by Inna Grinblat of Glamorized Skin
While Lady Gaga's wild eye make up fits perfectly with her creative outfits and videos, most of us can allow ourselves such imagery only at masquerades and Halloween parties. However, we still want our eyes to be mesmerizing by bringing out their best potential on everyday basis. When women shop for eye make up, there are two goals they have in mind:
1. to have their eyes stand out in order for everyone to notice their beauty;
2. to wear eye make up that complements their eye color and makes them look younger, healthier and more energized.
Both of these goals can be accomplished by choosing the right eye shadow color, to complement your eye color. Let us examine each eye color separately:
BLUE/GREY
Blue and grey eye colors can be in the same category because these colors are both emphasized by similar shades of eye shadows. For a day look, women with these eye colors should experiment with different shades of brown: golden brown, taupe, tawny, chocolate brown etc. Brown complements blue/grey eyes very well and will help you achieve that popping color effect. You can chose from a variety of browns including deep browns, reddish browns, and orange browns etc. For an evening out, you should use the same shades with richer, darker or more intense color, which has more pigments.
GREEN/HAZEL
You will meet a person with truly green eyes very rarely. Usually, people have either brown or hazel eyes that have various amounts of green color in them. If you have green eyes, you should mostly experiment with purple and violet colors, which will make your eyes look like emeralds. Green can also be complemented by soft pinks and golden brown shades, which work well for a more conservative day look. If your eyes have hazel or brown color, you can try mauve and peach shades. Once more, for an evening look you should use the same shades with richer color pigmentation and just a touch of sparkle for that oomph effect.
BROWN/BLACK
Women with brown eyes are the lucky ones. Most eye make up shades look great with this eye color. However, brown eyes are best emphasized by deep browns, orange browns and golden tones. They also look very good next to soft purples, berries and silver greys. Deep black eyes should be emphasized by the same shades as brown eyes, but they mostly look very good with frosty pink and berry colors. If you have truly black eye color stay away from very light shades, as they may look unnatural with your eye color.
As you can see the rules to choose your eye make up color are not very strict and many shades look good with different eye colors. The trick is to experiment with different shades. For example if you have blue eyes, experiment with different shades of browns and greys to achieve a different effect every time. By using the right eye make up color, you will magnify the beauty of your eyes and feel more confident from day to night.
8 EYE SHADOW COMMANDMENTS
1. Always stay in the same color family when it comes to the rest of your face, i.e. wearing purple eye make up, orange blush and red lipstick is a no-no; instead, try pink, mauve or plum blush and lipstick.
2. If you are creating a strong eye effect (i.e. smoky eyes), lighter color blush and neutral, lighter colored lips are required for balance.
3. If you are creating a strong lip color effect (i.e. rich red lips) a classical look is a must for the top of your face. It would include neutral eye shadow, black liner and mascara with little else.
4. A bronzer will complement almost any make up look. Make sure to chose the right shade for your complexion. A bronzer should not make a blaring statement, but create a subtle shading on multiple areas of the face. It can be used in place of or together with a blush and it is also the safest way to tan!!!
5. If you have expression lines, try to stay away from eye shadow with a lot of sparkles or glitter as it may attract more attention to the area. It is best to experiment with matte eye make up colors and use just tiny bit of sparkle on the inner side of the eye, if necessary.
6. Always start with a small amount of eye make up and intensify the effect little by little in order to keep the look as natural as possible and remember: BLEND, BLEND, BLEND!!! in order to hide those areas where one color meets another.
7. Skin color matters. The darker your skin color, the more intense eye shadow colors you can use and keep your make up look natural.
8. Try to go out of your comfort zone when you are experimenting and use one color or effect that you haven't tried before. Who knows? Maybe you will be able to achieve that desirable effect and your eyes will truly SPARKLE!
Read more about the importance of using the right colors here: Color Wheel Your Face
Need perfect eye brows to frame your eyes: The Ultimate Brow
da, ya vot zamechala, chto naprimer rozovie tona s moimi sero-golubimi smotryatsya inogda kak ya boleyu )) i eshe naverno cvet volos tozhe nuzhno prinimat vo vnimanie? i vrode temno-sirenevie tona na mne horosho, no miksuyu s serimi ottenkami
ReplyDeletei eshe, mozhet rasskazhete kak pravilno blendat' cveta, kakogo tipa kistochku luchshe ispolzovat etc
I think that the color that works best for my hazel eyes is dark green with a touch of brown. Pink, unfortunately, didn't seem to work that well. Maybe it's not the best option for brunettes though.
ReplyDeleteLadies, it's interesting how both of you noted color pink when describing something that does not work. Pink works very rarely and I agree it may make you look tired and sick, as Nadya pointed out. However, when we referred to pink color we were describing a "soft pink", a subtle color, to use for green/hazel eyes, which can be used as a highlighter or a base color and not the main color of the look. For hazel eyes I would use the pinkish-neutral shadow (maybe with a little shimmer) as a base all over the lid and use a brown-grey or deep purple/violet in the crease to exaggerate the size and shape of the eye (this is just one variation of colors to use). Sasha, the reason why dark green with brown works for you is because it's a dark shade and it helps you create the texture you are after. If you try dark grey or dark purple instead, you will achieve the same effect.
ReplyDeleteNadya, I believe that hair color complements skin tone (at least it should) and so does your eye color. So, the colors that work with your eye color, will work with both your skin tone and hair color.
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering why black doesn't work at all. Are there any hints?
Sasha, to show exactly what colors I mean by "soft pink" you can check out MAC Cosmetics website and look at the shades called "Sweet Lust" or "Yogurt".
ReplyDeleteAbout black eyeshadow shade. Black is not a warm or a cool color so it will work with all eye colors. However, you should be careful because it's a very intense color. So start with a little bit and increase the amount until you reach the desired intensity. Look at this picture for an example. Since I've seen you in person, I think this type of look will work with your eye shape. Again, start with a small amount of dark/black eyeshadow right above your eyelashes and blend upward. So, in the end your most intensified color will be next to your eyelashes and it will lighten as it moves up. And of course do not forget to blend with the neutral color below your brows, like the picture shows. I do not think you will even need to use any dark shadow in the bottom of your eyes to exaggerate the size, since they are naturally big.
Thanks, Inna! I tried the color again and it looks like intence back isn't the best choice, whereas light grey seem to be working. I personally like "yogurt" colors. I think they make my face look fresh.
ReplyDelete