How to Wear Makeup With Dark Brown Eyes and Hair with Fair Skin

Makeup enhances the contrast between dark hair and pale skin.

The contrast of pale skin against dark brown hair and eyes is both dramatic and alluring. Dark brunettes with pale skin fortunately may have enough contrast to go makeup-free, or they may choose from a wide variety of colors to enhance their romantic complexion. The lighter the skin tone is, however, the less intense the color should be and vice versa. Choose beiges, burnt oranges, corals, coppers, pinks, greens, light purples and browns when shopping for new makeup.

Things You'll Need

• Eyeliner
• Eyebrow pencil
• Tweezers
• Eye shadow
• Mascara
• Bronzer
• Blush
• Loose powder
• Lip liner
• Lipstick
• Lip gloss

Instructions

Makeup for Eyes, Lips, and Cheeks

1. Eyebrows stand out on pale-skinned, dark-eyed beauties, so make sure eyebrows are neatly trimmed, brushed and properly arched. These can make your whole face beautiful even without makeup. For thick eyebrows, comb the hairs until the natural arch is visible, then trim and tweeze along the natural arch. Be careful not to go overboard. For thin eyebrows, fill in the arch with eyebrow pencil or even eye shadow for definition.

2. For the eyelashes, choose dark brown mascara and use several coats. For eyeliner, use a rich, chocolate brown eyeliner and apply along the upper lashes. Select a color of eye shadow with several shades from light to dark. Sweep the very lightest shade over your eyelids all the way to the eyebrow line. Take the darkest shade of the same hue and apply to the crease. Experiment with champagnes, bronzes, golds, greens, and blues, all which complement brown eyes beautifully.

3. For dry-skin types, apply a moisturizer to the face before applying the bronzer and blush. For oily-skin types, blot excess oil with tissue or blotting paper and apply loose powder. Extra oil or dry skin underneath makeup can ruin the effect.

4. For the cheekbones, a light creamy pink blush works best for the palest skin tones. Use a round makeup brush and be sure to tap off the excess power before applying. Lightly sweep across the apples of the cheek (the cheekbones and hollow of cheeks). Take care to blend well, so it's a subtle blush. For more medium skin tones apply bronzer on your forehead, cheeks, nose and chin for a healthy sun-kissed look.

5. For your lips, choose a lighter lipstick like nude or light pink if your eye makeup is dark or dramatic. Dark lipstick with dark eyes is too overpowering. Shade in the lips with a pink lip liner, since the color lasts longer than the lipstick. Lip liner also gives lip gloss and lipstick a foundation of color to which to adhere. If the rest of your face is light on color, choose from the following lipstick/lip liner colors: berries, soft plums, roses, burgundies, warm and bright reds.

Tips & Warnings

• Bronzers and sunless tanners are much better alternatives to tanning in the sun.

• Do not tan to get a sun-kissed look. The sun is particularly harmful to fair skin and ages it prematurely.

References

• Tomi Gion: Makeup Tips
• Easy Makeup Guide: Eye Makeup Colors for Brown, Blue, Green and Hazel Eyes
• Free Makeup Tips: How to Apply Makeup for Cool Skin, Dark Hair

Resources

• Apply Makeup: Dark Hair Pale Skin