In neutral...

In my 9 to 5, or more accurately, 8 to 4 working life I'm expected to present in a reasonably conservative (boring but not too boring) way. This means nothing obviously over the top in makeup.  Of course I like wearing makeup - as you know -  and I feel like a little emphasis around the eyes is a good way to make me look more awake and sharp (even when I'm not feeling it!).  Depending on what clothes or lip colour I'm wearing I'll go for either a warm or cool neutral look and I have the eye colour combinations down pat to avoid wasting any precious minutes in the morning fixing up disastrous experiments. Guilty confession:  I do my eye makeup on autopilot when I'm getting ready for work! Anyway, just in case you're curious here are the neutral shades I reach for regularly through the week. 

Warm neutrals

Clockwise from left:

Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio (Walking on Eggshells) - Three neutral colours but so versatile! I can wear any one of these slightly shimmery shades alone all over the lid but I particularly like wearing either the beige browbone shade (left) or the warm peachy pink (right) on the lid with the coppery brown (centre) as an outer crease accent.  These are very softly textured so I pat the colour gently in the pan with my brush to avoid any fallout.  They blend ridiculously easily when applying to my lids so this little palette really is an easy choice for a warm neutral eye.

Revlon Wet/Dry Eyeshadow (Not Quite White) - This matte ivory-beige eyeshadow is literally a dinosaur in my collection and long discontinued so don't go looking for it (Let's face it, it's old and crumbling anyway)! The point is the colour and finish itself. I use this matte shade to soften the crease edge and naturally highlight the brow bone.  Shimmer shades are too aging for me so a soft matte ivory brightens the brow area in a subtle and fresh way.

L'Oreal Color Infaillible (002 Hourglass Beige) - This is quite shimmery so I have to be in the mood for it. However if I want to look really awake then nothing brightens the inner corners of my eyes better than this! Alternatively I'll wear it across the entire lid paired with a deeper matte shade in the crease to really brighten the eyes. I also use this to snappily transition my makeup look from day to evening simply by patting it into the inner corners over my existing eye makeup before I head out after dark.

MAC Matte Eyeshadow (Wedge) - This is a fairly recent addition to my MAC collection and I originally bought it as a lazy option for shading the entire lid however I've discovered the pleasures of wearing this as an easy and natural crease shade.  Wedge is a warm taupe which pairs very easily to accent any of my warm beiges and pinks.

Now for the swatches and yes, my cat-scratched arms!

Swatched on bare skin left to right:
 MAC - Wedge,
Wet n Wild - Brow Bone, Crease, Lid,
L'Oreal - Hourglass Beige,
 Revlon - Not Quite White

Cool neutrals

Left to Right:

Maybelline Stylish Smokes Quad (Charcoal Smokes) - This quad was sitting unloved in my stash for a while but I've rediscovered it for a cool neutral daytime eye or a cool smokey evening eye.  I favour using the lid shade (top left) for a subtle daytime crease worn with Revlon's Not Quite White on the lid and using the darker crease shade (top right) the emphasize the outer corner.  This palette comes into its own in the evening for me and I'll make use of all four shades, although I use the shimmery silver brow bone shade (bottom left) on my inner lids instead of the brow bone area, and I'll use the charcoal black outer corner shade (bottom right) over black liner to help soften and smoke out the line.  Three out of the four shades are quite well pigmented with the surprising exception being the black which takes a few swipes to build up the intensity.  Still, I'm a bit fearful of blackest-black eyeshadow so this palette is good enough for my needs.

MAC Satin Eyeshadow (Shale) - This grey-toned purple has popped up in many of my posts and it's not at all surprising because it's a wonderful neutral purple crease shade.  The purple makes my green eyes pop but it doesn't at all scream purple. I won't get into it in detail again - just know that I love it and consider it the perfect cool neutral eye accent.

Swatched on bare skin left to right:
MAC - Shale,
 Maybelline - Brow bone, Lid, Crease, Outer Corner

What are your no-fail neutral favourites?