The number one beauty question searched online and asked of makeup artists is “What makeup is best for my eye colour?” Of course it’s the top question asked of Carmindy, makeup artist for TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” The following is her answer, in an excerpt from the book Get Positively Beautiful: The Ultimate Guide to Looking and Feeling Gorgeous ($23.99 CAN/$21.99 US) by Carmindy. Copyright © 2008 by Carmindy. Reprinted by permission of Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, Inc., New York, NY. All rights reserved.
“Opposites attract” is my motto when enhancing eyes to look vividly alive. By choosing shadows, liners and mascaras that contrast with your eye colour, you turn up the voltage of your irises for an electrifying beauty. Whether your peepers are blue, green, brown, or hazel, using opposing makeup colours will always make them “pop.”
Now remember, there are no hard-and-fast rules: the following are only suggestions to help you sensationalize your eyes. Play with this “opposites attract” idea, and pay attention to the compliments sure to follow!
Brown Eyes Play with deep shades of navy and sapphire smudged into the lash line for a subtle edge that is alluring but not over-the-top. When using blue eyeliner, follow with neutral lid colours like soft shimmering browns for a modern look.
Brown-eyed girls can also have fun with shades of green. Experiment with forest and emerald to discover what really sparkles on you.
Blue Eyes Smudge on shades of chocolate brown, taupe, or bronze to make the blue really come alive. Blue shadows compete with your natural colour, so play to the positive by skipping blue hues.
Green Eyes Try eyeliners or shadows in eggplant, purple, burgundy, lavender, or amythest. The contrast of colours will give you the sexiest emerald stare.
Hazel Eyes Hazel eyes look incredible when paired with green shadow. My personal favourite is a sparkling forest green applied across the lid and under the lash line. This shade deepens the brown tones while bringing up the green.
Photography by Peter Buckingham
If you’re a beauty geek and need to see a colour wheel to know what the opposites of your eye colour are, hit Pop Goes Your Eye Colour, an earlier BeautyGeeks post.
Now see how easy your beauty can be when you know your best shades?
*
ENTER TO WIN a quirky-cute Scotch Shoe Tape Dispenser!
18 November 08 at 4:07 pm
Thank you! I was going to write to you to ask what to do for blue eyes!! Of course, mine are blue-green so I’ll have to figure something out but this really helps! Thanks again!
18 November 08 at 5:33 pm
Try magenta, brown, burgundy and grey :-)
08 January 09 at 3:49 pm
I have Grayish Blue Eyes and i was wondering what color would look best on me
08 January 09 at 9:18 pm
Hi Brittney,
Any colour that looks good with blue eyes should also look good with grayish blue. Play with the tones a little, go for warmer shades with a little more red or orange undertones — russets and copper. Those shades will bring out the blue in your eyes. Also try plums and purples to see what happens.
If you think about it, grey is the kind of neutral that looks good with everything, so you really have a lot of possibilities if you want to emphasize that tone in your eyes. Grey eyes aren’t terribly common, so have fun. It’s about creating contrast, so make sure whatever you choose isn’t too close in hue to your actual eye colour.
Let me know if any of that helps,’k?
31 March 09 at 9:25 pm
I find myself struggling to find recommendations for my eye color. I’ve got deep olive green eyes with lots of yellow and brown flecks. I’m hesitant to use golden shades because I have a lot of yellow in my skin tone. I’ve got brown hair with a lot of natural blonds and reds in it. What recommendations would you have for me for eye colors?
31 March 09 at 9:57 pm
Oh my, I’d love to see your eyes, Larissa. They sound stunning — you probably need very little beyond mascara to emphasize them. Any chance you’d send a photo to imabeautygeek@gmail.com?
I’m thinking burgundy, eggplant and plum would be great options for you. I want to say copper, too. Copper (like a new penny) is really pretty with deep green, and it’ll pick up the flecks in your eyes. Should also work with your skin tone.
