We see them full of fabulous shades, from nude to pop, matte, pearly or glitter, exhibited in perfumery and the temptation to have them all is very strong: we are talking about eye shadow palettes! Choosing the most harmonious eyeshadow colors based on your chromatic season and iris color is very simple if you are guided by the principles of color harmony!
Eyes and lips are the two focus main aspects of the face when it comes to make-up, if you wear makeup in disharmonious colors then you lose the opportunity to enhance yourself and your beauty look is not a winner. There are few rules to follow to choose the perfect shades for yourself and in this guide to discovering the perfect eyeshadow we explain how thanks to the tips that Armocromia gives us!
Eyeshadow color and skin undertone
The first element to consider when choosing the right eyeshadow color is the undertone of the skin: is it warm or cold? THE warm undertones with neutral or yellowish overtones they prefer equally warm shades of eyeshadow: from the most delicate nude to the most intense brown they will be eye shadows with shades tending to orange and brown, such as nude flesh, peach pink, terracotta, purple orchid, brick, forest green and turquoise, burgundy and chocolate, gold and bronze. THE cool undertones instead with a neutral or pink overtone they prefer cold shades of eyeshadow: from pastel pink to black they will be eye shadows with shades containing more blue: milky white, candy pink, fuchsia, mauve purple and indigo, blue, plum, peacock green, light blue, burgundy purple, black and all shades of gray, in addition to silver. Knowing your color season it will be very easy to choose the perfect shades because each one has specific shades that harmonize very well with the natural colors of the face and of your iris.
Eyeshadow colors that look good on everyone
Before delving into the chromatic seasons it is good to know that there are colors to be considered neutral and harmonize with all chromatic typologies. They are: ivory, light to intense dove gray, pinkish brown, hazelnut and burgundy. These natural, soft shades work well with any complexion and eye color.
Eyeshadow colors for spring women
The spring woman has warm undertones and a neutral or yellowish overtone, very light. She is distinguished by a bright and shiny image with light eyes, so she should opt for warm and bright eyeshadow shades. It is not enhanced by a too intensified, dark and cold-toned look. A fresh and tone-on-tone beauty look, with eyelashes in the foreground, is instead perfect.
If its dominant is being clear (natural blonde with light eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are nude flesh, antique pink to peach, light bronze and gold, both in matte and shimmer versions. The light spring woman should not burden her eyes with black pencil or bold eyeliner and use too dark colors.
If its dominant is being hot (natural red with light eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are nude flesh, coral pink, orchid purple and gold, both in matte and shimmer versions. The hot spring woman should mainly avoid black and gray eyeshadows because they put out her unique light!
Jessica Chastain is hot spring and lights up her eyes with a bright and soft champagne pink, super sophisticated with her strawberry red hair
Finally, if its dominant is being brilliant (brown hair contrasting with fair skin and blue or green jewel eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are medium to intense taupe, hazelnut and rosy brown, orchid purple, peacock green and blue.
Adriana Lima is bright spring and intensifies her look with contrasting black edging and a soft taupe brown eyeshadow
Eyeshadow colors for summer women
The summer woman has cold undertones and a neutral or pinkish overtone, very light. It is characterized by a very soft and bright image, so it should opt for equally soft shades with a satin or matte finish, and avoid those that are too dark, unless the strong contrast is desired and well studied!
If its dominant is being clear (natural blonde with light eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are ivory, candy pink, antique pink, lilac, Tiffany, blue and silver; if, on the other hand, you prefer more natural colors, go for pearl gray or pink dove gray. Yes to both matte and luminous finishes. The light summer woman can also play with contrasts, however, intensifying the eyes, which will always be nuanced and never too graphic, with more intense colors such as gray.
Lucy Boynton is light summer and respects her delicacy with a pastel look, in light pink
If its dominant is being soft (light brown or dark blond with green or hazel eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are antique pink, light gray, taupe and pinkish brown, better in the matte version. The soft summer woman, unlike the light one, does not bring high contrast, intensity and graphic and bold make-up very well.
