Go glam with some glitter eye makeup and add some shimmery style to your look. But before you buy, let us guide you to the perfect shade for your eye color.
We asked Kevin Mendleson, a lead makeup artist for Jane Iredale, to share his tips for getting glitter eye makeup right this season.
If you have blue eyes
Make your baby blues pop by choosing warmer tones like peach, gold, apricot, burnt-orangey browns and bronzes, advises Mendleson.
“Peach, especially, will give a rested look to the eyes — particularly if the peach shadow has shimmer — by neutralizing the appearance of blue, violet and gray,” he explains.
You can also opt for neutral-to-warm browns for daytime wear.
Our picks: Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow in Kitten (Sephora.com, $32), Bobbi Brown Sparkle Eye Shadow in Sunlight (Sephora.com, $32) and DuWop Crush Eye Shadow in Lava (Beauty.com, $24)
More makeup tips for blue eyes >>
If you have green eyes
Green eyes are a mixture of olive, amber and gold, so Mendleson suggests violet shades, which will help make your eyes look greener.
“Remember that green and red are complementary. What is violet but a mixture of blue and red? So choose violet-based shades,” he explains.
Think plum, eggplant, dirty rose and even mauve.
“Mauve got a bad rap years ago as a choice our grandmothers used to make, but there is no substitute for a clean, mauve brown on an eyelid with a tight, smudged eyeliner and several coats of mascara.”
Our picks: Urban Decay Moondust Eye Shadow in Intergalactic (Ulta.com, $20), Stila Jewel Eye Shadow in Amethyst (Ulta.com, $20), Lord & Berry Stardust Loose Eye Shadow in Violet (UrbanOutfitters.com, $15)
More makeup tips for green eyes >>
If you have hazel or brown eyes
We’re including these two eye colors together because hazel and brown are lighter/darker versions of each other, meaning they can wear similar shades.
“Hazel reflects more light but still looks fantastic in violet-based color because of the amount of gold refraction from the light passing through the eye,” explains Mendleson.
He notes that blues are OK, too, because blue is a cool tone that contrasts with warm ones.
Our picks: Anastasia Illumin8 Eye Shadow duo in My Bedford (Beauty.com, $23), Lancome “Color Design” Sensational Effects Eye Shadow in Statement Piece (Nordstrom.com, $19), Vincent Longo Wet Diamond Eye Shadow in Palace Skye (BeautyBar.com, $24)
Quick tip: If you have mature lids, Mendleson advises finding a balance between matte and shimmer.
“While packing on lots of shimmer can turn eyelids into a relief map, going fully matte won’t help but make the same lids appear dried out and tired. Split the difference and go for what I call “satiny” — not matte but not high shimmer.”
More makeup tips for brown or hazel eyes >>
More tips for creating a gorgeous look
Wear a shadow primer:Unless you’re wearing an oil-free formula, you’re usually going to see creasing, feathering or movement. To avoid this, wear a primer.
“It will keep pigment in perfect placement for prolonged pretty,” Mendleson says.
Wear a matte crease color: If you’re applying a crease color that’s darker than the lid color, you’re hindering your look.
“If you’re wearing lighter and shimmery on the lid, use a matte finish in the crease,” says Mendleson. “Shimmer brings forward through light reflection. Matte will stop light — applying shimmer all over the lid loses the dimension of contour and shape,” he explains.
Choose the right product: Be good to your eyes by choosing products that are gentle.
“Look for pure ingredients free of FD&C dyes. Mineral pigments are safest, purest and most calming for eyelids,” notes Mendleson.
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