This is not true, not entirely anyway.  There are a handful of professional  makeup artists who are masterfully brilliant, creative and innovative with their use of color, style and applied technique.  Kevyn Aucoin, Billy B, Pat McGrath.... are perfect examples of gifted talent whose work seems untouchable in the world of professional makeup artistry.  

1st Secret Revealed: 'The Right Stuff'

Professional makeup artists use an arsenal of quality tools that are designed for specific tasks to achieve high precision detail.

Makeup brushes are critical to the precision of makeup application.

It is especially important with eye shadow techniques, because the zone is small and there is a lot of detail to the eye area.

In general, eye makeup brushes should be soft haired, but firm and ideally, long handled (short handles are for on the go convenience).  Bristles should not be floppy soft, too coarse or easily pulled out of brush.

You do not need to purchase an arsenal, but you will find the below assortment on the "must have" favorite brushes list.  Ideal brushes that will help you perform eye shadow techniques with high precision and professional looking results: 

• medium flat eye shadow brush, with rounded head, for placement from upper lash to brow bone, great for shading and blending
• medium round tapered brush for contour blending
• small flat, square brush for precise shadow placement, pushing into lash line and setting pencil liner
• small flat angled head for precise placement of shadow, and fine wet or dry shadow lining 
• eyelash curler is critical to opening and widening the eye, creating a fresh appearance, and longer, fuller looking  lashes....

2nd Secret Revealed: Strategy...

Professional makeup artists have a specific process they follow every time they apply makeup and an inventory of high performance products that they can rely upon for beautiful long wearing results.

Overall style objective, the nature of the products used to achieve those style objectives, placement area, and color strength, help determine the exact sequencing of specific steps in the process.

FIRST PHASE

Before you begin with eye shadow techniques you must begin with:

a. Clean Canvas-Generally, they start with the face as a whole; a clean canvas with an appropriate skin care regime completed. 

b. Primer (optional step)-Then the face, including the eye area is primed with special products called "primer" or "fix" to ensure smooth application of foundation and concealer.

c. Foundation/Concealer-Foundation perfectly matched to skin tone is applied in small increments with sponge or foundation brush and blended to a smooth, flawless looking finish.

d. Loose Translucent Powder-With a large powder brush, excess tapped away, loose powder is lightly dusted and disperse over face area with heavier placement in eye area (excess will be swept away later).

SECOND PHASE

Then eye shadow technique can follow.

e. Tissue-  A tissue is often placed under eye area, to catch pigment dust and remove residual shadow from brushes.  This helps keep the finish clean and precise and the results dramatic.

f.  Eye Shadow- With most eye shadow techniques, placement of eye shadow begins with the base shade, usually the lightest, brushed over upper lid from lash line to brow bone. A slightly deeper shade is applied to the natural contour between the brow bone and the upper lash lid area, called the crease.

Eye shadow techniques at present, really work the area under the lower lashes with multiple shades of eye shadow.  Placement of a medium shade wide and soft under the lashes, with a darker shade finely and precisely under the lash line, creates a very defined and dimensional look.

Highlighter and Shimmer along the brow bone.

g. Eye Liner- Pencil or liquid is placed strategically along the lash line(s).  

Eye liner placement is a critical eye makeup application step.  Why?  It is the key to setting the tone of a particular style.  For example recent popular rimming of entire eye area lash lines with liquid liner set the tone for that "rocker girl chic" eye makeup style.  Its absence enhances the "pale chic" look.

h. Eye Lash Curler- A very important step to opening up and playing up the eye area with the finishing touch, mascara.

i. Mascara- Placing the wand at the base of the eye lashes, it is jiggled as the wand moves up along the lash through the very tips.

j.  Brows-Even if its just brush and place with gel, eye brows need to groomed; shaped, touched up and placed.

k. Eye Area Clean Up- With Q-Tips and brush, excess shadow dust, powder and spots are removed.

