If a skin-care product were ever worthy of side eye, it’s the essence. Thin like water and pricey like a serum, even the name (defined as “the quality that makes a thing what it is”) sounds sketchy and evasive. But to some women, essences are as essential as water.

Go ahead and say the word “maroon.” It even sounds deep and drawn out. As an eye shadow, the color works the same way. A mix of brown and purple, it goes further than your average dark shade, with dimension that keeps it from looking flat or one-note. Since the shade can swing from toned-down to total-drama, makeup artist Ayami Nishimura offers three takes on it…