How to Incorporate Bold Color into Your Eye Makeup – Tips and Tricks
Makeup & Beauty Tips on How to Add Color to Your Eye Makeup
Share your best tips and tricks for adding bolder, brighter colors into your eye makeup! Feel free to share your experiences, how you mastered techniques, or what you struggle with.
My Tips
- As an eyeliner is a good introduction to seeing bolder/brighter color on the eye area and is a way to add color without making it the focal point of the look.
- Wear it in the crease: depending on your eye shape, this can make it more or less visible so it’s a peek of color but not a lid full of color.
- As with anything that is new or out of your comfort zone, experiment, have fun, and just wear it around the house on a day you’re relaxing at home – get used to seeing yourself with it on.
Thanks to Theresa for today’s question!
I always find applying colorful eyeshadow along the lower lash line a fun way to put some color in your look 🙂
Because I have hooded eyes (epithelia folds) which are getting droopier with age, I have trouble with any color showing up no matter where I put it on my upper lids. When I want to add a bit of color, I put it under the lower lash line with either a pencil or a powder e/s.
I actually think an eye with a bold colour packed on both upper and lower lid with a simple natural or neutral to smoke the look out and diffuse the edges is a fantastic way of wearing a bold eye look without mixing too many colours, and yet still nailing the trend. I keep the rest of my makeup ultra nude and the eyes make the statement.
I like to put a bold color on my lower lash. Or for something even more subtle I will use a colored eyeliner just on my waterline and use black or brown liner on my upper lash line.
I recommend getting some colorful eyeliners. I bought the UD 15th Anniversary eyeliner set and it makes it so easily to subtly add color to your look. I especially like a neutral soft smokey eye with green, blue, or purple eyeliner.
Something I’ve been loving to do lately is applying a colorful eyeshadow as eyeliner. Then I apply a black eyeliner over it. This is my favorite way to wear UD Chaos. But its a great way to use any bright bold eyeshadow in your stash, especially those colors where you think, “how do I even wear this?” It’s also quick, easy, and perfect for those days you want to do something fun but don’t have a lot of time.
I don’t particularly like bright eyeliner on myself, even though it’s a relatively easy way to incorporate colour. Instead, Right now, I am preferring any bright colour placed on the entire lid and then smoked out using blacks, grays and browns. You can actually apply a sheer smoked out wash or actually go full on. It’s smoky and not particularly work appropriate, though.
Applied with a 217, the deeper crease actually overlaps the bright lid quite a lot, in my case, and tones it down. With a brighter colour in the the inner corner, I’m good to go!
I would lay down a nude/safe base color on my lid. From there I’d blend a bright color (a deep purple or a Barbie pink) into my creases. Sometimes if the color is sparkly or shiny I pat the color into the inner corner of my eyelid and buff it out to where it lines up with my pupils. I get my color during the day without looking like an obnoxious club goer.
I agree that a solid wash of one color (or mostly one color) can be a really pretty way to do a fun eye without it looking too overdone. I’ve also seen vlogs where they put a more jewel toned, easier-to-wear color on the lid and used a bright on the inner tear duct, where you normally put a highlighter, i.e. a darker green eye (admittedly still a color) with something like Mac Bitter in the tear duct as a highlighter. I tried it and it’s a very cool pop of color. It might work (and pop even more) with certain neutrals on the lid as well.
Lower water line is another place to play with fun eyeliners.
Have you done a look with a bold colour in the crease only? I’m not exactly sure what it would look like.
Yes! Please browse the looks 🙂
To really ease into bright colours, I like using a really intense, bright eyeshadow as a “tint.” I’ll do a neutral eye, grab a 217, then very gently buff a bold, matte colour into the crease or outer v — it’s a great way to build up to wearing a bold eye! (I find this works best for colours like violet and burgundy; less so for colours like blue and green, which can look a little ill if worn sheerly.)
Add more of the bold colour and less of the base colour over time, and soon enough a bold lid will feel a lot more comfortable to wear! 🙂
I balance out bold with neutral. If I wear a bold lid color I keep everything else neutral and use a black or brown e/l OR use a bold crease color only.
I love wearing bold colour as an eyeliner to both my upper and lower lash line, while using a neutral shade on the lid.
Colored mascara is also a good way to add color. Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Royal Blue is a nice one.
My work-friendly look involves a neutral eye with a pop of colour using eyeliner, usually blue or teal or purple.
On weekends however, anything goes, and a red/orange/gold combo with teal liner for example is just the thing for running errands! I have gazillions of colours and only 2 days to play with them, and that’s exactly what I do!
Pretty much the tips you’ve outlined, Christine. Using just a touch of the bright colour in the crease or just in the outer “V”, with something more neutral and that you’re comfortable with on the rest of the eye always works for me (in fact, I prefer this, as an all over “bold colour” eye just isn’t a look I find attractive). And a hit of bright liner or shadow under the lower lashes is always a great way to use colour. Most people aren’t even aware of it unless they get up really close, but the effect it gives is still noticeable at a distance.
For something quick yet fun, I love doing my upper lid with black liquid liner. I’ll add wings for a pin-up look or keep it rounded for a big blue eyed look. It’s always simple to add a splash of something bright along the bottom lid as well. I use Milani shadow eyez pencil. Cheap and Easy to use!