The Colourful Eye ~ How to Find Your Perfect Colour!

The smoky eye has recently taken a turn for the colourful. Instead of starting dark and going darker has become a case of finding a colour and playing with its different hues to create the same smoky effect. With a sudden burst of colour on the eyeshadow front it is often hard to decide what to buy when you are faced with a rainbow array at the beauty counter –should you go for the hot pink sported by Emily Blunt, or Ginnifer Goodwin’s turquoise shimmer both seen at the Met Ball, or even Barbara Palvin bright orange that shocked the crowds at this years Cannes? One important thing to remember is: not everyone suits every colour. So how do you go about finding your perfect shades?

Finding your perfect colour match requires taking into account your permanent facial features (aka your hair and eye colours). It is important to compliment your hair and eye colours as it will allow your eyes to reach their full “pop” potential.

Most people do not think to incorporate their hair colour when choosing eye shadow. However, if you think about it hair colour should be the major decision maker after all hair is the curtain to your canvas!  

For the blondes among us the best way to start your eyes is with a neutral palette. Light browns and nudes work great along with pastels, pink, coral, beige and peach work great with blonde hair. You don’t want to go for pale pinks as it can wash out the skin stick to the more orangey pastels, pinks as they give a much warmer hue. If you want to step out of the box a bright blue will work great, think Gwen Stefani at L.A.M.B.’s spring/summer presentation. Electric blues really look fabulous with blonde hair, but stay away from any that have a silver undertone; much like the pale pinks these will make you look washed-out. Go for the opposite metallic as gold undertones create warmth and accentuate the shimmer of your hair.

Red heads have a lot of colour going on atop their heads so it is best to keep your eye palette within the same family. Mixing hues and colour groups can clash and overwhelm your eye. Also red heads can often have a pale complexion set off by the bright shades of their hair therefore; peach, beige and gold work great to warm the skin. For the braver red head try your eyes with an emerald green like Sophie Ellis-Bextor at the Diet Coke 30th Anniversary party, or if that is a little too daring you could even try a lighter green with a bit less colour and a little more sparkle using Ellie Kemper look from the Screen Actor Guilds Awards as your inspiration. 

Not one brunette is the same. The luscious vibe of the brunette is the different shades that their hair picks out that is why metallic’s work really well with brunette hair. The added glitter of the eye really brings your eyes alive. A really gorgeous example of this is found in Emma Watson’s gold flecked eyes at the Harry Potter Premier back in 2011. However, if you are after something more basic you could try Emma Robert’s gentle gold shimmer she wore to the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party in 2011. Another eye palette a brunette should not be without is Purple. The purple hues from lilac through to violet really help offset a brunette. Rose Byrne rocked the purple eye at the premier of I give it a year.

The second thing to consider when forming your eyeshadow colour palette is your eye colour. This might seem an obvious thing to consider – but when a colour catches your attention at the counter you can often forget whether it will suit you and just splurge on it because you love the colour.

Blue eyes really pop when paired with a basic neutral palette think browns, rose, and terracotta as the basics. My favorite look on a blue eye though has to be a charcoal red or deep purple. The darkness of these colours really makes the bright blue of your eyes sparkle – perfect for a night out.

There are many shades of brown eyes so deciding where your hue lies is important to the colours that are going to look good, but a main rule for the brow eye is to avoid dark colours which minimize the look of your eyes. The darker your brown the lighter the shadow you want to choose. Try out a plum, a bronze or forest green. A combination that works particularly well would be a Champagne tone with violet highlights – try this especially if you have a light hazel eye colour.

Green eyes are a lot easier to compliment. First off stay away from black eyeliner which can overshadow your green pigments, avoid colours with blue undertones and silvers altogether as they do have a habit of whitewashing your natural eye colour. Other than those two rules go wild! Dark greens, lavenders, purples, plums or lilacs look gorgeous. Gold and copper are always a must as they are great for highlighting green eyes.

I hope this will give you an idea of how to pick out your own colours for the new smoky eye. Take a base and then using the colours suggested blend those the same way you would with a smoky eye but instead create something fun, bright and interesting!