Playing With Makeup Color Combinations

I love, love playing around with makeup and seeing what looks I can come up with!  Whether it’s lipstick or lip gloss or eyeshadow combinations, I’m attracted to color and love experimenting with which ones work together and which don’t.

The color wheel and knowledge of warm/cool color families can help you figure out how to choose makeup colors for any look.

Some Makeup Color Combos

1. Complimentary colors – Makeup shades that are opposite of each other on the color wheel usually end up looking great together in makeup looks. Here I combined purple with yellow tones (which translates to golds, coppers, and corals in makeup) to create this eggplant smoky eye with gold eyeshadow highlights paired with a golden coral lip gloss.

Shades used: MAC Eyeshadow in Contrast (deep purple), Chanel Eyeshadow in Daylight Gold (yellow gold), NARS Lip Gloss in Sunset Strip (golden coral)

2. Cool colors – Cool makeup shades are those that have more of a blue undertone (rather than yellow) — including silver. Skin that has red or neutral undertones can better “pull off” cool makeup colors than those with yellow or olive undertones. My skin happens to be totally neutral (it’s difficult for me to find a foundation that is not too red nor too yellow), and I like to play with cool colors occasionally. My favorite cool looks include pink lips and blue or silver smoky eyes.

Shades used: Lancome Eyeshadow in Style Section (silver), Lancome Eyeshadow in The New Black (glittery black), Lancome Lipstick in Love Flower (sheer shimmery pink)

3. Smoky eye variations – You can do a monotone smoky eye with a variation of colors, most popularly with blues, browns, or greys/black. When focusing on a smoky eye, you can either blend from your lashline up or blend from your crease to your inner eye, going from dark to light. Add black eyeliner to deepen a smoky eye. Optionally, blend over the eyeliner with your dark eyeshadow. When focusing on a smoky eye it’s a good idea to do a nude, neutral, or pale lip for a nice contrast and so as not to compete with the intensity of the eye.

Shades used: Clinique Eyeshadow Duo in Coffee Shop (shimmery taupe/shimmery chocolate), Lancome Juicy Tubes gloss in Simmer (peachy pink)

4. Warm colors – Warm colors are makeup shades with reddish, yellow, orange/coral, or golden tints. For this look I focused on gold, with a neutral smoky eye (using browns – yellow-based), gold lips, and a golden highlighter with sheer coral cheeks.

Shades used: Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow Quad in Not Just Nudes (tans/browns), Revlon Skinlights in Warm Glow (gold highlighting bronzer), Clinique Blush in Precious Posy (sheer coral), Clinique Lipstick in Nude Pearls (shimmery gold)