Keep me posted!
31 March 09 at 10:11 pm
Sent :) Hope to hear from you soon.
31 March 09 at 11:00 pm
Well unfair — not only do you have spectacular eyes, they’re huge! Yes, I think all those colours will work, either as liner or as a wash of colour on your lids. Also consider trying burgundy mascara.
1) Line with a soft brown or burgundy eye liner or eye shadow (try one with a little shimmer — pretty), and smudge with an angled liner brush or a Q-Tip
2) Curl your lashes
3) Apply Benefit Bad Gal Mascara in burgundy.
You’ll have what I like to call “look-again” beauty. People won’t know why they have to keep looking at your eyes, but they will, again and again.
Do you wear concealer or powder at all? You have nice skin. Just a little concealer under your eyes, on the inner corners of your upper lids, around the base of your nose, and MAC’s Blot Powder/pressed in Medium all over, and your eyes will JUMP out of your face before you even put anything on them. Plus your skin will look flawless without looking like you’re wearing any makeup at all. Gorgeous.
31 March 09 at 11:11 pm
Thank you for the suggestions! I’ll head to the store and show you what comes of it. Should I make any changes to this regimen when going out on the town at night?
31 March 09 at 11:27 pm
Go smoky for your nights out on the town!
1) Line upper and lower lashlines with burgundy, eggplant or plum liner
2) Smudge with matching eye shadow, and sweep same shade all over lid, into the crease
3) curl lashes and add black mascara
You can stop there, or you can change it up with black pencil liner on the inner rims of upper and lower lids (upper is tricky but you’ll get used to it quickly — squinting helps) for a rock’n'roll effect.
Yet another option is to start with a black liner on upper and lower lids, then smudge and layer with coloured (burgundy, eggplant, plum) eye shadow.
For blush, I’d suggest something peachy pink, and for lips peachy pink or soft pink gloss.
Can’t wait to see!
02 April 09 at 10:23 pm
I sent you a picture of the result from the last option that you offered :) Let me know what you think.
03 April 09 at 8:14 am
Nice job! I’m having eye envy right now…
Because your eyes are so beautiful and big, I think you could wear almost any colour on them you know. Definitely play in the purple range, see how more intense purples look, play with cool and warm shades, and explore rust and burgundy too. You have so much fun built into those eyes of yours. And pick up a shimmery white or off-white shadow to dab into the inner corners of your eyes. Nothing brightens like shimmery white on pale skin, even if all you’re wearing is mascara.
Thanks for sending the photo!
09 April 09 at 7:20 pm
Please suggest your favourite, reasonably priced, volumizing, lengthening mascara. (I have purchased Dior,Estee Lauder’s in the past and realize that their products are overpriced).
09 April 09 at 8:37 pm
Hi Lily,
Thanks for your question.
I can recommend a few. Cargo Texas Lash (about $20) gives good drama, as does CoverGirl Lash Blast (about $10). My sister swears by CoverGirl Lash Fantastic. Lancôme’s new Oscillation (about $39) delivers impressive results (and no, there’s no reason at all to fear you’ll poke yourself in the eye). I know, that’s pricey, but the real news is that Maybelline is coming out with a similar mascara called Pulse Perfect in the fall (both companies are owned by L’Oréal).
A Smashbox pro makeup artist named Shawn Hlowatzki gave me a great tip I’ve put in an upcoming article (don’t tell anyone I gave it to you early):
Using your volumizing mascara, start at the very base of your lashes, where they meet the inner rim of your upper lids. Do the tiny wiggle and sweep the wand up about 2/3 the length of your lashes, then roll the wand up and off the tips in a little flick. That should help curl your lashes at the same time, actually, and make them look long. It’ll take practice, and it isn’t something you can do when you’re in a rush, but it works.
You may also find something in this post, which features feedback from women with different lash needs on 17 mascaras: http://tinyurl.com/More-on-Mascaras
Do let me know how your search goes!