How to Choose Eye Shadow Combinations

Enhance your beauty like actress Keira Knightley with dramatic eye shadow shades.

Putting on eyeshadow might seem like a relatively simple task: pick a color you like and apply it generously. In reality, choosing the right eyeshadow combinations is more of a skilled art. As a general rule, choose combinations of colors that are complementary to your eye color, although breaking this rule can also provide a dramatic effect. It's best to combine colors that are close to one another in color harmony. Mixing vastly differently colored eyeshadow can produce a shocking result that will not make you look your best.

Blue Eyes

While many consider blue eyes to be naturally beautiful, the right eyeshadow combination can accentuate their striking quality. Because complementary colors always work well, a combination of orange and gold can look nice against the blue of the eyes. On a color wheel, orange is the direct complementary of blue. Conversely, to use related color harmonies, a shade of blue darker than your eyes combined with gray can produce a smoky look that looks beautiful against lighter blue eyes. Another option is to apply violet eyeshadow on the eyelid, and lavender in space between the lid and the eyebrow.

Green or Hazel Eyes

Green and hazel eyes may look quite different from one another, but they fit the same profile when it comes to choosing the right eyeshadow combination. As always, using complementary colors will bring out the color in your eyes. To this end, try a combination of pinks, purples or red-orange colors. Alternatively, you can go the opposite route and use similar colors that will enrich your eyes. Try a mixture of dark green and light green, or brown and purple.

Brown Eyes

Some say that people with brown eyes are lucky because any shade of eyeshadow goes well with this color. Nonetheless, there are some combinations that look better than others. Unlike eyes of other colors, the right eyeshadow combination for brown eyes can depend on the darkness of your skin tone. If you have fair skin, go with a combination of grey, pink and plum. For medium or darker skin, use the plum shade more heavily.

Other Tips

There are some other general rules and tips when it comes to choosing eyeshadow combinations that can help you look and feel your best. In general, choose a darker combination of eyeshadow if you want to accentuate your eye color. If you'd rather disguise your eyes, a lighter combination should do the trick. It is best to match your eyeshadow combination to the color of your eyes only, and not to the color of your hair, which can be tempting to do.

References

• Make-Up USA: Frequently Asked Questions About Make-up
• Mac Shadow Combos: How To Pick the Perfect Eyeshadow Color for Your Eyecolor