. This creates a sharp contrast between the dark and light shades, which ultimately has that gorgeous cut crease effect! Note that if you want to amp up your glam appeal with a glitter cut crease, you can apply glitter eyeshadow over your eyelid, just underneath the darker contouring too!
Apply Eyeliner for A Polished Aesthetic
Your chosen eyeliner will complete the cut crease effect. Make the ideal cat eye by swiping over your lash line and angling upward.
Add Your Mascara
Accentuate the look even further by apply a few coats of mascara to your upper and lower lashes. If you prefer, you could apply a pair of false eye lashes for a more elaborate look.
FAQs
Eyeshadow is applied to the upper and lower eyelids separately, and then a line is drawn across the central crease. The line look is created by contouring a dark line above your crease, and then applying a concealer and lighter shade eyeshadow just beneath the dark line along your crease. This creates the illusion of having a cut crease, and makes your eyes seem bigger and brighter, highlighting your eyelid color too!
This is a fairly easy application, so creating a cut crease look shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes. You don’t need to apply mascara or false eyelashes, so if you leave this step out, your makeup application time could take approximately 20 minutes to complete.
