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Do you wear non-traditional colors in your makeup routine?

Yes, you’ll definitely see me wearing blue, black, silver, or whatever lipstick or gray blush if a brand puts it out there! Everything washes off, so there’s no harm in trying 🙂

— Christine

48 Comments

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Erica Avatar

I don’t really. Maybe an orange or red eyeshadow paired with more traditional colors. As a crease color for ex. Out there colors like green lipstick or hot pink eyeshadow is not suitable or practical in my job or life. It may wash off but it’s also not an image I’m willing to fight for or stand by either!

Heather L. Avatar

Not only do I wear them, I actually prefer to wear them. I love bold, bright colors and have a number of products in my collection that a lot of people would dismiss as “unwearable!” (MAC “Frosting,” anyone?!) That word “unwearable” isn’t in my vocabulary! My idea of “unwearable” is a nude neutral when I am not going to work or a conservative office setting! I’m so over all of the nude and neutral sets coming out, and I’m thrilled when more colorful options are released. I think it’s so much fun to experiment with different colors.

Carrie Avatar

Sure do!

I’ve worn every color of the rainbow on my eyes at some point or another, and almost every color on my nails as well. I reach for ABH’s Moon Child palette for my highlighter several times a week too (though to be fair, I’m pale enough that it adds a hint of color, not so obvious as it is on darker skin tones).

The one place I’m traditional on is my lips, and only then because I so rarely wear lipstick and I’m not a fan of spending money on something I won’t really use.

Life’s too short not to wear fun colors 🙂

Nancy T Avatar

Well, actually, somebody *did* come out with a gunmetal grey highlighter…but nobody I will buy from: Jeffree Starr.

As for how far I go, I wear fun shades like shimmery grey-blue or vivid purple lipstick once in a blue moon. But I would have to say it’s my much more unusual eyeshadow color combos that garner both compliments, and some awkward stares. I love reds, vivid pink, yellow incorporated into various eye looks.

Katherine T. Avatar

Yes, when the mood strikes me, I will wear non-traditional colors -gray lipsticks (MAC Halsey ), plummy grays ( UD Pallor), plummy blacks (MAC Kling It On) and black ( Kat Von D Slayer). I also have a couple of blues (UD Alice and Maybelline Saphire Siren), which I will wear this fall/winter. I also have a huge collection of purple lipsticks that I wear quite often ( 2-3x per week) including true purples, blupurples, pink purples, and gray purples. And I like to wear purple all over my face all at once –shadow/blush/ lips- I use gradient shades of purple and a mix of matte/shimmer, so it doesn’t look too OTT, unless I want it to. My latest interest is red eye shadow– I’m building a collection of true reds, red browns, red purples, red pinks, etc.

Char Avatar

KatherineT. : Hello. I’m the same way with the purple. I agree that there’s a way to do it so it’s not OTT. I would love to find a lavender blush, but most everything is too pale for my Nc40 complexion. Any suggestions anyone?

Katherine T. Avatar

Hi Char! I’m NC 15-20, and I have a hard time getting lavender blushes to show on me! I usually use a cream base, then pack on the powder blush with a small, dense brush. I think the cream base makes the pigment pop more, and last longer too. My fave cream base is MAC Sock-It-Xiqu (from Chris Chang collection) as it’s also lavender, but it was LE. But you can try using a sheer, cream highlighter. My fave purple lavender blush is Clinique Pansy Pop, but I have to pack it on. ColourPop Rain is more pigmented, but it’s not as smooth, and it was LE. For pink lavender, it’s Sephora Over the Moon, but it was DC’d, and I have to pack it on. You can also go to the Temptalia swatch gallery, and look up lavender blushes to see what other options are out there. I’ve also heard of people using lavender eye shadows and lavender lipsticks as blushes. Hope you find something that works!

Mariella Avatar

Nope – never, unless it’s for Halloween. For me, the purpose of wearing makeup is to look better, nicer, not weird or really odd and, sorry, but green or blue lipstick just looks odd and grey blush….heck, if I want to look grey, I can just go out with no makeup on and that should do the trick!

Tanya Avatar

I mostly experiment with bright eyeshadows, loose pigments, neon colors and glitter. I haven’t tried black or green lipstick, because I still have to keep an illusion of professionalism at work.

Bonnie Avatar

Absolutely I LOOOOOVE non-traditional colors in makeup. I also love a classic red lip and black liner. That’s one of the reasons I love your blog so much Christine! Between the fact that you will wear and review all makeup no matter how “weird” it is to people coupled with your honest and thourough reviews has made you the only blog of which I make sure to never miss any content!!

CoastalCali Avatar

In response to question, no. I feel self conscious and like I need to “frequently check” if I’m wearing colors way outside my comfort zone (even traditional brights like stark red lip worries me!) Also, I have kinda “dull/muted” coloring so brights seem to look especially bright on me sometimes, to my eye.

But I too love this site and that nothing is treated as “ugly” or “wrong” or weird… we all have different tastes and desires in our makeup! (And right now I’m wearing some pretty heavy mascara with a gold foiled lid, and a pretty dark brown lip, which some might think is a bit theatrical, while others might think is quite neutral, and safe!)

Linda Avatar

Non-traditional colors? Mon dieu, non!!!! 🙂 That phase of life for me has come and gone. I was never drawn to that at any age truth be told. I used some teal in a corner color yesterday and that is about as adventurous as I get — on the weekend. 🙂

When a woman is rockin’ it, I do think it can look super cute.

