While most of us like our eye shadow sheer and smooth, many pro makeup artists have an entirely different wish list when browsing the beauty counters.

And if you, like so many session makeup artists, prefer powerful, pigment-packed eye shadows, you’ll probably have few brands to choose from.

So you’ll no doubt be delighted to welcome a new wave of ‘baked’ makeup products, which start out as liquids before being individually baked into solid super-rich powders.

When baked in an oven in the Mediterranean sun, the quality of the product is said to improve and the result is often a one-tone or a meteorite-coloured makeup product with extra wow-factor.

Nouba, Maybelline (Maybelline's Eyestudio Color Cosmos pictured above), Art Deco and MAC are some of the brands using this technique. Just by dampening a thin brush you can apply the product as an eyeliner.

However, instead of water, use a face mist such as MAC Fix+Spray or Youngblood Minerals in the mist to avoid bacteria.

Fans say that baked makeup is as effective as a loose pigment without the hassle of dust.

Critics find it no different from a good-quality regular product.

While some consumers find the patterns pretty to look at, makeup artists find it difficult to apply precisely.

To bake or not to bake? As always it’s a matter of personal taste. © Cover Media