After every New York Fashion Week, I promise myself I’ll try the myriad of bold, new eye looks featured on the runaways. In contrast to the dewier finishes of casual summer beats, the interplay of shadows and liners for fall deliver intense, darker color stories and dramatic shapes befitting jacket fashion. While last fall ushered in a return of 90s supermodel glam and the ubiquity of browns as the defining palette, many 2026 NYFW trends favored a noticeable about face. Though these MUA creations look intimidatingly difficult, I’ve found a relatively effortless way to replicate the bright, eclectic pops of purple at Carolina Herrera and the sculpted cooltones at Christian Cowan – the Smashbox Always on Shadow Sticks.
A recent addition to Smashbox’s wide array of primers and long-wearing foundations, the Smashbox Always on Shadow Sticks come in eight colors and two finishes to achieve a myriad of eye looks. As a hybrid pencil-shadow, it can be used to both line and define and/or smoke and smudge. Formulated for maximum color payoff and all-day wear, application is a breeze with a precision tip, while the creamy texture allows for easy blendability.
The matte versions in No Angel (medium brown), Hot Shot (dark brown), and Stone Fox (grey) create the depth and dimension that are the building blocks of a bold looks. For full creative experimentation, the metallics in the line deliver the fierce colors and shimmer found on fall runways. In appropriately named Loaded (gunmetal), Trouble (champagne), Night Rider (cobalt), and Nepo Babe (green/gold), and Big Flirt (purple), the metallic Always on Shadow Sticks bring drama – a lot of it.
The striking array of colors and applications work beautifully on all skin tones and eye shapes. For monolids that benefit from increased depth, the monochrome gradient technique can be achieved with just one shadow stick by blending and diffusing from the inner eye, to the crease and the lash line. Big Flirt’s mid-toned purple is recommended.
Versatile almond-shaped eyes can play with the interplay of dark, light, and again dark shades in the inner corner, center, and out corner respectively with the smudging and lining of just two shades. Try the green/gold shimmer of Nepo Babe and the dark smoky depth of Hotshot for maximal foxiness. By mixing the numerous colors and finishes, one can achieve numerous looks with the Always on Shadow Sticks by Smashbox.
