Make Your Eyes the Spotlight

As the saying goes, eyes are the window to the soul -- so it's natural to want to make yours stand out. Putting the spotlight on your eyes is easy if you have the right makeup and know how to apply it. Start by choosing an eyeshadow shade that contrasts with your eye color and follow up with the right eyeliner and mascara. If you keep the rest of your makeup toned down, your eyes will take center stage in your look.

Steps

Making the Most of Your Eyeshadow

  1. Choose a lid shade that contrasts with your eye color. To make your eyes stand out, it’s important to choose the right shade of eyeshadow. A light color helps brighten and widen your eyes. However, you should choose a light shade that’s opposite your eye color on the color wheel to create a contrast that makes your eyes pop.[1]
    • It’s best to apply your lid shade with a flat, dense shadow brush.
    • Red is opposite green on the color wheel, so green and hazel eyes look best with shadows that have a red undertone, such as plum, wine, or reddish brown.
    • Orange is opposite blue on the color wheel, so blue eyes look best with peach, apricot, burnt orange, and copper shadows.
    • Brown is a neutral color, so brown eyes look good with almost any eyeshadow shade. However, brown eyes usually best with blue and purple tones.
    • Gray is also a neutral color, so gray eyes look good with a wide range of shades. For the best look, though, opt for earthy greens, cool browns, and purples.
  2. Apply a darker shade to your crease. To really define your eyes, you want to add definition to them. Using a lighter shade on the lid makes your eyes look bigger, but you should add a darker, mid-tone shade to the crease to add dimension to your look. Sweep the mid-tone shade into the crease with a tapered crease brush to help control where you place the color.[2]
    • Your crease is the area where your eye naturally folds. If you’re having trouble finding it, press your finger lightly over eye -- the crease is right below the socket bone, above the eyeball.
    • It’s usually best to use a matte eyeshadow in the crease.
    • While any mid-tone shade can work in the crease, a neutral shade, such as brown, gray, or taupe, is often the safest bet, particularly if you’re wearing a colorful lid shade.
  3. Use shimmery shadow to highlight the inner corner and center of the lid. To open up and accent your eyes, it helps to use a shimmery shadow in key places. Choose a shade that’s lighter than your skintone, and apply it with a small brush just below the arch of your brow and to the inner corner of your eye around your tear duct.[3]
    • For fair and light skin, a shimmery ivory shade works well to highlight your brow bone and inner corner.
    • For medium skin, a shimmery champagne shade works well to highlight your brow bone and inner corner.
    • For dark skin, a shimmery gold shade works well to highlight your brow bone and inner corner.

Perfecting Your Liner, Brows, and Lashes

  1. Line halfway on your upper and lower lash lines. Eyeliner can help define your eyes and draw attention to them. However, if you line your entire eye, you can actually wind up making them look smaller. To widen your eyes, only line the outer half of your upper and lower lash lines.[4]
    • Black or brown liner works for all eye colors.
    • If you have brown eyes, navy eyeliner can help make your eyes appear brighter.[5]
    • If you have hazel eyes, gold eyeliner can help bring out the yellow flecks in your eyes.
    • If you have green eyes, purple eyeliner can help make your eyes appear more vibrant.
    • If you have blue eyes, emerald green eyeliner can help make your eyes pop.
    • If you have gray eyes, burgundy eyeliner can help draw attention to your eyes.
  2. Apply a light colored liner to your waterline. While black or colored eyeliner can help add definition that accents your eye, using a light eyeliner on your waterline helps make your eyes appear larger so they draw more focus. Use a nude, white, or ivory eyeliner on the waterline to instantly widen your eyes.[2]
    • The waterline is the thin strip of skin that’s just above your lower lashes.
    • The easiest way to apply liner to the waterline is lightly pull down on your lower lid to expose the skin and gently run a liner pencil along it.
    • If you have sensitive, easily irritated eyes, don’t line your waterline.
  3. Fill in your brows. Your brows frame your eyes, so you want them to look as neat and defined as possible. Use a pencil, powder, or cream product to fill in any gaps in your brows, and follow up with a clear brow gel to comb your brows into place.[2]
    • If you’re not used to filling in your brows, it’s best to opt for a powder product because it offers the most natural look. You don’t even have to buy a specific brow powder. Use a matte eyeshadow that matches your brow color and apply it with a small angled brow brush.
  4. Use multiple coats of mascara. Full, fluttery lashes help draw attention to your eyes, and mascara is a necessity to thicken and lengthen your lashes. However, for the most dramatic results, it’s best to layer your mascara. Start with a volumizing formula to help thicken your lashes, and then apply a lengthening mascara to help separate and define your lashes.[2]
    • For the best look, use an extremely black mascara.
    • You may want to curl your lashes before you apply your mascara to really open your eyes.
    • If you aren’t happy with how your lashes look with mascara, you can add false lashes to really bring focus to your eyes.

