Shimmery shades have starred in our best-loved eyeshadow styles. Just think of the Korean aegyo sal makeup, which features a hint of glitter on the under-eyes for a younger and fresher look.

But there’s a new ethereal eyeshadow style that’s tapping on shimmer shades in a brand-new way – and it’s the “clean crease” eyeshadow look, or what users on Xiao Hong Shu (a.k.a. China’s Instagram) are calling the “truncated eye makeup”.

What is “clean crease” eyeshadow?

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Photo source: 美智子/Xiao Hong Shu

Besides the usual spots under and at the innermost corners of the eyes, the “clean crease” eyeshadow style features glitter in a slim, crescent-shaped ribbon across the eyelid.

By emphasising a crease that users are painting on the inner section of their eyelids, the clean curve of the shimmer eyeshadow helps to brighten the eyes and define even the muddiest of eyeshadow looks, including a diffused smokey eye.

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Photo source: 盐汽水儿/Xiao Hong Shu

Surprisingly, shimmer shades aren’t the only makeup that’s starring fresh in this fairy-tale style, because concealer is taking on new roles in the trending look too.

Central to the “clean crease” eyeshadow look, concealer is what helps to create the obvious crease section – even if you skip painting glitter eyeshadow in a moon shape across your lids, the crease should still be crisply defined thanks to the concealer.

Below, we share everything you need to know about how to wear “clean crease” eyeshadow, including the best eyeshadow palettes for nailing this ethereal look!

How to wear “clean crease” eyeshadow

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Photo source: 一小只琪怪, 贝糕糕/Xiao Hong Shu

For beginners, the easiest way to create “clean crease” eyeshadow is to have a four-shade eyeshadow palette with a glitter shade right in reach!

Since a basic “clean crease” eyeshadow look uses three matte shades and one glitter hue, a four-shade eyeshadow palette will make it easier for you to pick the shades you want to wear on your eyes, especially if you’re trying this alluring style for the first time.

The lightest shade will be used to create the clean crease section, the second-lightest shade as a base, and the deepest hue to contour; the glitter shade, of course, will be used to outline the crease and highlight the centre of the eyelids, elevating the eyeshadow look from ordinary to ethereal.

You’ll also want to prepare concealer, a small, flat makeup brush for drawing precise lines, and a fluffy eyeshadow brush.

Step 1: Use the lighter brown shade as a base

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Use the lighter brown shade.

Pick up the lighter brown shade in your palette and sweep it over your lids to create a base.

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Use the dotted lines as a guide for your base shape.

The eyeshadow should be applied in a crescent-shaped curve, reaching just under your brow bone, as well as under your eyes to set the base for an aegyo sal style.

Step 2: Use the darker brown shade to contour the crease

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Use the darker brown shade to contour.

To ensure that the clean crease really stands out later, create some shadows above where the crease will be.

Use the darker brown shade to contour at the upper inner corner of your lid, close to the brow bone.

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Here’s where you can apply the darker brown shade.

Build additional dimension for your eyeshadow look by sweeping this same shade onto the outer corners of your eyes. You should also do this on the underside of your eyes to create the contours needed for an aegyo sal look.

Step 3: Paint a clean crease using concealer

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Paint a clean crease using concealer, following this shape.

Although concealer has long been used to brighten up the under-eyes, for this “clean crease” style, it’s making a surprise appearance on the eyelids instead! (The only other time we’ve used concealer for an eye makeup style is to create transparent eyeliner.)

Using the small, flat makeup brush, pick up the concealer and draw a gentle curve where you want the crease to be. As a guide, follow the natural indentation on your eyelids, just below your brow bone.

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Fill in the area under the crease line.

Extend the concealer line to about two-thirds of the eyelid, and then fill in the crease section by using your finger to tap the concealer onto your skin.

Step 4: Powder over the concealer with a light cream shade

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Use the lightest shade in a four-shade eyeshadow palette.

To cover the concealer’s tacky texture on the skin, apply a light cream or beige eyeshadow powder over the concealer.

You should sweep this shade directly onto the clean crease section, blending it out slightly at the ends to create a smooth gradient.

Step 5: Highlight the crease with silver glitter

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Outline the crease with the shimmer shade.

Silver glitter eyeshadow is what really tops off this “clean crease” style, especially since it brings a hint of fairy-tale mystique to the look.

Using a small, flat makeup brush or thin-tipped eyeshadow brush, outline the crease with silver glitter eyeshadow.

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Optional: Extend the glitter down to the inner corners of the eye (left), or apply it to the centre of the eyelid (right)

For extra shimmer, sweep the glitter shade onto the inner corners of your eyes and on the middle of your eyelid, just above the iris – it’ll brighten and widen your eyes, just like that.

Step 6: Finish with eyeliner and aegyo sal makeup

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Extend your eyeliner wing in a flat line.

You can stop there, but why not complete your “clean crease” style with eyeliner and aegyo sal makeup?

Users on Xiao Hong Shu are also into longer, wider-eye shapes, which means that they extend their eyeliner wing outwards in a flat line instead of flicking it up in a cute curl. This will help to elongate your eyes for a bolder, edgier style.

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Outline the lower lash line (left) and the underside of the aegyo sal (right).

