I like the idea of black eyeshadow and eyeliner, but I don’t wear either often. I think I just overdid the black eyeliner years ago, and now with so many colors out there, I can’t resist something else!
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Pale blue or Aqua
I agree, black is my least worn color, as it can look very harsh, prefer black browns or dark browns, or even purpless, greens, blues to brighten up the eye. And with black , the line has to be perfect, as any mistakes will be obvious, and since I’m always rushing in the morning, it’s hard to get it right. But when the mood strikes me, I love to do a black liner for a dramatic look
Me too. I do own black but rarely wear. It is so harsh on me. Bronzey browns is what I prefer. Not flat but brightens too.
I have a couple old af eyeshadow singles that I got at MAC when I was first getting into makeup that I bought based on how pretty the colors were instead of how good they would look on my skin. At least, that’s what I think I must have been thinking because teal and light blue just look horrible with my skin tone.
But I can’t bring myself to get rid of them because they are so pretty! I keep thinking that one day I might need them for some look.
Try a neutral look with your colors just in the outer Vee. Then try that with color in your waterline and/ or upper lash line. You CAN still use the colors. That’s a way not to use a lot of them.
This probably sounds a little crazy but I really love the idea of a red eyeliner. I even love the idea of a red/black eye shadow. My birthstone is garnet and there are several eye shadow/eye liners out there named garnet or garnet black or some combination names and I am always intrigued with them but when I look at them I think they will either make me look ill with the red too close to my eye ball or the black/red being too dark and making my hooded eyes look dark/bruised or just sickly. My eyes are very, very dark brown which I think is probably not ideal for a red eye liner/shadow either.
Me, too! I’ve found that the red/burgundy cannot be the color closest to the eyeball. The red needs to be above the black tight lining and black liner on the upper lid or below the black tight lining and black liner on the lower lid for the the black/red look to stand a chance of working.
As a young funky kid, I would wear red liner in my waterline, which would make me look like I had pink eye. And now I see some are wearing red eyeliner or burgundy which seems more interesting. How funny.
I think dark brown eyes are absolutely ideal for a red shades, done well. Like you, I have very dark brown eyes, and reds, maroons, and pinks are some of my favorite “looks”; even the most subtle reds and pinks tend to make blue and green eyes look bloodshot, IMO.
I use only the palest colors on my lower waterline, though; on the upper, anything goes.
I agree it all about the placement of said colors.
Just ordered both red liners from Zoeva. My parents would be horrified. Go for it. Just don’t go into it with negative preconceptions, or you WILL dislike it. Alternatively, try a garnet or Rose black shadow. I like the idea of channeling your birthstone.
Okay, you talked me into it. I will give it a whirl. I have purchased way crazier things to try in my time. You never know until you try. Now to decide which one to try! Thanks for the encouragement.
Yay! Go for it, Deborah!
There is precious little I haven’t worn eye makeup shade wise! However, there are still some shades that I hardly ever bother with. Gray-blues, grays period, just don’t look that hot on me, neither does silver eyeshadow. Which has had me so perplexed as to why I ever bought, and oddly USE, my UD Naked Smoky? Somehow, I can make it work, even Slanted and Dagger. But it DOES turn my normally bright green eyes into two dull pools of ocean water you’d see on a sunless day at the beach….
A metallic red-teal-brown like Ardency Inn Peacock or MUG Insomnia-it looks so pretty but I chicken out everytime!
I used to wear black eyeshadow all the time! Now though? Never anymore. I should try it again.
Yes do try it, My girls think I am sick if I am not mixing black in my looks since they are used to me smoking out everything with black. I am 43 and I love to rock black in the outer crease day or night
Most colors except purple.
Eyehshadow – green, blue, teal. I’ve always had a soft spot for everything navy and teal. Lately I’m also into greens (a lime green inner corner highlight! or a shimmery baby blue!). I do not wear these everyday because I coordinate my makeup to my clothes. Also lately – red crease. It’s big after that Manny MUA palette, but not that easy to pull off.
Eyeliner – black. It’s too harsh and too much fuss. I use it mainly if I’m wearing black clothes near my face.
I want to but don’t wear bright colors and lighter or silver and gold el because of the lack of definition, then I gotta layer black, too much work lol. I don’t wear el on the lower lash line most of the time cuz my oily skin and watery eyes don’t let it stay put and it can close off my eyes and make them look small.
I always put a dark color in my waterline even if I am only wearing mascara to make my eyes pop
ALL OF THEM! In a perfect world, I would wear a different color every day 🙂
This!
A gold or copper hue for my NC55 skin tone.
All my bright vibrant colours, as in my UD Electric palette. I don’t have any occasions to go all out with my makeup and when I do wear it, it’s pretty subdued. Occasionally, though, I’ll hit the grocery store wearing a bright colourful look. Just because …
I don’t do colors on the eyes much in general, even though I own plenty (esp in eyeliner… and why did I buy that Electric palette??). I really live in the neutral/gold/bronze range. I should try to do a better job of stretching myself.
I have the opposite problem! I keep wanting to branch out from black but I never do! Maybe when (if) I get better at DOING proper liner, I’ll feel more confident.
