What is the best makeup for brown eyes?

What is the best makeup for brown eyes?

The best makeup for brown eyes is all about enhancing their natural warmth and depth. The neutral tones of brown—whether light, dark, hazel, or amber—give you flexibility when it comes to your eye makeup looks. Warm golds, rich bronzes, and even vibrant blues can create an eye-catching contrast, giving you a bold, statement-making look that truly makes your brown eyes shine. We’ll walk you through these looks, give tips for achieving them, and explore some of the best eyeshadow palettes for your brown beauties.

Key Takeaways

• Brown eye makeup is all about enhancing the natural warmth and depth.

• There are multiple eyeshadow colors and styles that work for brown eyes.

• Brown eyes should avoid dark grays and black eyeshadow and keep the shimmer for a special occasion.

• Eyeshadow palettes for brown eyes are an easy way to get all the colors you need for your look.

• Brown eyes are super versatile and you can create purple, blue, natural, and even gold eyeshadow looks that look gorgeous.

Best eyeshadow colors for brown eyes

If you have brown eyes but aren’t sure which colors help them stand out, then we have good news: 

You can wear almost any eyeshadow color you like! 

There is certainly no shortage of eyeshadow looks for brown eyes. You can experiment with dark shades for an ultra-glamorous, intense look or play around with bright pink eyeshadow, blues, greens, and oranges for eyes that pop. Earthy tones like terracotta, warm caramel, and copper can also enhance the natural warmth of brown eyes, creating a rich, dimensional effect.

While you do have a lot of flexibility, there are a few makeup tips for getting the most out of your eyeshadow palette for brown eyes:

• Avoid using black eyeshadow or darker grays on dark brown eyes, as these can make dark brown eyes ‘disappear.’ Stick to lighter shades of brown eyeshadow unless you have light brown or hazel brown eyes.

• Use a cool eyeshadow palette to create drama – so blue, green, or yellow eyeshadow.

• Try a warm eyeshadow palette to enhance depth and warmth.

• Keep the metallic and glitter eyeshadows for evening or special occasions and opt for a softer matte finish or just a bit of glimmer for daywear.

The easiest way to decide if an eyeshadow palette will suit you is to consider your skin tone. If your skin has yellow or golden undertones – and you tan easily and look fabulous in gold jewelry – you have a warm skin tone. Deep red eyeshadow, gold eyeshadow, deeper burgundy shades, and the warm hues of bronze, copper, or terracotta orange eyeshadow complement a warm skin tone.

You have a neutral or medium skin tone if you look good in both silver and gold jewelry, and your skin color doesn’t seem to clash with any color. This means you can explore a wider choice of eyeshadow colors. Cooler-toned skin, however, means you should steer clear of silver or nude eyeshadows that can give a washed-out look.

Each Clarins 4-Colour Eyeshadow Palette comes with four intensely pigmented eyeshadows and has everything needed to prime, shade, line, and define—delivering intense color payoffs with finishes of velvet, satin, foil, and metallic. A 2-in-1 formula enriched with the priming properties of Bamboo Powder to keep your look fresh, crease-proof, and stay-put. Mix and blend for your desired effect. 

Makeup looks for brown eyes

There are a lot of choices if you’re looking for good makeup for brown eyes. Which look do you choose? Fortunately, we’ve narrowed it down to six essential looks you can master. 

Smoky eye for brown eyes

To recreate the timeless smoky eye for brown eyes, begin with an eyeshadow base. Cover the eye area from lash line to brow with a color that closely matches the natural color of your lids. Now, apply a warm brown eyeshadow to the crease of the eye and blend well. This means the color will lighten as it gets nearer to the brow.

Next, cover the lid with black or charcoal eyeshadow. Add a touch of the lightest color in your palette to your brow arch and blend well. For a pop of color, line the inner corners of the eyes with gold eyeshadow. Line your upper and lower lash lines with black eyeliner, and finish off your dramatic makeup look with a coat or two of black mascara.

We love Clarins Supra Volume Mascara. This double-volume effect mascara is formulated to create a full, fanned-out lash look in one quick coat. The gentle formula is enriched with Cassie Flower and Panthenol to visibly thicken lashes for a full, yet flexible effect. Rich color pigments and a soft-bristle brush create clump-free, long-wearing double-volume lashes.