Mo Merrell Avatar

Yes. IN Eye shadow I wear a lot of greens from lime to dark and a smoky eye now and then. For my lipstick my favorites to wear are Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipstick in Evil Twin and BiTE’s Kale. I often wear dark lips more than I thought I would.

AB Avatar

I don’t, not because I have a point of view but rather it’s not “me”. Even in my wildest party days, I think I was just not there. Now, I don’t think blue lipsticks for instance would do my middle-aged face any favors.

Julia Avatar

Not really, to be honest! I appreciate those fun colors on others, but it’s just not something I am comfortable wearing or find flattering on myself. The most “out there” I usually go is with my highlighter colors, like the Moonchild palette, because they are quite subtle and give just a flash of color when they hit the light.

LaMaitresse Avatar

When I was younger, sure. Today, they would have to be muted down with a neutral colour, because even though I don’t look or feel 47, I’d hate to be perceived as some silly middle aged woman trying to look on point!

Debbie Avatar

Maybe during my Stagelight days, yes. But now I wear more traditional shades. I still do like to try wilder colors on once in a while, after all, it is just makeup and cleanser and water will wash it right off.

Deborah Avatar

I love your attitude “everything washes off” and isn’t that so true?! For me, probably because of my age, I don’t feel I can wear the bright, pretty colors that I see so often. I sure do admire those of you who can. It’s such fun seeing how pretty you make the colorful shadows and lipsticks work, Christine! I will have to live my make up life vicariously through you!

Helene Avatar

Yes, I certainly do.
I wear red eyeshadow today, if that is non-traditional.
I really like all colours when it comes to eyeshadows. When it comes to lips I can’t wear most nudes, nor can I wear yellow. pale blue or any of the greens I’ve tried. Well, I can wear them, but it looks awful, to be honest. I love those colours on othes though.

Genevieve Avatar

No, I don’t really. At my age (60+) it would look silly. But when I was much younger I did. I do like wearing colourful eye shadows, but only those that suit my colouring. So no reds, oranges, caramel browns or blacks (with hooded, ageing eyes black eye shadow is far too dark and ageing on me).

Deborah S. Avatar

I am the opposite of many in that as I have gotten older, now 62, I care less what people think and am more willing to try far out colors. However, they have to look nice on me. I don’t look good in yellow and orange so I would never wear a bright tone of those colors. I do think that I tend to be more adventurous in my eye shadow colors than I am with lipstick. However, I did buy MAC On and On and still haven’t figured out what to do with it!!

Maria Avatar

The most non traditional makeup I would wear is I like different shades of red and pinkish shadows but nothing done in a drastic way at all. Never weird colors on lips not because I don’t like different I do but it needs to look good and I have yet to see anyone with weird makeup look good in it; otherwise if you can pull it off where it looks good and you can rock it go ahead. I personally don’t want to look like I am in a Halloween Mask when it isn’t Halloween even though I love Halloween.

Justine Avatar

The older I get, the more neutral I tend to be with the eyes, but the more bold I seem to get with the lips! 🙂 I tend to stick with neutrals on the eyes more often, though I love a lot of glitter! I’ll wear pretty much any bold lip color, though I’m more apt to pick a bold red or hot fuchsia versus a vampy shade or “out their color” like green. Lately I’ve been loving greige shades, though I prefer cool greys versus warm. I don’t have too many friends who tend to wear bold makeup, so even my “milder” choices tend to stand out.

Silvia Avatar

Oh yeah especially with Eyeshadows is fun to experiment. On cheeks and lips not much just lately I have bought a few darker plums, berries, chocolate and reds and am surprused how nice they look. For me being pale some color makes it all fun instead all muted. I love glitery eyeshadows also sometimes!

Char Avatar

I sure do. Thanks to a former cosmetic manager I have gotten out of my box. She made me wear different colors of eye shadow every day. Lord, have mercy. What did she do that for? Omg. She created a color monster. I use a standard eye look featuring four colors at once with one of the colors as an accent color for a pop of color. I make sure that everything is well blended. For a lip look I usually do a nude unless I’m wearing lavender. I have been branching out lately with lippies. I bought one of Mac’s dark grays. I just ordered Colour pop’s green lippie yesterday. And, lately I’ve been craving a medium blue lippie. With my Nc40 complexion I can pull it off. I feel like makeup is expression. And, age? Just a number.

Bonnie Avatar

Sort of. I think the most non-traditional thing I wear is white or bright purple lipstick, or a chalky lavender or pale pink. I will wear almost any nail color, but Hard Candy’s light blue came out about 20 years ago, so I don’t think they are non-traditional anymore. Same goes for eyeshadows. Not that many shades, except red, are considered unconventional anymore. Maybe I walk the line with yellow and orange, but those are the best shades on my warm green eyes. I think the only shadow or liner color I don’t wear is a true red, and I have tried that, but it doesn’t look great…looks kind of unhealthy. I tried black lipstick, but like red, it just isn’t flattering on my. I put a red gloss over the black lipstick and got a deep plum, which was much more wearable for me. And that neon yellow eyeliner I wore all summer was probably non-traditional.

Caroline Avatar

Absolutely!! As I wear glasses, unusual colours such as red or orange eyeshadow really make my eyes pop. I might also mix them with odd combos such as navy, pink or silver for extra whackiness, too 🙂

Shan Avatar

I love purple lipsticks, from light to dark. I’ve used lavender eyeshadow as a highlighter a few times after talking myself out of buying the abh moonchild glow kit.

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