Have you ever pulled off red eyeshadow? How did you make it work? Any tales of disaster to share?
I think so! Red works well with black, and it can also work well with yellows and oranges–like a sunset! Reds with pinks tend to be disastrous for me!
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there was a time in 8th grade when I wore red eyeliner a lot. no eyeshadow, just smudgy red eyeliner. I recently found a pic of myself from then, and it looked pretty good! nowadays, I stick more with pinks, if I even dare to venture there, because my eyes are often a tad red from lack of sleep.
I’ve pulled off red eye shadow quite a few times. I usually pair it with a deeper color like deep purples and black to tone down the red. For me, it’s all about product control because red looks great when applied with a soft hand for daily wear.
I tried, but haven’t found a combo that looks nice on me yet 🙁
I bought MUFE’s red Aqua Liner. I tend to wear it on it’s own, without eyeshadow, and it actually looks really good. I was shopping with my cousin when I bought it and she thought I was nuts because of the red… until she saw it on me.
Yes! I like red. Red with black, red with purple, red with burgundy, red with gold, etc.
I’m pretty much obsessed with *any* red eye makeup, and I wear it every chance I get, which isn’t as often as I’d like (it’s not exactly “office-friendly”, and I can imagine the looks at the P.T.A. meetings).
One look I do, is a shimmery champagne on the lid, a matte light brown in the crease, a matte fleshtone transition, and pearl white brow highlight, loads of black mascara, and a thin line of red at the upper lashline. I actually wore this while working at a bank. The red is very subtle, but it really makes my eyes pop.
I also like red with a true purple & warm brown (think MAC Swiss Chocolate, Shock-A-Holic, & Louder, Please), black liner & mascara.
I have somewhere between 15-20 red eye products, and I buy them whenever I come across one. My eyes are nearly black, and I have very neutral, beige skin, and no issues with dark circles or redness in my skin, so it is easy for me to pull it off. However, there are some “safer” reds available for those who may want to try it out. MAC Cranberry & NARS Grenadine are two fairly subtle reds.
Another thing that is key, is the rest of the face should really remain neutral. I usually do a light lip, and only highlight & contour, or maybe just bronzer & a MLBB lip.
Unfortuanetly no. I managed a very bright burgundy with black and a rusty red on it’s own, but a true red or a pinkish one just won’t look right on me. I saw someone on Youtube use a deep red liner on her upper lash line and will try this next, if I can get my hands on one that’s eye safe.
I was actually surprised by how flattering a red shadow was for me. I guess I should say reddish/burgundy. I wore Stila Pigalle with Stila Puppy and a dark brown eyeliner. The red tones really brought out the blue of my eyes. I liked it a lot and will likely look for more reds!
Yes, love red eyeshadow. It complements my eye color well.
Yep! I saw Sam from Pixiwoo do an tutorial on how to wear red, and I think it worked great on me.
Nope, never even tried as it’s a look that doesn’t appeal to me in the least, so I don’t have any interest in even trying to make it work! I’ve tried with the bright/dark pink shadows that came in some UD palettes and no luck! I use those for blush!
I try to wear reds and pinks all the time. The key is finding something that works with your skintone and eye color. I’m pretty pale NC15, with green eyes so I will rock some red to make my eyes really pop. The hard thing I find is getting a good quality red shadow. Christine, do you have any suggestions on a TRUE red shadow?
Sugarpill’s is pretty close! I believe MUFE has one as well 🙂
Strangely enough I wear red eyeshadow second to only gold, the Lisa Eldridge youtube tutorial is like my ultimate makeupinspiration and i love red smokey eyes a la Lady Vengeance (but better). I just like high impact looks for little effort,and I know red eyeshadow is not something most people would be able to pull off.
I love Lisa Eldridge! She is the best makeup artist and the coolest woman around!
Sadly, I don’t own a red eyeshadow. But, If I owned one I would probably wear it a lot. Does anyone know a good, nicely pigmented red eyeshadow?
Sugarpill Love+ is gorgeous but very bright
Have you seen L’Oreal’s Infallible 24 Hour Eyeshadow in the shade “Garnet?” It’s a really pretty color and a youtuber did a tutorial combining it with the Infallible shade called “Liquid Diamond.” I’ve tried the combo and like it. Both shades are shimmery & complex with a lot of depth.
MUFE #99, or Manic Panic Vampire.
I love red eyeshadow on myself! It’s one of those stand out shades on my brown eyes. It looks so smouldering and exotic when done right. I actually think it’s easier to work with than purple. For some reason purple alwaaaaays turns out like a bruise on me, but when I go for red I get flooded with compliments. 🙂
Which red do you use? I’m always looking to expand my collection.
I have very dark brown eyes, and red really makes them glow. I just wish I had more occasions to wear it.
Actually , I have. I have more cranberry /pomegranate shades, versus a true red. I like to wear the reddish shadows with browns/ golds.
same as you Christine, used in a look – yes. Red all over, haven’t even tried.
