Color... in theory

    One of the most common makeup questions ever asked is, “How do I make my eyes pop?”

The answer is simple:

Color Theory!!!

Oooh yes! Think back to first grade art class when your teacher pulled out the gigantor color wheel!  It probably looked something like this:

 

Then you got to play with mixing paint colors to see what you would get!!!  At least that’s what we did and it was super fun!  I’m so sorry if you never did this and your art teacher robbed you of this awesomeness!

*Side note* Kind of funny that I have very few distinct memories of first grade—and the color wheel in art class is one of them!  That in combination with the fact that I used my markers to put makeup on my stuffed animals (my mom still has them to prove it), it’s all just further confirmation that I was born to do this!  

Anywhoooo... It’s the perfect first “beauty” topic because so many other things will eventually stem from this very simple concept.  

First up you have your PRIMARY COLORS- red, blue, and yellow.  They’re called primary colors because you can’t mix any colors together to create them.  Then you have SECONDARY COLORS- purple, green, and orange.  You get those by mixing two primary colors together.  Red+ blue=purple, blue+ yellow= green, and red+ yellow= orange.  In case I lost you on that it’s all clearly displayed here  

What does any of this have to do with making my eyes pop, you ask!?  

COMPLIMENTARY COLORS!!!  Each primary color has a complimentary secondary color (they sit opposite each other on the color wheel).  Red’s complimentary color is green, blue’s complimentary color is orange, and yellow’s complimentary color is purple. That’s your golden ticket!!!  It’s all here

Why is that your “golden ticket?”

Complimentary colors are proven to make each other seem brighter and more vibrant when next to each other!  Example: red and green—the official colors of Christmas were not the official colors of Christmas until way back in the day Mr. Macy from good ol’ Macy’s discovered this information and decided to decorate all the green in the store with red ribbons and ornaments to attract shoppers during the holidays.  Genius!  And maybe a little sneaky… you didn’t think you’d be learning all that on this blog, did ya?  Haha!

How does this play into makeup?  

If you have green eyes and you want them to stand out, go with colors that have red in them.  That doesn’t mean go find a stop-sign red eyeshadow and pack it in from your lashes to your eyebrows and call it a day.  That might work for a Halloween, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to go to work or the grocery store looking like a giant third degree burn happened on your eyelid…  I’m just saying…

If you wanted to go bold with the red-  it could look something like this

If you are more of a natural’s girl- go with brown colors that have a red-ish undertone.  A few MAC color suggestions- folie, brown script, swiss chocolate, and embark (and because these shades are neutrals they are a great idea to just incorporate with any eyeshadow you feel like doing and it’ll be the missing link to making it work with your eye colorJ).  Like this

If you don’t feel like doing those colors you could also go for shades that have red IN them.   So back to our secondary colors that have red mixed in them- that gives you oranges and purples to also play with!    

And then last but not least- use your lips as an option. If you’re not into the whole eyeshadow/eyeliner thing and you have green eyes that you want to stand out—try a red lip! 

Same rules apply for all eye colors!!!  A few MAC neutral color suggestions for blue eyes would be- soft brown, texture, and saddle.

And of course a few inspirational photos

                                                                                                                   

    

     

Now, my fellow brown eyed ladies.  You might be thinking this isn’t as much fun for you.  WRONG!  We kind of get the best deal of the bunch!  There is the neutrals clause!  Neutrals go with EVERYTHING!  But if you really want to play it up, look at your eyes closely.  Brown eyes have little gold or sometimes green flecks in them.  You can use all these same rules and bring out those flecks!  Just use the corresponding colors to make it happen!

When its all said and done, wear whatever you want but keep in mind its not what you wear- it's how you choose to wear it!  And these are just a few tools to help you get there!  HAVE FUN, follow, and comment your questions!

Love,

    Michelle