Copper and green eye makeup look

Another look we love that’s perfect for any day or season is the copper with a touch of green eye makeup look. Here’s how to apply one of the best eyeshadow palettes for brown eyes—and it works for dark, light, and hazel brown eyes, too.

Start by applying a base color to the eye crease with a soft eyeshadow brush. Use a smaller blending brush to add peachy brown eyeshadow to the crease. Apply a darker brown eyeshadow to the outer corner of the eye. Then, add glitter eyeshadow in bronze or copper to the center of your lid with your finger or an eyeshadow brush.

Next, apply highlighter to the brow bone, then follow by smoothing a light green eyeshadow under your lower lash line and blend with a clean brush. Line your waterline with black eyeliner and dot some glitter eyeshadow in the middle of the lower lash line. Now, you’re ready to draw in your black liquid eyeliner and complete the look with mascara.

Bold blue eyeshadow look

Dark blue eyeshadow contrasts beautifully with brown eyes. Start by shading the crease with a touch of soft gray and highlighting the brow arch. Now blend blue eyeshadow across the lid and under the lower lashes – building color until you have the desired intensity. To contrast the warmth of brown eyes, add a turquoise glitter highlight to the inner corners of the eyes for a special pop of color! To make this look even more bold, use your favorite blue eyeliner.

We recommend Clarins Waterproof Pencil in blue orchid. This waterproof, extreme-wear gel eye pencil lines and defines in high-intensity hues that stay vivid and transfer-proof for hours. Infused with skin-loving pure plant extracts, the rich pigments and soft texture glide on effortlessly, delivering a fluid line and an immediate, intense color payoff. The eyeliner’s sleek design assures precision control and includes a fine retractable tip for structured lining, a built-in sharpener, and a smudger for creating your favorite eye makeup looks.

Natural eyeshadow look

A lighter, natural-colored eyeshadow can really make darker, chocolate-colored eyes pop, making it one of the best makeup looks for brown eyes. To really get the most out of this look, you need to stick to neutral or cooler tones of brown. Use darker mid-tones and add some glitter in the eye crease to make this look pop even more—all while remaining understated and natural. 

Gold eyeshadow look

For a more luxurious look, consider gold eyeshadow. With brown eyes, you’ll want to use a more pigmented shade of gold like copper, yellow, or rose gold. This look is great for all shades of brown but works very well if your eyes are on the lighter, more hazel side of the spectrum. Using this look allows the light to dance off your eyeshadow, brightening your eyes and picking up color patterns you may have never even noticed yourself!

Pretty purple eye makeup look

Purple is a moody, whimsical tone that can help make your brown eyes pop. Its cool nature plays nicely opposite the warm tone of your brown eyes to give them depth and sparkle. It’s also hard to go wrong with this look as you can use a number of different shades: lilac, lavender, and plum. Try it as a bold eye makeup look for your next night out.

All that’s needed now to finish off gorgeous eyes is a touch of lip gloss or a burst of bright lipstick. If you’d like easier makeup looks or want to learn more about how to apply liquid eyeliner, or perhaps you’re not sure how to apply mascara – you can find some great makeup tutorials online to get those creative juices flowing!

Makeup for brown eyes FAQs

Got questions about how to make your brown eyes pop? You're not alone. Brown eyes are incredibly versatile when it comes to makeup, but knowing which shades, techniques, and products work best can take your look to the next level. Let’s tackle the most common questions about makeup for brown eyes.

How can I make my brown eyes stand out with makeup?

The key to making brown eyes pop is using shades that create contrast. Warm tones like copper, gold, and bronze enhance the natural warmth of brown eyes, while cool tones like navy, emerald, and plum create a striking contrast. Finish with black or brown eyeliner and volumizing mascara for definition.

What eyeshadow techniques work well for brown eyes?

Layering and blending are key. Start with a matte base color, then deepen the crease with a darker shade to create depth. Use shimmer or metallics on the center of the lid for a pop of light. Don’t forget to highlight the inner corners and brow bone for added dimension.

Are there particular eyeliner colors suited for brown eyes?

Absolutely! Black eyeliner is a classic, but brown, deep plum, navy, and emerald green eyeliner can enhance the natural richness of brown eyes. Try a soft-smudged line for a smoky effect or a crisp winged look for added drama.

What products should I avoid when doing makeup for brown eyes?

Dark gray and black eyeshadows can sometimes make dark brown eyes look dull or flat. Instead, stick to warm, rich shades like copper, bronze, and chocolate brown. 

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