I can pull off darker red based shadows really well and I have a number of shadows in the red family from MAC that are some of my favourite go-to’s: Sorcery, Sketch, Deep Damson. But, but a true red, I would have to say no. Some of it, of course, has to do with not really knowing how to work it properly and not feeling confident in the application. I’ve only tried it a few times and need to try with just black. Sunset eye looks are definitely not my thing either. Positively heinous on me.
Nope, still get asked if I have an eye infection/swollen eyes everytime! I still keep trying, though 🙂
I recently got a matte red shadow and I love wearing it sheered a bit with a copper shadow on my lid. Talk about making my small blue eyes pop…
I think pulling off red has something to do with the undertones in it. I’m cool-toned so if I tried to pull off a yellow-based red it would look HORRIBLE but blue-based reds look GREAT. Knowing your skintone helps a TON
Red and black look REALLY nice together. I once did a cut-crease with red on the lid and black up above and I got a TON of compliments on it.
Sugarpill’s Love+ is my go to red! Red eyeshadow is a must for concerts (im a metal girl!). Love doing a bold red all around the eye and finishing with really thick black liner and lots of mascara.
Agreed!
ooooooooooooooooo I should try it with black eye liner too sounds good
Nope – total crying eye look here with red eyeshadow..I have to be really careful with browns that are red leaning too…but my eyes are very green so that’s not unusual to find.
I’ve used fuchsia in very small amounts to bridge between colors. Never a pure red.
I’ve been rocking red eyeshadows since the 90s! It really suits my skin tone, green eyes and red hair. I love combining it with yellows, golds, oranges, coppers, black and white eyeshadows/pencils/liners.
It is a great color and can be pulled off awesomely, you just have to find a shade/color combo that suits you. I say anyone can wear it.
I can’t even pull off pink half the time. I think red is just above my pay grade.
I think it’s a color that works best on medium to dark complexions. Not that it can’t work on lighter skin with the right balance, but you run the risk of making it look like a bruise (purple reds) or infection (pink reds) if you aren’t careful.
Red eyeshadow looks great with brown, copper, silver and black eyeshadow so its more wearable I feel. With my dark skin tone I noticed that those together look great. Then I pair it with a nude lip color.
Not personally, but the question does remind me of a makeup I saw on a New Zealand musician, Brooke Fraser, at an awards ceremony years ago. She was wearing a very dark smokey eye, black on the outer lid and middle, with intense red on the inner third and inner corner. She would be probably the same skintone as Christine, looked awesome!
With a sunset eye–yes. On it’s own? No way.
When I was in high school, I dressed up as Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way.
I think it was pretty cool.
Yes!! A red smokey like eye is one of my favorite classy yet edgy looks! This is my most recent: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=432769280114060&set=a.416765698381085.97342.411343032256685&type=1&theater
Yes indeed- much to my own amazement did I accomplish this “feat”. It’s a Maybelline limited edition shadow pairing out this fall called “Oriental Spice”- it’s a shimmering nutmeg red with a lovely frosted red-brown shade and it looks really flattering, to my surprise. I have dark chestnut hair and NC 15-20 skin, green eyes. xo Beth in Pgh 😉
Yes, a purply-red smokey eye. Sugarpill’s love+ on the lid, topped with MAC’s blackened red. UD rockstar in the crease on top of blackout (to flatten out some of the shimmer and deepen the color.) UD Kinky as highlight, anything flesh toned basically, because I’m very fair. UD perversion on the water line. UD rockstar, love+, and UD el dorado liner on the lower lash line. Topped el dorado with nyx glitter liner in gold. It was very dramatic, but so so so pretty with my eye, hair, and skin combination. If you have guts, give it a shot, it was so gorgeous.
I should say rockstar’s *frost effect* rather than shimmer
Yes! I did a red on the lid with black in the crease and lower lashline. Added some Pixie Epoxy and red glitter on top. People actually commented that they were impressed on how well it stayed. I should really do it more often. I have MUFE’s red liquid eyeliner after all.
Yes, often, actually. I have a random palette of red pigments ranging from MAC shades to Sleek to a few lovely Sugarpills. I’ve seen Love+ mentioned a few times, but did anyone mention Asylum? It’s a loose Chromolust, and it looks amazing with Goldilux or Tiara. Reds work nicely with a range of pinks and golds, not just blacks or the range in the Burning Heart palette. Oddly, as popular as Love+ is in this thread, it’s one of my least favorite reds because it stains terribly. MAC also has a few red products that are less traditional eye colors, like Premeditated Cream Color Base, or the red Chromoline (this is often used as a lid base, not a liner), and a lot of fun can be had with these products. I would just warn again that MAC’s red-based cream colors like CCB, Chromoline, and the Paint Sticks STAIN! I’m talking “prepare for a week of red eyelids that will make you look like you have the plague, or were in a huge street fight.” I think this is why I love Sleek’s red and SP’s Asylum to much–I have never experienced staining problems with either!
Yes I have, I actually have quite a few of them
Nope, and I don’t think I ever will. Ever since I had eye surgeries at age 16, I’ve had a constant problem with redness in my eyes. It’s worse when I’m tired, but I try to stay away from reds and even certain pinks because it seems to highlight the problem.