All you need to know to ace that “milk tea brown” eyeshadow trend

Summer’s here, which means we’ll soon have a hard time resisting the urge to get an ice cold cup of milk tea everyday to beat the heat. If you want to pay tribute to your bubble tea obsession while you’re at it, then we’ve got just the look for you.

What is the “milk tea” eyeshadow trend?

Picture your favourite cup of boba. Is it a good ol’ classic milk tea? Or perhaps a caramel or chocolate flavoured one? Essentially, “Milk tea” shades that remind you of a cup of milk tea—creamy beige and caramel tones with pops of darker browns that are synonymous with pearls. They give off a soft and natural look, and are extremely wearable due to the neutrals involved. To channel that ultimate girl-next-door look, try incorporating some of these “milk tea” eye looks into your everyday makeup routine.

 

Beauty guru Chin Chin here shows us a chestnut milk tea inspired look using lighter browns and bronze tones.

A coral lipstick works perfectly with “milk tea” makeup looks as well.

How to nail the “milk tea” makeup look

If you need some help with your boba-inspired glam, we’ve got a makeup look that will go great with your milk tea accessories and milk tea nails. You know—just so the BBT shop workers might notice you and throw in some extra pearls on your next order.

Here’s how to doll yourself up for your next BBT run:

Step 1: Create a caramel gradient effect

After priming, start off with a mid-toned brown as your all-over lid colour. Then, choose a slightly darker shade (preferably one with orange undertones) and apply it on the outer half of your eyelids.

To add even more definition and create the illusion of larger eyes, go for the darkest brown shade in your palette and apply it on the outermost corner of your eyelids. Don’t forget to blend between each step!

Step 2: Soften the look by using the same colours in your lower lash line

For a more natural and cohesive look, you’ll want to the same or a slightly lighter brown shade than the one you used on your outer eyelids and drag it down to the outer half of your lower lash line.

Pro tip: Using flatter brush will give you more control at this stage.

To make your eyes appear brighter and more perked up (like what the sight of your favourite cup of milk tea might do), fill in your inner lower lash line with a beige eyeshadow, and blend away any harsh lines between the two tones.

Step 3: Apply brown eyeliner

As black eyeliner tends to look more intense on the eyes, so we recommend using brown eyeliner or eyeshadow instead. Using the darkest brown shade in your palette and an eyeliner brush, apply the pigment across your lash line, dragging it out slightly at the end for a winged effect.

It should look something like this at the end:

Palettes with the perfect “milk tea” shades

There’s something undeniably aesthetically pleasing about looking at a full array of neutral shades that are just one or two tones away from each other. Here’s a list of our favourite palettes that you can use to achieve that “milk tea” look!

3CE Multi Eye Colour Palette in “Smoother”

Coming in first on the list, is this versatile palette by 3CE. It features nine shades can be blended effortlessly with one another, with a pure and translucent payoff that’s highly buildable.

We’re also loving how it wears on the skin. The porous silica included in its formula makes it such that the oil on your eyelids will be absorbed, which is just perfect to combat the intense summer heat and humidity we’re used to experiencing in Malaysia.

3CE Multi Eye Colour Palette in “Smoother” retails for RM174 on Shopee. A discount is offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see updated price.

Peripera Ink Pocket Shadow Palette in “You Know What Mute Is”

Next, we have a portable eyeshadow palette from Peripera. This all-matte palette has all you need for a simple “milk tea” look for when you’re in a rush, from shades like “soy milk”, a classic beige that works as an excellent base, to “calming brown”, a rosy deep brown colour to accentuate your eyes.

Peripera Ink Pocket Shadow Palette in “You Know What Mute Is” retails for RM75 on Shopee. A discount is offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see updated price.

Charlotte Tilbury’s The Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette

For a more luxurious option, treat yourself to the Charlotte Tilbury palette that features all the essential nude and brown shades for an everyday look. We love the addition of the almost-black shade that works perfect to create smokier looks, making this a great day-to-night palette.

Charlotte Tilbury The Super Nudes Easy Eye Palette retails for US$60 on Beautylish

Matte Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in “Cool” by Huda Beauty

If you’re a fan of strawberry milk tea and want to pay tribute to it on your eyelids, then Huda Beauty’s Matte Obsessions palette in the shade “Cool” is for you. It includes nine buildable cream to powder shades, with some pink shadows for you to play around with and create softer and more romantic looks.

Huda Beauty Matte Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in “Cool” retails for RM155 on Sephora

Judydoll Eye Shadow Palette in “07 – Caramel Milk”

 

Judydoll never ceases to impress us with their stunning palettes with a combination of mattes and shimmers that work incredibly well to create glamorous K-beauty looks. If you’re looking for a peachier twist on the classic “milk tea” look, we definitely recommend going for their eyeshadow palette in “Caramel Milk”.

Judydoll Eye Shadow Palette in “07 – Caramel Milk” retails for RM99 on Shopee. A discount is offered at the time of writing. Tap in to see updated price.

Canmake Tokyo Perfect Multi Eyes Palette in “05 – Almond Mocha”

Another budget-friendly option on the list is the “Almond Mocha” palette by Canmake Tokyo, that was also featured on the tutorial above. If contains five shadows that are all in same tone of brown, enabling you to blend them easily to create the most seamless and crisp looks.

Canmake Tokyo Perfect Multi Eyes Palette retails for RM61.90 on Shopee.

Tarte Tartlette in Boom Clay Palette

This gorgeous palette by Tarte comes in a wide variety of shades, so you’ll definitely be able to create several looks reminiscent of different milk tea flavours. For a brighter look, we recommend applying some of the metallic shades in this palette in the centre of your eyelids.

Tarte’s Tartlette in Boom Clay Palette retails for RM215 on Sephora.

You can never go wrong with a full makeup look using neutrals, so why not give the “milk tea” makeup trend a go today?

Featured image credit: Marisa and Six-And-Twenty/ Xiao Hong Shu