I think I’m on the opposite end of your experience Christine. I need black eyeliner just to leave the house or I look sick and tired. I’d love the be able to wear more bright liners and shadows but I look so strange with bright colours on my eyes. I see your eye looks and they are works of art! I only wish I could wear the beautiful combinations you pull off.
Burgundy! A couple weeks ago I wanted to do something different and used MAC’s Heritage Rouge loose pigment to draw a winged liner. I liked the colour a lot, since then I’ve worn the same shade as an all-over wash over the lid several times. I don’t usually wear other colours than browns/nudes, so it’s a nice change!
I have green eyes, so I always think I need to wear a purple liner — but I rarely do. And, why am I seemingly always on the hunt for the HG of all purple liners? Go figure.
There was a physicians formula liner that had a purple shimmer and I swear when I wear it people think my eyes are green but they are hazel so it would look fab on you. I also love amethyst quickliner from Clinique it makes my hazel eyes all green and a little speck of yellow so pretty.
The color that I most *want* to wear as eyeshadow/liner, but don’t, much, is purple. Purple is probably my favorite color, even though I love all the colors, and purple lipstick looks fantastic on me, and lavender blushes look great, but, unless the purple leans very blue — almost periwinkle — it just doesn’t do anything to enhance my looks when used as eyeshadow/liner. And really top-quality blue-violet eyeshadow/liner products are few and far between. Bummer!
Yellow, orange, peach, red, and pink eyeshadows also don’t do much to enhance my looks, sadly. Sometimes I wear them anyway, just for fun!
My eyes are so hooded that I tightline only rather than wearing regular eyeliner, and they’re so small that I usually just repeat a mid-tone color from my upper lid look on my lower lash line, that at least doesn’t seem to close my eyes off and make them look smaller. The colors that do the most to bring out my eyes when I tightline are deep blue — somehow that brings out the olive green in my eyes and makes them look brighter, don’t ask me why — or a blue-leaning grey. Black can be a bit harsh on me, can just make me look tired, or emphasize the wrinkles and sagging skin around my eyes.
I rarely wear anything orange, yellow, or red.
I have always wanted to wear black shadow, maybe also a good smokey eye too! I just don’t know how to apply it and whether it would even work on me.
Bright/neon pinks and fuchsia (like UD Woodstock). I have a few and wear them sometimes, but they make me look tired if I don’t do it right.
I also looooove black eyeliner but rarely wear it anymore because I tend to reach for color 🙂
Eyeshadow: I’m pretty content in my range of neutrals with the occasional warm plum (e.g., CP Porter), though I’ve been stretching to more refined use e.g., using more imagination in crease/lid/browbone combos.
Liner: My daily wear for ages has been coppers/very warm browns that work so well for my warm fair coloring and blue eyes. But lately loving MJ Jazzberry, which is pinky purple, despite it being a little harder to work with; it’s unique and so pretty. Would like to expand into cranberry and get back into blues occasionally; and I’ve thought about warm olive/khaki range but haven’t yet tried it out.
What comes to mind is MAC’s satin taupe. Everyone raves about it. Says it is universally flattering. I want to wear it and love it but it makes me look like a corpse. Pulls too purple and purple is a color that doesn’t work on me no matter that they say purple is a ideal for brown eyes and hair. Shame bc satin taupe looks so pretty in the pan and swatches well. But on the eye…no can do!
The coral family! I’ve been branching out in wearing pinks, oranges, and reds in my eyeshadows, mostly by incorporating blushes into my looks lol. And grey–I don’t wear a lot of grey because I went through a phase where I wore super ashy greys on my warm skin. I’m scared to try again!
Basically any color at all! I always reach for neutrals, and the most color I use on the regular is the occasional purple or very warm brown, bordering-on-orange look. I bought the UD Spectrum palette to be my “colorful” palette because they seem like more workable jewel tones, but I’ve still only reached for it a couple of times.
I feel like I can get away with any color eyeliner. For eyeshadows, I’d say black, gray, and sky blue. Black is too finicky to do an entire eye look with on a regular basis, no matter how cool the results. Straight-up gray just doesn’t look that great on my eyes, especially matte gray. I have one shimmery gray smokey eye look that I look good in. Usually I have to go with grays that have some blue or purple in them. Sky blue doesn’t really go with my eyes, either. If I do wear it, it’s in very small amounts along with other, more flattering colors.
I wear any and all shades on my eyes. I love teal and green shades, but I don’t wear them very often because they tend to make me look like a corpse unless I’m very, very careful about how I incorporate those shades into my looks (aside from using them as liners).
I usually tend to stay away from blues. Aquas and greens I’m fine with but actual sapphire blue I just never use, I don’t know why.
Teals and marine blues/greens. I love them and they look good on me, but are a sharp contrast from my dark brown eyes and hair and olive skin. I think they are too dramatic for work, but I do try to wear them on the weekend if I am wearing makeup.
