pimp your taupe a.k.a. cream shadow effect.

i truly appreciate a good taupe as it's the most easy colour to wear and flatters all skin tones. it goes along well with every look and subtly enhances your eyes by giving them more depth. taupe surely is one of the colours that is most often represented in my eyeshadow collection and is the colour i gravitate to when i don't know what to wear.
on the other hand it can get quite boring after a while and i long for some special effects, hues, shimmers in my taupes while still loving the colour. that is when i would pair them with colourful eyeshadow bases. layered over a coloured base instead of just the plain UDPP, the average taupe will get a special twist but stays perfectly wearable.
today i want to show you some of my favourite combinations of cream eyeshadow colour and common taupe eyeshadows, both satin and high shimmer finishes, and how the taupes will transform when you layer them.
surely this is something really basic, but i think it's still interesting to see how you can add little changes to a colour and make it look completely different.

Benefit Strut - MAC Constructivist - Paul & Joe Rock and Roll - Benefit Flatter Me - P2 Exotic Fantasy - Laura Mercier Topaz - MAC Mauvement

 with Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Strut

Strut is a dark, steel grey with a blue tinge. it's perfect as a base to make your taupe smokier and more cool toned. the warm hue in the taupe will make a beautiful sheen/shimmer on the dark grey base, transforming the colour into a warm silver.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Strut - Benefit CCS in Strut - Mauvement over Strut - MAC Mauvement

with MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist

Constructivist is a dark brown shade that will bring out the warm tones in your taupe creating a lot of depth in your brown smoky eye. as you can see the LM Topaz looks like a dark pearly cool brown shade over onstructivist while Mauvement becomes a intense golden bronzey brown.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Constructivist - MAC Constructivist - Mauvement over Constructivist - MAC Mauvement

with Paul & Joe Rock and Roll Eye Gloss (gold side of the duo)

this sparkly sheer gold is a great base to bring out the golden tones in your taupe. it makes your shimmery taupe even more glistening and adds beautiful shimmer effects to the plain satin finish taupe, especially when you blend it out over that glistening base.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Rock and Roll - P&J Rock and Roll - Mauvement over Rock and Roll - MAC Mauvement

with P2 Exotic Fantasy

despite the cheesy name this shimmery purple cream shadow is my favourite base colour when i want to add some complexity to a boring taupe. it tones down the warm hues in your taupe, making them more purply/plummy but still a neutral colour. it adds beautiful dimension to the shimmery taupes, almost like a duochrome shade and brings out an intensive, complex shimmer quality. i think this works with every bold purple cream shadow and will work as a great neutralizer if a shadow is too warm to flatter you.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over P2 - P2 Exotic Fantasy - Mauvement over P2 - MAC Mauvement

with Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Flatter Me

Flatter Me is a tan colour with mauvy undertones. used as a base, it will push your taupes into a  mauvy direction. it will intensify the warm undertones of your taupe and is a great base if a colour seems too cool toned for you to wear.

Laura Mercier Topaz - Topaz over Flatter Me - Benefit CCS in Flatter Me - Mauvement over Flatter Me - MAC Mauvement