How do you pick your eyeshadow color?

Aries_jb

I'm wondering how everyone here decides what color eyeshadow to wear? Do you match it to your clothes? Do you use the same colors all the time?

I bought an eyeshadow pallette from Ulta and I love all the different colors, especially purple! So far, I've been matching it to my t-shirts, since that's usually the only item of clothing I wear that has color. However, I've been told this is kind of a faux paux. What are some alternatives to me wearing more outlandish colors, besides me wear all black all the time?

midgi

i just wear whatever color i feel like that day. i don't match it with my clothes because too much coordination is a little cheesy, imo.

Aries_jb

Thanks for the reply. Can you give me an example of a color you might wear that doesn't coordinate with your outfit? I kind of get that something like a green eyeshadow will work with an outfit that has brown in it, but what about colors like purple or blue or some other such color? Wouldn't it clash with any other color besides black? What if your outfit has a color besides brown or black, then how do you pick an eyeshadow color?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm new to the whole eyeshadow thing and I want to find a way to use all the different colors I have.

The New Black

No, don't match your makeup to your clothes, at least not exactly match. Just don't clash. For example, I wouldn't wear green e/s with a green shirt, but I wouldn't wear, say, bright orange lipstick either. One is too matchy-match; the other clashes.

But I do try to stay within the same color family or a complementary color. Other than that, I don't worry too much about pairing clothes with MU.

On youtube, Apropomakeup, MissChievious, MakeupGeek and Nireyna have great tutorials/vids. They don't necessarily show you how to pair MU with clothing colors. But they have some GREAT ideas for putting different e/s colors together.

midgi

Aries_jb wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. Can you give me an example of a color you might wear that doesn't coordinate with your outfit? I kind of get that something like a green eyeshadow will work with an outfit that has brown in it, but what about colors like purple or blue or some other such color? Wouldn't it clash with any other color besides black? What if your outfit has a color besides brown or black, then how do you pick an eyeshadow color?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm new to the whole eyeshadow thing and I want to find a way to use all the different colors I have.

I agree with Phoenix on checking out some tutorials for help. But for example, I went out to a dance party last night and it was mostly South American bands. I wore black jeans and a white top with a big red, green, and yellow zebra on it. Instead of wearing black eyeshadow, or red, or yellow, or green, or white, I wore gold on my eyelid and dark brown in the crease.

I used to have an electric blue dress that I frequently wore white and pink e/s with, and I also currently have a baby pink 'Beat It' imitation jacket that I've worn (all on different days) gold, green, blue, yellow, and red e/s with...

Try pairing a neutral color like creme or white with a vibrant Day-Glo green and see how that looks. Or try to blend silver into purple and see how that looks. Sometimes it's fun to try colors that you wouldn't necessarily think work together and see how they interact with one another. So don't be so afraid of color or trying out different things! It's just makeup and if it looks crazy and you come out looking like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show, you can just wash it all off! Good Luck!

Spiralli

I rarely wear eyeshadow, but wear liner and mascara every day. I stick to neutrals (brown tones; I have brown eyes) because they look most natural on me and since I am very uncoordinated with eyeshadow, it's not obvious when I screw up the application since the brown/beige tones blend well. So I don't typically match between eyeshadow and clothes.

rouquinne

midgi wrote: »

i just wear whatever color i feel like that day. i don't match it with my clothes because too much coordination is a little cheesy, imo.

i'm with you! although i do tend to wear a purple eye with cool-colour clothes - like my turquoise stuff.

most of the time, i wear shades of brown and will mix purples and dark blue with those.

Aries_jb

midgi wrote: »

looking like Mimi from The Drew Carey Show...

Lol! That's exactly what I'm worried about! I still have a fear of wearing blue eyeshadow because of this.

All of my eyeshadows are pretty sheer, so most of them look shimmery with a hint of color. After reading the replies, I see that they would probably work with a lot of different things.

Thanks for the replies and advice everyone!

Mint

I'm a big fan of natural shades like a golden brown/copper or pink (light, golden, rose etc. are all good). Natural-looking colors go with everything IMO. I'm too lazy to attempt the two/three tone thing so I use one color on the lid.

I don't see anything wrong with matching your makeup to your outfits as long as it is subtle and complements your skin tone. Are you a warm or a cool?

Also, I'd like to recommend Neutrogena Skin-Soothing Eye Tints as an eyeshadow base to prevent fading. It looks good alone too. I have it in Honey Shimmer and it works really well with my Everyday Minerals eyeshadows (i.e. Oasis).

Aries_jb

Warm or cool...I have no idea! I actually had to google it find out what the differences are, ha ha. I think I'm a cool.

Does the Neutrogena have fragrance in it? I usually hesitate to put anything scented on my face because it irritates my skin.

Mint

Everydayminerals.com has a wonderful little chart for discovering what skin tone you are. I'm technically a "buff" so it's like a paler version of warm or something like that lol.