I want to play with colors a lot more, last summer I used to do a larger wing with a turquoise Stila liner and my elf black liquid liner just a bit smaller and it was so cute. I want to do the same thing, but with greens from the colourpop gel liner collection this summer
My Stila mint green liner. I love it in theory, but it looks weird on because I am not skilled enough to apply liner of this color. It looks better applied heavily on top lash line then blended to look more like a brightening eyeshadow, or applied on the waterline to open up the eye.
Any color besides black or brown. I am so boring and rarely use anything different. ♥ Elle
Green. I have blue eyes and greens tend to not be overly flattering on me but I always love them anyway! I just very seldom actually wear them ?
Blues basically do absolutely nothing for me, no matter how pretty they are.
Purple eyeshadow , I’m currently looking for a good pigmented and easily blend purple matte eyeshadow. Any suggestions?
MUFE #M928 Eggplant — Definitely!
Thank you for the suggestion I will defeinitly give it a try.
Purple is one colour that I just can’t seem to pull off whether it’s in eyeshadow or eyeliner format. It looks absolutely terrible on me; I’ve tried co ordinating it with grey, taupe, you name it. Nothing works. I still look like a complete mess.
Turquoise is my favorite color and I haven’t figured out how to wear it. I’m thinking just a liner on top or bottom lash line with simple nude look and gloss lips. Anyone know of a beautiful matte turquoise eyeliner?
Do a normal black liner with a flick. And under the flick part make a turquoise line. It looks beautiful, is easy to do and simple for color-beginners 😀
Thanks Marta, I’ll try it.
I think I’ve worn every color in the rainbow, I especially like duochomes!
I’d love to wear very warm leaning slightly orange brown eyeshadow but I feel like I end up looking sick.
It Looks so good When you combine a Brown/golden/beige/Bronze eye Look with a Blue or Green/turquoise Eyeliner Christine. Always think I have to copy that but still haven’ t done.
I always wore Black liner and Browns in the shadows but of late I’ve soften to olive shadows and a lighter liner, a charcoal brown…
Green!!! I have a mix of hazel and amber eyes so tend to wear warm browns and cranberry/burgundy tones to bring out the green, but I’d love to go for an olive green goldish blown out eye look – I just haven’t tried it yet cos I don’t know how it will make the colour of my eyes look and don’t want to spend money on products that I try once and hate because they make them look dull or swamp-watery
Canary yellow or black.
I don’t restrict myself with any color of eyeshadows, eyeliners, or mascara’s. The key is to not over do any of it.. on myself anyway. L.
*** I have a little bit of a trick I would like to share with you ladies. If you can find a very thin brush, thinner than an eyeliner brush (try e.l.f.) dip it in a tiny bit of water then gently drag it over an eyeshadow color or two, you can use any color or color’s and gently pat and drag it across the bottom of your eyelids and the top of your eyelids..as close to your eyelids as you can possibly can. You can just do your top lid if you want or just the bottom, or both. You can use this to set an eyeliner or use instead of eyeliner. I like to do both, depending on how I am feeling that day. Or you can use the same color liner or eyeshadow, you can take it up or down a shade. It’s quite fun and you might just see that you may have created a whole new shade of eyeliner color that compliments your skin tone! Or even create a greyish black or a watermelon pinkish red color! Happy mixing! I hope this helps! ***?
Purples – I rarely use purples, but there are a couple in the UD Spectrum palette that are interesting and I have used a couple of times.
I would never wear reds, pinks, orange, blacks – as it would not work with my complexion and hair colour at all.
My coloring is very similar to yours, I have almost the exact same shade of red hair and I have green eyes. I can’t tell from your picture what color your eyes are. I wear pinks and purples all the time on my eyes, it brings out the green of my eyes and brightens them. You should try it, you may be surprised.
I have blue/grey eyes and I can wear some shades of purple, but pinks I don’t because it kind of clashes with my reddish cheeks. However, I might just give it a go.
Try a cooler toned blue based pink shadow. I find that if I use warmer orange/red colors the redness in my face looks worse, but with cool toned shades my face looks brighter.
I think I would use most eyeshadow colors and eyeliners except black liquid eyeliner, I would love to use it once in awhile but I have never been able to get it right when applying. I own it but I will get one eye that looks good and the other one never matches it so I don’t wear it ever.
I want to wear purple shadows but I need to be well-rested in order to pull it off, otherwise it just ends up making me look more tired. As for eyeliner, I own some beautiful shades of teal but I never seem to remember to use them!
I really like most colors and I’m willing to try them all but not at once. I only avoid the colors that look awful on me. I’m always trying to learn different application techniques
black eyeshadow, just can’t seem to work with it! also purples and corals and hot pinks. I tend to wear mostly neutrals and greens as they make the green in my hazel eyes really pop!
i LOVE BLACK METTILLAC EYELINER AND brown mettallic eyeliner. I blend it with a black and brown liner. Also have the greys, but for some reason they look awful on me. Love teal and violets, but ugh I look like a wannabe mob wife. LOL.
I’m the same way, Christine! All the black shadows in palettes get ignored, and I almost always choose brown (or occasionally a color) over black eyeliner. I’m also very fair, so black sometimes feels too “strong” or “harsh.”
Brights. I feel like it’s too much for me so as I’d love to wear bright pinks and oranges, I rarely do,