Chloe Grace Moretz is soft summer and enhances her eyes with a slightly pearly dove-gray eyeshadow
If its dominant is being cold (ash brown hair in contrast with very light skin and blue or green jewel eyes) supports more contrast and intensity than the other two subgroups of the summer, so yes to the gaze intensified by the eye pencil or eyeliner dark gray, black or midnight blue and colors of distinctly cold eyeshadow like silver, gray and blue, both in matte and shimmer finish.
Alexandra Daddario is cold summer and puts a focus on her jewel eyes thanks to a matte medium gray heightened by black pencil
Eyeshadow colors for autumn women
The autumn woman has warm undertones and neutral or yellowish overtones, from very light to amber. A darker and more opaque image distinguishes her than the light and bright one of the spring woman, so she should opt for warm shades with a matte finish and avoid those that are too bright or that turn to dark gray and black. The most enhancing eye make-up is the very nuanced one, instead a graphic and contrasting make-up could harden it and weigh down the face.
If its dominant is being soft (natural blonde or light brown with light or hazel eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are terracotta, rosy brown, dove gray, purple and forest green, in a matte finish.
Olivia Palermo is soft autumn and enhances her hazel eyes and her warm complexion with a perfect shade of warm purple
If its dominant is being hot (natural red with green or brown eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are terracotta, brown in all shades, orchid purple, bronze and gold. Contraindicated are silver, gray and black. The finish will be matte.
Madelaine Petsch is hot autumn and enhances her eyes with a soft matte terracotta eyeshadow
If its dominant is being dark (dark brown hair, dark eyes and amber skin) the ideal colors are brown, bronze and brick burgundy. Light and cold shades are not recommended.
Jessica Alba is deep autumn and brightens up her look with a bronze eyeshadow shade
Eyeshadow colors for winter women
The winter woman has cold undertones and neutral or pinkish overtones, from very light to olive. She is distinguished by a darker and brighter image than the light and soft one of the summer woman, so she should opt for cold shades and avoid the distinctly warm ones. Yes to a contrasted and graphic eye make-up if you like it because the winter woman has the right characteristics to support it well.
If its dominant is being cold (light to medium brown with green or brown eyes) the ideal eyeshadow colors are gray, taupe, pink, purple and blue, of medium intensity.
Millie Bobby Brown is cold winter and plays with a pop shade of azure-blue that creates a beautiful focus on the look
If its dominant is being brilliant (intense brunette with blue or green jewel eyes) it works to increase the contrast with pencil or bold eyeliner in black version or in pop colors such as electric blue, purple, peacock green, fuchsia. Eyeshadow shades will be cool like gray or blue for example, but even then pop and bright colors can work very well.
Katy Perry is bright winter and makes her jewel eyes even more magnetic with a bold black eyeliner line
If its dominant is being dark (dark brown hair and dark eyes) yes to an intense and magnetic eye focus, in shades of dark gray, plum, purplish burgundy and blue. The deep winter woman is the one who wears the smokey eye in a black eyeshadow version really well, difficult to sustain for all the other seasons and subgroups.
Dua Lipa is deep winter and intensifies her velvet eyes with black pencil and very dark gray eyeshadow
How to combine eyeshadow and lipstick
THE eyeshadow colors and lipstick interact a lot with each other so it is good to make sure that this interaction is chromatically pleasing. The first rule to match them well is the color temperature: remaining in the same color family (hot or cold) the margin of error is greatly reduced, even if as in all things there are always lucky exceptions! The second element to consider is the brilliance of the color: pairing a vibrant and bright eyeshadow color with a desaturated and matte lipstick may not work. Light lipstick and intense eyeshadow and vice versa, as long as they are the same temperature or that at least one of the two is neutral, they work well. The advice is to always combine lipstick and eyeshadow to check their chromatic interaction before wearing them and not to forget that, if colored, even the nail polish should be coordinated!