Then, using the darker brown eyeshadow, outline about half of your lower lash line, starting from the outermost corner and ending in the middle. Draw a second line using the same dark brown shade to emphasise the underside of the aegyo sal.

Finally, sweep the silver glitter eyeshadow in between both of the diffused lines to highlight the chubby pocket of under-eye “fat”.

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The final look.

There you have it, the perfect “clean crease” and aegyo sal eyeshadow style!

Other ways to wear “clean crease” eyeshadow

With these steps in mind, you can go on to create lots of other “clean crease” eyeshadow looks, such as the ones below.

Rosy “clean crease” eyeshadow

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Photos source: Ryoko/Xiao Hong Shu

For this look, create a base using a similar pinkish-nude eyeshadow shade, contour with vibrant pink, and then swap your silver glitter for a pink shimmer shade to achieve an overall roseate glow.

Pixie “clean crease” eyeshadow

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Photo source: 妮可丝莱曼manny/Xiao Hong Shu

This enchanting pixie makeup is another way you can truly switch up your “clean crease” eyeshadow style.

Start with a pink base, and then use your concealer to create a “clean crease” section just the same.

For this look, take note to go over the concealer using a pure white eyeshadow shade before layering with a light baby blue eyeshadow shade; this is to ensure that the blue doesn’t become muddy, but stays vibrant on your lids.

Finish your eye makeup just the same, by using silver glitter eyeshadow to outline the crease, centre of your eyelids, and middle of your aegyo sal, just under your iris.

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Photo source: Li/Xiao Hong Shu

Tap on these techniques, and you’ll be able to create a myriad of “clean crease” eyeliner styles, including the enchanting rainbow ones in this photo above!

Best makeup palettes for creating “clean crease” eyeshadow

3CE Mini Multi Eye Color Palette

Create a full “clean crease” makeup look with the compact eyeshadow palettes from 3CE!

Each palette features four shades that match effortlessly no matter how you layer them, so you don’t have to worry about what colours to choose as you build your eyeshadow look.

We say, pair either of the full-matte palettes – the Mini Multi Eye Color Palette in Brown Rum (S$34) or Rose Latte (S$34), with the Glitter Bomb palette for an elegant shimmer finish.

The Glitter Bomb (S$37) palette houses four shimmer shades, from silver to rose gold, so you can create new “clean crease” styles each time.

3CE Mini Multi Eye Color Palette retails for RM55.90 on Shopee.

3CE Multi Eye Color Palette

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Ditch a four-shade palette for one that offers much more colour options if you’re past your beginner-friendly makeup phase! The 3CE Multi Eye Color Palette is a wonderful choice, thanks to its nine buttery shades, which blend and build easily.

Our choice? The Shot Again palette, which palette houses three matte shades and six glitter hues. It gives you a balanced “best of both worlds” in terms of finishes, especially since you need at least three mattes to create a classic “clean crease” eyeshadow look.

3CE Multi Eye Color Palette retails for RM89.90 on Shopee.

Holika Holika My Fave Eye Shadow Palette

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The golden four-shade combination when it comes to creating a basic “clean crease” eyeshadow look is three matte shades and one glitter hue.

Holika Holika’s My Fave Eye Shadow Palette in #02 Melba and #03 Rozely hit that sweet spot because they each feature smooth, soft matte powders and a single shimmer shade. It’s exactly what you need to nail a “clean crease” look.

Holika Holika My Fave Eye Shadow Palette retails for RM51.94 on Shopee.

Etude x KAKAO FRIENDS Play Color Eyes

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Fans of Kakao Friends, all the more reason to get this cute four-shade eyeshadow palette from Etude.

This Etude x KAKO FRIENDS Play Color Eyes palette has a curved lid design that’s unique and, at the same time, makes it easier for you to pop open the palette and swatch the soft shades.

The natural shades in this palette are great for an everyday-wearable style, even when it comes to a more dramatic “clean crease” look.

#1 Pink Yam houses one glitter, one shimmer, and two matte shades; #2 Orange Mojito, on the other hand, features three warm mattes and one golden glitter hue.

Etude x KAKAO FRIENDS Play Color Eyes retails for RM103 on Shopee.

I’M MEME I’M Multi Cube

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Splash some rosy colour onto your eyes and your cheeks with I’M MEME I’M Multi Cube, which features four eyeshadow shades and one blush.

The two-tier palette houses the eyeshadows on one level and the blush below; there’s even a mirror inside the compact, so you can touch up your “clean crease” makeup whilst on the go.

I’M MEME I’M Multi Cube retails for RM44.27 on Shopee.

Peripera Ink Pocket Shadow Palette

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Peripera might be best known for its cushiony lippies, but its eyeshadow palettes don’t fall short either. The Peripera Ink Pocket Shadow Palette is a four to five-colour palette that boasts highly-pigmented, blendable shades.

We’d go for the #2 Once Upon a Pink palette to create a rosy “clean crease” eyeshadow look. This one has a light pinkish-nude shade that’s perfect for the crease section, a light petal pink that’ll make a great base, and a deep chocolate brown ideal for the contours.

Not to mention, it’s got a shimmery pink shade to put the cherry on top of this fairy-tale style!

Peripera Ink Pocket Shadow Palette retails for RM71 on Zalora.

Featured image credit: 月亮涨潮时, hello大土/Xiao Hong Shu