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Zendaya recently reminded everyone just how striking white eyeshadow can be, turning the bold, stark-white eye look into one of the season’s most talked-about beauty trends.
And if you have brown eyes and you’re still skipping white eyeshadow, what are you doing, girl?
According to beauty expert @rowisingh, brown-eyed girls are sleeping on the single most flattering shade combo out there, and she’s got the Zendaya-inspired proof to back it up.
“Somehow, Zendaya and her glam team keep levelling up,” she says of the look that inspired this whole tutorial, calling it one of the most beautiful renditions of white eyeshadow she’s seen in ages.
Here’s the thing about white eyeshadow: it has a reputation. It can go patchy, it can go chalky, and if you’re not careful, it can pull yellow instead of that crisp, icy white you’re actually after.
But according to our beauty expert, the formula for nailing it isn’t complicated once you know the tricks.
So we broke down her full tutorial, product by product, tip by tip, so you can recreate the look at home, no professional glam team required.
Everything You Need to Create a Crisp, Bright Eye Look
White eyeshadow creates maximum contrast against brown irises, making the eye color look richer and the whites of the eyes look brighter.
Basically an instant, no-filter eye lift.
Ready to try it yourself? Here’s the full breakdown, exactly as she walked through it.
Step 1
Lay Down a Nude Base
Start by sweeping a nude eyeshadow that’s close to your natural skin tone across the mid-to-outer lid, then trace it along the lower lash line too.
Don’t overthink the shade.
She notes that “anything will do” as long as it’s a warm brown or nude you already own.
Step 2
Add a Cool-Toned White
This is the step that makes or breaks the whole look.
You need a white with a blue undertone, not a warm one; that’s the secret to getting the bright, icy finish Zendaya’s version has.
She reaches for the white shade in the NYX Vintage Jean Baby palette for exactly this reason.
NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP – Ultimate Color Shadow Palette Vintage Jean Baby
Using a fluffy blending brush (she uses the Rephr Shodo 00), softly twirl the white shadow into the inner corner to create a soft, diffused gradient rather than a harsh block of color.
Rephr SHODŌ EYE SET
Step 3
Clean Up the Edges
Dip a precision brush into a touch of concealer and use it to sharpen the outer edges of the white shadow, carving out the exact shape you’re going for.
Step 4
Set Before You Layer
Before adding a second layer of white, mist your lid with a setting spray.
She uses the Charlotte Tilbury Setting Spray, so the fresh layer of pigment doesn’t disturb the one underneath.
CHARLOTTE TILBURY – Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
Step 5
Build a Second, Stronger Layer
Using a smaller precision brush (the Rephr 03), lightly tap more white shadow into the inner corner.
This builds a gradient effect that goes from stark white at the inner corner to softly diffused white toward the outer lid.
“Be careful loading on the cream products before applying your white eyeshadow, because sometimes the particles of the white mingle with the cream and it starts to turn a little bit yellow. You want to keep that bright, bluish stark white.”
@rowisingh, TikTok
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Step 6
Line With Brown, Not Black
Look closely at the Zendaya’s photo and you’ll notice the lower lash line is lined in brown, not black.
Also, it is not tightlined into the waterline, just sitting right along the lash line.
She recreates this using the NYX Epic Ink Liner, running it along the top lash line too.
As she puts it, “you don’t need luxury beauty products” to get this look right; drugstore picks work just as well.
Brown Epic Ink Waterproof Liquid Liner | Nyx Professional Makeup
Step 7
Sculpt the Inner Corner
Zendaya’s eye look also has a distinct little triangle shape dipping into the inner corner.
Recreate this by using the brown liner to draw and define that same triangular shape at the inner corner, with a bit more liner swept into the outer corner for definition.
Step 8
Customize Your Lashes
She works with brown lashes for this look, cutting a strip of spiky lashes into individual clusters and layering them on top of a base lash strip for extra texture and dimension.
Step 9
Brighten the Under-Eye
To recreate the bright, slightly pink-toned under-eye, she uses the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder.
HUDA BEAUTY – Easy Bake Loose Baking and Setting Powder
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The Full Face: Base, Blush, and Lips
The eyes are the star here, but the rest of the face deserves a mention too.
For base, she mixes the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation with the Haruhara Essence for a soft, glowy finish that doesn’t compete with the crisp white shadow.
Blush comes from NYX, applied lightly so it doesn’t overpower the eye look.
And to finish, she recreates the reference photo’s chocolate-toned lip using a brown lip liner topped with a gloss from House Labs.
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The Best White Eyeshadows to Shop Right Now
Convinced you need white eyeshadow in your life?
She rounded up the formulas that actually deliver pigment; no patchiness, no crepey texture, no yellow undertones in sight.
Her go-to and most-mentioned pick.
She describes it as incandescent, bright, and highly pigmented, with a cool undertone that avoids any hint of yellow or warmth.
This is exactly what you want in a white shadow.
Another genuinely stark white that she says applies beautifully to the skin, with strong swatch-tested pigment payoff.
Her personal favorite of the bunch.
She calls out just how much brighter and starker this white reads compared to the other two, thanks to a subtle shimmer that adds extra luminosity.
Her pick if powder formulas aren’t cutting it for you.
As a liquid pigment, she says it isn’t even a fair comparison to a powder white; the payoff is that much stronger.
One she hasn’t personally tested but has heard great things about as a go-to white eyeshadow; worth adding to your list to try.
However , the MAC Gesso is no longer being made or sold. So, lucky you if you find it on Amazon.
Naturally, a topic this passionate sparked a comment section full of recommendations.
We rounded up the products readers say deserve a spot on this list too.
Eze says, “Sugarpill has THE most amazing giant pan of white eyeshadow“
BattyQuinn — “I like Tako by Sugarpill”
B🇨🇦❤️🇵🇸 — “Have you ever tried taco by sugar pill? I wanna get it so bad, the pan is huge and I’ve heard a lot of makeup artists and drag queens recommend it”
@dariodoka — “Jeffree star palette cremated habe the whitest eyeshadow trust me”
Tiril Alle Ile — “The nyx jumbo crayon in white is SSOOOOO good underneath a white shadow to make it pop. Even on its own its very good”
milan | beauty creator — “love all fluff from the colourpop cloud 9 palette”
White eyeshadow has officially earned its spot in your routine.
Between the step-by-step and the comment section’s cult-favorite picks, you’ve got more than enough options to find your perfect stark white.
Now go swatch a few and see which one earns a permanent spot in your kit.
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