Finishing Off Your Makeup

  1. Apply an under eye corrector to dark circles. Dark circles can pull attention from your eyes, and concealer alone isn’t always enough to cover them. Start by applying an orange-toned color corrector under your eyes to cancel out the blue tones. Use your finger to blend the product in well so the shadows disappear.[6]
    • If you have fair or light skin, use a peach color corrector.
    • If you have medium or dark skin, use an orange color corrector.
    • You can apply the color corrector with a sponge or concealer brush, but it usually works best if you apply it with a finger. The warmth from your skin helps the corrector melt in for a seamless look.
  2. Dot a brightening concealer under your eyes. While the color corrector helps tone down dark circles, it doesn’t help brighten under your eyes. Apply a brightening concealer in a color one or two shades lighter than your skin tone under the eyes and use a fluffy concealer brush to blend it in.[7]
    • For the brightest looking eyes, apply the concealer in a triangle shape beneath your eyes that comes to a point on your cheek beside the side of your nose. Fill the triangle in, and blend the concealer in well to create a highlighted effect beneath your eyes.
  3. Use foundation to even out your skin tone. Uneven, blotchy skin can draw attention away from your eyes. To ensure that your eyes get the focus, apply a foundation all over your face to even out your skintone and cover any discolorations. If your face is mostly clear, you can opt for a tinted moisturizer or BB cream instead.[2]
    • You can use a brush, sponge, or your fingers to apply the foundation. A sponge offers the most airbrushed finish.
    • If you have oily skin, make sure to set your foundation with a powder.
    • Add concealer to add spots on your face that the foundation doesn’t cover. Make sure that the concealer matches your skintone exactly.
  4. Choose neutral shades for your lips and cheeks. When you want the attention to be on your eyes, it’s important to choose the right makeup to pair with it. Avoid bold colors on your cheeks and lips, and instead opt for neutral shades that won’t compete with your eyes. Choose a neutral pink blush and nude lipstick or gloss so your eyes get all the focus.[3]

Tips

  • To ensure that your eyeshadow stays in place all day, you should apply an eye primer before your shadow.
  • Avoid using eyeshadow shades that match your eye color. There won’t be any contrast, so your eyes won’t stand out.
  • You can thicken up the look of your lashes by dusting loose translucent powder over them in between coats of mascara.

Things You'll Need

  • Light eyeshadow in shade that contrasts with your eyes
  • Midtone eyeshadow shade for the crease
  • Pale shimmery eyeshadow shade for brow and inner corner highlight
  • Flat eyeshadow brush
  • Tapered crease brush
  • Dark Eyeliner
  • Light Eyeliner
  • Volumizing Mascara
  • Lengthening Mascara
  • Brow powder, pencil, or cream
  • Angled brow brush
  • Under eye corrector
  • Brightening concealer
  • Foundation
  • Neutral lipstick
  • Neutral blush

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.mythirtyspot.com/opposites-attract-matching-your-eyeshadow-to-your-eye-color-to-make-them-pop/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/makeup/g3006/eye-makeup-tips/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/beauty-hair/a26560/10-tricks-make-eyes-pop/
  4. ↑ http://stylecaster.com/beauty/101-eye-makeup-tips/
  5. ↑ http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/news/g3286/best-eyeliner-for-eye-color/
  6. ↑ http://www.instyle.com/beauty/how-color-correct-and-conceal-undereye-circles#1076151
  7. ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/makeup/a32305/triangle-concealer-trick/
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