3rd Secret Revealed: Know The Zones

When it comes to eye shadow techniques, professional makeup artists view the eye area as a zone that is divided into many smaller sections, each having specific eye makeup products and specific tools associated to it.

The image to the left shows the most commonly used approach to shadow application.  What changes this eye shadow technique over time are color choices reflecting trends and eye liner style.  Eye liner strategically placed for desired emphasis will determine the style delivery. For example, recently popular was rimming the entire eye area with liquid liner.  Liner-less eyes with eye shadow was also a "look".

Makeup should be place neatly and blended well, typically not extending out of the eye zone (unless a special style objective is trying to be achieved).  Doing this will help achieve a precise high impact look.

Many eye shadow techniques, including the above, can be effectively achieved using these three critical brushes; medium eye shadow brush,  medium tapered eye shadow brush, and a small angled eye makeup brush.

1.  Medium Eye Shadow Brush-

Use a medium head eye shadow brush, with soft but firm natural bristle hair, and a complimentary eye shadow in a light to medium shade.  Sweep across the upper eye lid with a medium eye shadow brush starting on the inside and moving along the upper lash line to the outer corner, from the out corner back to the middle, over lapping blending strokes.  Move upwards to the crease or into the brow bone area in horizontal sweeps (blending into the brow bone, not above).
*Note-Color should diminish and blend well as it reaches the imaginary lines of the eye zone.

I think Cargo has some very well priced, quality eye makeup brushes. You will find Cargo's Fluff Brush- Medium and more information, when you choose Cargo in the brand menu on the right, after you click here, Makeup Tools & Accessories.

2.  Medium Round Tapered  Eye Shadow Brush-

Using the medium sized round tapered shadow brush, and a slightly deeper shadow shade, apply shadow in the natural contour of the eyelid, under the brow bone, in the shape of a shallow arc. Blend well both downward and upward being sure that the contour does not extend beyond the imaginary lines on either side of the eye.
*Note-Color should diminish and blend well as it reaches those imaginary lines.

Again, if you are without a brush of this nature, consider Cargo's Pointed Crease Brush and more information, when you choose Cargo in the brand menu on the right, after you click here, Makeup Tools & Accessories.

The next step in eye shadow technique is applying the highlight shade, the lightest shade, at the brow bone and above it, blending it along and under the actual eye brow with focus being on the outer side.  The Medium eye shadow brush great for this task too.

3.  Small Angled Eye Makeup Brush-

This brush is great for eye shadow techniques that include blending pencil eye liner, softening harsh lines, and applying precise wet or dry eye shadow along lash lines.  This angled brush is also great for placing powder to fill brows.

For more on Cargo's Angle Liner Brush choose Cargo in the brand menu on the right, after you click here, Makeup Tools & Accessories.

They also determine which makeup products they can cut $ corners on and which ones they need to splurge on.  

Eye shadow techniques that create a POLISHED, PROFESSIONAL LOOKING FINISH require ATTENTION TO DETAIL, PRECISION, BLENDING AND MORE BLENDING, EXPERIMENTING AND PRACTICE.

Experiment on yourself and on others.  Nothing helps improvement like practice.  Your application skill will get better as you come to know which and how much product, which shades, application techniques, strategies etc., that are most effective for you.  Try building your application repertoire  up to a number of "looks" that will be event appropriate ranging from daytime wear, casual evening out, to special events.

Like everywhere in life that require skill, great eye shadow techniques come with practice.  It takes a little time to investigate the subject, acquire the knowledge to do it, and then it comes down to pure and simple practice.

"Secrets Revealed" is a popular way of stating information that typically only individuals in a particular trade, are familiar with.   These eye shadow techniques used by professional, are not really secret, just specialized knowledge.

In general eye shadow techniques require knowledge of makeup application in general for sequencing, knowledge of placement for complimentary effect, knowledge of tools for precise application and product knowledge for effective results

After that, to have professional looking results, eye shadow techniques require practice, practice, practice...  

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