Blue Green

Blue Green

What color eye shadows bring out blue/green eyes?

I usually use brown eyeshadow because I have blue eyes that sometimes look green but it gets old. What colors will bring out my eyes?

Never match eye shadow to eye color. It will not make them stand out.

I have been a cosmetologist for twenty years. What we see in the magazines is not what is considered beautiful for the everyday world. Models don't project everyday makeup. They project what is fine for the evening, a night out on a fancy restaurant, or just plain "shock and awe" for purposes of artistry.

These are the steps I use with any of my clients if the eye shadow question is brought up without the other variables--such as skin tone and hair color--which are much more important for getting the exact shades of neutrals :

1. What is your age? If you are over 30, use strictly mattes

2. Eye shadow is applied to add emphasis to the eye. The eye area should not look "painted on", as this is not the purpose of eye shadow. In fact, the eye area should look as if nothing is put on it.
Think "shadow." You are trying to shadow the eye.

3. To bring out eye color, neutrals are a must. Do not use greens and blues, as they will share the spotlight and no longer emphasize anything except that you have eye shadow on.

I use light and dark browns with a bit of darker slate/ash (for accent) for those on the blue side of green. The shade of brown depends on skin tone and what the client wears.

On the green side of blue/green I lean towards strictly caramels and much lighter slates for accents. No dark slates for greenish types except for evenings.

As a rule, the blue-greens do better with the darker browns and slates/ashes, while the green-blues do better with softer browns and lighter slates/ashes.

P.S. These guidelines are written in stone. However, we always need to learn very well how to streamline the applications themselves to bring out a sense of continuity with the color scheme. IOW, the brown eye area and slate/ash areas would appear as if they are part of a continuous pattern. The pattern is determined by the shape of the eye area.

I forgot to mention the "smokey eye" effect. Slates and ashes are my favorite for adding a *touch* of smoke to the eye. Smoky effects add incredible dimension if applied sparingly during the day and make eyes really stand out. However, I will create a much bolder smokey effect on eyes that are exotic-looking and brown or black in color.

The reason why brown and black eyes can show a bolder smoky effect during the day is because brown or black eyes, being neutral, will not clash with neutral slates and ashes even during the day. Of course, the amount of layering of smoke effects must be compatible with skin tone and hair color.