The Drugstore Product that Makes an Unexpectedly Awesome Eye Shadow Base

Last night's AMAs was full of surprises, including an appearance by Selena Gomez, a toned-down Lady Gaga look, and the unexpected downpour that almost flooded the red carpet. Luckily, when the weather throws an unwanted curve ball, pros like makeup artist Mary Phillips come prepared with a bag full of tips, tricks, and of course, products. To ensure client Chrissy Teigen's eye shadow didn't come right off when she stepped outside, Phillips needed an eye shadow base to lock the pigments in place. What she reached for, however, wasn't an eye shadow base—it was a contouring stick.

Moments before Teigen stepped onto the red carpet, Phillips posted a picture on her Instagram of the Physician's Formula Super BB #InstaReady ContourTrio Stick in Bronze Trio. "I'm very into off-label use btw," she wrote in the caption. "This Physician's Formula Contour Stick? No no, that's my sexy new eyeshadow base, especially in this rain!"

"It’s funny because I’m not even the biggest fan of bases and primers, but when I started messing around with the Physician's Formula Contour Stick, the night before, I was really intrigued A) by the color selection, and B) by the texture. It was flat but not matte,and silky but not transparent." Often eye shadow bases can rest pretty heavy on the eyes, but after playing around with the contour stick, Phillips found the formula to be comfortable and moisturizing. More importantly, it didn't crease, which is superimportant if you want your eye shadow last, especially on muggy days. After a day of testing it out on herself, Phillips decided it was good enough to be put to the ultimate test—the red-carpet step and repeat.

Aside from creating a smooth base on which to seamlessly blend eye shadows, Phillips discovered this little beauty stick had several other uses as well. "I would even just wear this alone on the eyes too," she said. "I like that it’s an easily portable product, and you can use it for contour, on your cheeks and eyes, and even on your lips—maybe not the lightest color, but the middle caramel color would work, and the darkest color could easily be pulled off on someone with a deeper skin tone." The makeup artist also adds that the contour stick does have a light shimmer, but it's not overwhelming or garish.

Now that the secret's out, you may want to head to your nearest drugstore to stock up on this multi-purpose contour stick. As we now know, it will certainly come in handy—rainy day or not.

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More from the American Music Awards 2016:

1. Halsey's AMAs Iridescent Silver Shadow Is #MakeupGoals
2. Ariana Grande's Cornrow Ponytail Just Won the AMAs 2016
3. Here's Exactly How to Get Gigi Hadid's Low-Key, Brushed-Back Curls

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