Here are the Neutrogena ingredients (this one is petal shimmer but I'm sure both shades are essentially the same):

Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Synthetic Wax, Boron Nitride, Cyclohexasiloxane, Silica, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Dimethyl MEA, Decyl Oleate, Butylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Behenyl Alcohol, Microcrystalline Wax, VP/Eicosene Copolymer, Tyrosine, Bisabolol, Cucumber Fruit Extract (Cucumis Sativus), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Methyl Lactate, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Lecithin, Lauryl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG 30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Xanthan Gum, Silica Silylate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Montmorillionite, Propylene Carbonate, Aluminum Stearate, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance, May Contain (+/-): Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Carmine

It has a cooling sensation, so it's best not too apply too much (I have had some irritation from doing that). Otherwise I like it a lot.

Efrizzabeth

I rarely wear eyeshadow, but when I do, I buy/wear it for my eye color, green. Otherwise I go with the safe bet, neutrals.

Eilonwy

Eye shadow should complement your clothes, but not match exactly. If you wear a green shirt, you can wear eye shadow that's purple or cool brown. On the other hand, green shadow could go well with a gray shirt. If you wear a red shirt, you can wear copper or terracotta eye shadow.

Also consider the colors of your eyes, hair, and skin. For instance, if you have light skin and blond hair, darker shadows will probably be too extreme for day. However, copper is flattering for blue eyes, because it's close to orange (blue's complementary color).

As long as you keep the application sheer and the shades muted, you can use unusual colors like blue. Just choose a grayish blue instead of bright teal. Red is generally a bad idea, though.

The New Black

I saw someone rocking red e/s and it actually looked great. She's pretty unusual tho.

delete

If I'm wearing earth tones, I pick a brown/gold/cream eye shadow. But if I'm wearing black then I go with a more vibrant color.

Aries_jb

I've been taking some of the advice given, and am now experimenting with colors that flatter my eye and skin tone. I discovered that soft pink shadows make me look so awake and alert! And I hate pink! I'm also mixing neutral shadows with brighter colors to give a more subtle effect.

midgi

haha, Awesome!! Glad to hear everything's turning out! I bet you look great!

System

I buy eyeshadow compacts that are made for green eyes. My eyes are brown with flecks of hazel and gold and the colors really compliment them.

FieryCurls

I wear 'Dance Party' from Covergirl. It's three different shadows of purple. I also add purple mascara. I have hazel eyes, very fair skin, dark brown hair, and black long lashes that curl by themselves.

Jess the Mess

If I'm wearing black I usually go for a purple or turquoise e/s. If I wear light pink or white I go with a mauve e/s. Earthy greens or browns or yellow I go earth tones. Bright pink, green, grey, and blue I go black and smokey. Lucky for me my hazel eyecolor lets me play alot. This may sound a little obsessive but a few years ago when I was really experimenting with e/s I kept a little color journal comparing what colors looked best with what outfits, etc. It really helped and now I hardly think about it at all.

Saria

I thought you ladies might enjoy looking at this:
http://padmitasmakeup.blogspot.com/

Obviously some very dramatic stuff, but very pretty to look at and interesting combos.

RedCatWaves

Sairis wrote: »

I thought you ladies might enjoy looking at this:
http://padmitasmakeup.blogspot.com/

Obviously some very dramatic stuff, but very pretty to look at and interesting combos.

Now there's a woman who really works her makeup drawer. I like to play, but she makes me feel like a slacker.

Oh, how I wish I were younger and could try some of those looks.

Suburbanbushbabe

I don't; I let a McEvoy makeup consultant choose them. 9 times out of ten I love them. Last face I got I bought nothing because I didn't like the colors. That Padmita blog is something else. She really has some gorgeous combos and they look good on her. Some are over the top.

nynaeve77

Sairis wrote: »

I thought you ladies might enjoy looking at this:
http://padmitasmakeup.blogspot.com/

Obviously some very dramatic stuff, but very pretty to look at and interesting combos.

Wow, that's pretty amazing. I have nowhere near steady enough a hand to do stuff like that.

As for colors, most days I stick to sheer taupe, but I do like to play with color sometimes. I've been into shimmery blue lately, which is fun. I wear it with pinks, yellows, or purples but not blue. I also like purple sometimes. I'll do a smokey eye with deep plums instead of greys and blacks, and I love the way that looks.

The New Black

You might just want to pick a few colors and see what you can do. This brand is tempting: http://schelk.net/ff/store_eyes.htm

SpinCycle

I stare at my palettes and wonder how far out I feel like going... working in a casual environment means I can experiment a bit more...

I like blues right now. :glasses1:

rouquinne

^^^wow!

i wish i was still young and daring when it comes to makeup!

The New Black

That looks great, Spin!

SpinCycle

rouquinne wrote: »

^^^wow!

i wish i was still young and daring when it comes to makeup!

Phoenix wrote: »

That looks great, Spin!

Thanks! :toothy7: