How to Wear Coloured Eyeshadow When You’re Afraid Of Colour

You know when you see people like NikkiTutorials stunning producing the boldest, most colourful look in the world and she looks stunning… so you try to recreate it, and it looks dreadful? Yup, that’s me. That’s me all over.

In fact, I didn’t think I wore much colour on my eyes (although I do wear eye shadow everyday) until everyone kept mentioning it at work. ‘Oooh yellow today’ or every time there was a colourful eyeshadow edit in a Stylist email or something ‘now that’s a Katie edit’. And it got me thinking… while I don’t do a multi coloured rainbow look like ever, I do wear colour on my eyes… most days.

And tbh, I feel like I’ve got quite comfortable with exactly how I do it. So here’s my top tips on how to wear coloured eyeshadow when you’re afraid of colour

Start Small and Start Easy

Even I struggle to make a bold blue eye look good. It’s a difficult colour to blend, it’s a difficult colour to formulate…. and it’s a blooming bright and obvious colour. While I wouldn’t count a warm brown as a colour, I would count a mustard yellow, or a burgundy.

Taking a colour which very closely compliments a nude brown/skin tone will make it look less harsh on the skin.

Keep To Your Eye Shape/Technique

If you tend to put a colour in your crease, a slightly darker one on the outer corner and a shimmer on the lid if you’re doing an everyday eye look… then just copy this same idea with your colours. Don’t try doing a cat eye shape is this isn’t what you’re used to. Don’t buff it all the way up to the brow if it’s not something you usually do. And don’t bring it all the way out to your temple if it feels unnatural.

Keeping it easy… well it makes it easy.

Stick With An Undertone That Suits You

Now this is truly something I’ve never really understood. When people say ‘oh your skin tone suits red’ I’m just there like ‘yup, sure, if you say so’. However, you know what you feel comfortable in and what you feel suits you. To me it’s warm tones. All the warm shades you could ever get your hands on. Cool blues looks hideous on me. Cool browns look odd. So I stick to warmer toned colours; mustard yellow, khaki greed, burgundy, purple.. you get the gist.

Use Decent Shadows

It’s difficult to make shadows look good if they’re fundamentally dreadful. Morphe make some incredible colourful palettes, as (to be fair) so do Makeup Revolution. If you’re feeling a little boujier, then Juvia’s Place palettes truly are some of the best.

Keep Everything Else Simple

If you’re wearing blue eyeshadow, a bright pink blush and a bright red lipstick you’re going to look like a hooker (unless you really are that good at makeup). If I’m putting colour on my lid I very rarely put a bold lipstick on or do anything crazy with my makeup base. Let the eyes speak for themselves.

A Winged Liner Fixes Everything

I don’t know what it is about a winged black eyeliner, but it somehow just makes everything better. It hides all mistakes. And just fixes all ills.

And that’s all there is to it.

What are your tips for wearing colour on the eyes?

Katie x