Everyone has a favourite colour, but it doesn’t mean we are going to introduce it to our makeup routine…
Colour in makeup can make or break your look, especially on the eyes and in my opinion it should be kept to a concentrated minimum, making it pop rather than take over!
Colour in lips and cheeks have come along way and in recent seasons we have seen a big increase in the everyday woman-applying colour in these areas.
In doing this, you are allowing a fresher complexion as adding a brighter colour than your skin tone on your lip or cheek lifts any face.
MB PRO TIP: Ladies with pink base skin need to try and go slightly warmer in tones on the lip and cheeks, otherwise there pink base skin can be brought out, which I am sure most woman want to reduce these tones.
When it comes to the eyes, 90% of all my makeup work I do in present time is generally neutral tones and slightly bronze if anything. This is because neutral tones gives great contour and lift to the eye when applied correctly and also because of the rise of colour on lips and cheeks.
It really is so important to always remember balance. If you are wearing a bright lip and/or cheek, I would never apply colour on the eye as well, this can pull focus and no key areas on the face.
The same can be said for outfit choices, if your outfit is heavily printed or is a bold colour, it is great to bring some of the colour into your makeup, but not every area – always have one focus! Colour is highlight, and when talking contouring it is important to always remember that a highlight shade brings areas forward and a darker shade tone recedes and area.
MB PRO TIP: A ‘shade’ tone is usually that of browns, greys, blacks, navy, khaki etc, and the deeper and more matte it is, the better it is for a recede action. A highlight shade is anything bright or light and even though some colours can be on the deeper variety, they still stand out more than a shade tone (as above), therefore still act in a highlight manner, especially when paired next to a shade tone in contrast.
The more metallic a colour, the more it will bring forward an area as it attracts light.
If anyone was to apply a bold colour, as any of the above celebs, alone on a bare skin, it would look very out there, obvious and probably pull way too much focus.
When you look at most celebrities who are wearing colour on their eye, they all have contour shades in their socket and lash line, this gives shape, lift and depth to the eye, so the colour can sit perfectly on the mobile lid and not look scary or overpower the look – this step is key to success when wearing colour.
Here is my step-by-step guide on applying the perfect eye with colour…
Step 1 – apply an eyelid base/primer or I use a cream style concealer, very lightly over the entire area. Don’t cover skin completely, we don’t want it to look obvious or get cakey – the thinner the product, the more likely it will crease as the eye moves all day.
Step 2 – apply a bronzer or a taupe shade tone very light over mobile lid (Area 1), but mainly in areas 3 and 2 – this will give shape and lift to the socket area, almost giving a stencil to the eye, showing the areas to add more shade and highlight with your chosen colour palette. The fade of socket colour should be deeper at base of 3 and 2, fading nicely into area 1.
Step 3 – Now it is time for your deepest eye shadow colour to add depth…
Add this shade at base line of lash lines; area 3 of top lash line, blended into socket shade and slightly on lower lash line smudges in also.
You may add liner at this point instead and/or over the top for extra definition.
(Smudging a Kohl Pencil can sometimes work really well and quickly for depth from lash line up into eye area/outer corner.
Step 4 – Apply your coloured or metallic eye shadow on mobile lid only, area 1, this will give your pop and not interrupt your contoured socket, which gives lift and contrast.
Step 5 – Lastly the lightest shade in your colour combo, a light white, silver, gold or champagne (depending on your colour palette being cool or warm) works fabulously applying this at the tear duct, of mobile lid of area 1 and very tiny amount on area 1 under brow bone…
Too much highlight on area 1 brow bone can bring forward the area too much which could be bad for puffy/heavy lids.
I like to always say to women, keep your base colours as your standard look…
A bronzer for example will always work as a stencil in the eye socket to lift and shape, or in some cases re-shape the eye.
Then play with fun metallic shades or colour on your mobile lid to update/change your look.
Keep colour, simple, balanced and concentrated to the mobile lid and it will always work.
Lastly, if your eyes do not show much lid, because of the shape being an Asian eye, mature/heavy lid or puffy in general, apply colour to lower lash line only instead!
Happy play day!
