makeup

SHADOW FOCUS: EYE COLOR

photo: larry busacca, post + design by amy nadine

Customizing your makeup can seem daunting but can actually be really fun if you learn the laws of the color wheel. Of course makeup is a form of expression and you can always choose colors depending on your mood, fashion, occasion, etc., but if you want to know what shades actually bring out the best in your own features, you’ll love our new feature throughout this month on eye colors + their complementary shadow shades. In the color wheel there are primary, secondary and complementary colors but I’ll let your art teacher explain the details of each and I’ll simplify it for you as easily as possible: if you want to find the best shades for your eye color, find the shade that is directly across from it.

Start by looking at the blue “slice” then find the slice directly across from it, it’s orange. So if you want your eyes to look as blue as possible, find a variation of orange and your eyes will really pop. For last night’s MET Gala, I was lucky enough to do Mad Men’s Jessica Paré’s makeup and knew I wanted to make it all about her blue eyes! So I choose rose gold, copper + gold to do the trick while still being elegant, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! With a dampened brush, I used Chanel Eye Quad in Eclosion with the copper shade along the top + bottom lash lines, the rose gold shade on the lid and the gold shade from the crease all the way up to the brow bone (you can just do the crease, I wanted extra drama because the MET Gala is like the Oscars for Fashion!). Then I anchored the metallic shades by rimming the inner waterline with black (to really frame her baby blues) and finished with a strip of wispy lashes.

Next week: BROWN EYES, my all-time favorite color to work with!