Does my sequined face mask compliment my EYELINER???
Ha ha! I just ordered these fancy face masks because it’s expected of me in my work as a makeup artist now who has to get closer than 6 feet of my clients to do her job (thanks Coronavirus for nothing, ugh). So I figured, if I’m gonna wear one, it might as well be fabulous!
(My husband says I look like the old GI JOE evil villain cartoon character Cobra Commander wearing this mask. He might not be too far off…)
Anywho, let’s get back to the topic at hand, EYELINER. What color should you choose to make your peepers look their best?
Of course you could always go the safe route with the basic brown or black. They both work.
But they’re not particularly the most flattering shades for our eye color. They’re basic, and sometimes basic isn’t the most fun option.
There’s a fairly simple way to figure out what shades of eyeliner (and even shadows) that are most complimentary to your specific eye color. And I’m going to let you in on that easy little secret right now…
Remember the color wheel from primary school? You know the one with all the colors of the rainbow in a circle. You’re going to use this as your reference.
All you do is :
- find your eye color on the color wheel,
- then look straight across the wheel on the opposite side to find the complimentary contrasting color.
- this color will be the one that flatters your eye color the most. simple huh??
For example, say you have green eyes. When you look straight across the wheel from green, you see shades of reds and violets/purple. Those are your colors! When translated into wearable shadows and liners, they can be categorized under shades like eggplant, cinnamon, and mulberry just to name a few.
Now if you’ve got brown eyes, you won’t typically see your eyes on the wheel, BUT you’re in luck bc most colors are complimentary to yours. Same goes for hazel eyes which are a mix of brown and green, so they’ve got choices!
I find that for women who want to step-out-of-the-box with their eye makeup, the easiest way to add color (without it being overwhelming) is to do a strip of COLORFUL EYELINER.
It’s a bit easier to pull off than an eye bed full of colorful eyeshadow.
While lots of mascara can definitely bring attention to eyes, it’s actually the eyeliner that I like the most for accentuating and defining the eyes. You can do this with a thin strip of liner or even colorful shadow (for a softer look) along the upper lash line OR you can go bold graphic line with a wing at the end!
So let’s get into it. Here are some of the best eyeliner shades you could try on to really bring out those beautiful peepers of yours!
BLUE EYES : Complimentary shades of orange and yellow. Which translates into shades of peach, apricot, coppers, bronze, gold, and butterscotch. I like Pixi Beauty Silky Eye pencil “Bronze Beam,” $12, and LA Girl gel eyeliner in “Metallic Copper,” $4.
GREEN EYES : Complimentary shades of red and purples. Which translates into shades of burgundy, violets, eggplant, cinnamon, and mulberry. I like the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in “Rockstar,” $22, and NYX Faux Blacks liner in “Blackberry,” $6.
BROWN EYES : Complimentary shades of blue and neighboring greens and purples work well. Which translates into navy, denim blue, deep purple, jade and emerald green, and lilac. I like the Stila Stay All Day liquid eyeliner in “Intense Jade,” $22 and Pixi Beauty Silky Eye pencil in “Black Blue,” $12 (side note, I loooove this color).
HAZEL EYES : Complimentary shades of purples to play up the brown part of the eye or bright golds to play up the green tones. Which translates into plums, grape purple, ruby, honey, and amber. I like the Ulta Automatic eyeliner in “Matte Purple,” $8, and Marc Jacobs Gel eyeliner in “Top Brass,” $26.
Final Tip : Applying an eyelid primer before your shadow and fun colorful eyeliner will definitely help it stick around longer! Try this iconic Urban Decay Primer Potion to get it to stay put! Apply to dry clean eyebed first then apply eye makeup as usual.
**Don’t forget I’m still offering INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL MAKEUP LESSONS and they’ve been a blast so far! If you’re stuck in a makeup rut or are a bride who can’t have a makeup artist for her big day, let me teach you all the ways to get the most of your makeup look! **
