Do You Match Your Eye Shadow to Your Eye Color?

October 3, 2008

A few weeks ago, I contacted makeup artist Amy Oresman, who was responsible for creating Hayden Panettiere's dazzling Emmy look. And here's a little gem that didn't make it into the original post.

"What can you say about the often-repeated beauty advice to match your eye shadow shade to your eye color?" I asked. Here's what she had to say: "Don't believe it! Matchy-matchy eye shadows compete with your natural eye color, making it look more muted and washed-out."

So, fill me in. Do you already follow this advice, or do you "break the rules" by color coordinating?

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35 Comments

Dawn100 2 years 48 weeks

My eyes are green with a black ring around them proboly why they go almost black in the fall time I go for pinks,peaches and whites druin the fall when my eyes are black I use bright humid colors to bring out..the blackness of them

3 years 31 weeks

Hazel green eyes CAN take olive eyeshadow if combined with a darker brown in the crease (no bright greens). Reddish bronze or plum ofcourse work great to make them pop.

Bolly 4 years 32 weeks

Good God no. Matching your eye shadow to your eye color just makes you look like you didn't try and washed out. I stick with the rule about using eye shadow that is your eye color's opposite. Like a have blue eyes so I use a really sheer light gold shadow with black eye liner to highlight my eyes.

Autumns_Elegy 4 years 33 weeks

The colour of my eyes changes between blue, grey and green a fair bit so I'm always swapping colours. Green looks good if it's transparent, like a light shimmer. The rest of the time I stick with white, black or purple.

Autumns_Elegy 4 years 33 weeks

The colour of my eyes changes between blue, grey and green a fair bit so I'm always swapping colours.Green looks good if it's transparent, like a light shimmer. The rest of the time I stick with white, black or purple.

Ladytron7000 4 years 33 weeks

Green eye shadow looks ugly on me, with my green eyes. It's better to go across the color wheel. Purple, plum, and raisin make my green eyes pop.

spicyaroma 4 years 33 weeks

I have brown eyes, so I do use brown eyeshadow sometimes. I mostly use grey and purple!

anabj 4 years 33 weeks

I have brown eyes and green is the color that works better with them. And my niece has green eyes and she looks beautiful with purple.

leeluvfashion 4 years 33 weeks

Never. I have medium-dark green eyes and I like to contrast them with various shades of purple. I also like champagne-toned shimmers. For liners I like brown, dark violet, sapphire, teal and grey.

Sun_Sun 4 years 33 weeks

i have dark brown eyes and i wear alot of brown eyeshadow, black, other colours occasionally, but mostly shades of brown and black ....it looks GREAT

foxfairy 4 years 33 weeks

I have really dark brown eyes; sometimes I uses a brown shadow with a little shimmer when I want to go for a natural look. I find that a brown shadow doesn't wash out my eyes a lot.

Kyley 4 years 33 weeks

I have aqua eyes and I can't imagine pulling that shade of blue off on my lids, so no. I think they really pop with bronzy pinks

Britney Kayla 4 years 33 weeks

Also gold works great for brown eyes.

Britney Kayla 4 years 33 weeks

I have brown eyes and I go for coppers, browns, pinks, and blacks.

emalove 4 years 33 weeks

My eyes are green with a blue ring around them, and I DO like to wear shades of blue and green sometimes. But I usually prefer colors like taupe, plum, or violet to really bring out the green.

juliarose23 4 years 33 weeks

I coordinate my eye shadow more to my outfit or my other makeup, but i may have once or twice...but i am ashamed. lol

Blackthorne 4 years 33 weeks

My eyes are a gray blue green. I would never put that on my lids. I tend to go for lighter colors because I have such deep set, and dark areas around my eyes or I totally go for the smokey look.

JessNess 4 years 33 weeks

Brown eyes look great with any shade but when you have lighter eye color you really shouldn't be matchy matchy. I have blue eyes that shift from bright blue to gray (depending on my mood and clothing). Blue eyeshadows just do not do anything for me. It competes too much. I will wear a dark navy eyeliner occasionally but that is as close as blue colors will get on my lids. I find that gray, brown (particularly bronze), some golds and some purples really make my eyes pop. I also never wear black eyeliner because between my light complexion and light eyes it looks way to harsh.Its all about complimenting your color and not competing with it.

JessNess 4 years 33 weeks

Brown eyes look great with any shade but when you have lighter eye color you really shouldn't be matchy matchy. I have blue eyes that shift from bright blue to gray (depending on my mood and clothing). Blue eyeshadows just do not do anything for me. It competes too much. I will wear a dark navy eyeliner occasionally but that is as close as blue colors will get on my lids. I find that gray, brown (particularly bronze), some golds and some purples really make my eyes pop. I also never wear black eyeliner because between my light complexion and light eyes it looks way to harsh. Its all about complimenting your color and not competing with it.

bailaoragaditana 4 years 33 weeks

My eyes are a medium hazel, more brown than green, occasionally amber-brown, so it's hard to get an exact match. But I wear lots of browns, golds, greens, and olives - colors that are sort of in the same range but generally bolder/darker than my eyes. I really like the way golden-bronze shadows make my eyes look more green, though.

verily 4 years 33 weeks

I have muddy hazel eyes, so no, I don't try to match. I generally wear greens, light browns, or purples.

POPSUGAR Beauty 4 years 33 weeks

I rarely match my shadows to my eyes, which are green. But when I do, I find that darker shades work better.

havok636 4 years 33 weeks

i have blueish green eyes, but i love it when they look blue, so to bring that out i wear either brown or steel gray eye makeup. it makes my eyes look amazing!

stellina429 4 years 33 weeks

I have brown eyes and I do tend to wear a lot of browny-gold eyeshadows - but they look really good against my olive skin, while sometimes more colorful shadows look a bit too garish.

HelloAnia 4 years 33 weeks

If you want your eyes to pop, in contrast to looking muted. You need to use the complimentary color eyeshadow of your nature eye color for example, green=purple + plum, or a red based bronze/brown, blue=brown/gold/bronze, brown=blue/purple. I know it's not that simple, but it's a good quick assertive way to pick a shadow color.

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