Makeup 101: The Best Eyeshadow Colors for Brown Eyes

This one’s for you, my brown-eyed girls! And we won’t even be needing a transistor radio, just our trusty color wheel.

As you’ve read in the guides for blue eyes and green eyes, eye color can be emphasized by eyeshadow in complementary or monochromatic shade palettes.

For brown-eyed girls, this means you should apply eye makeup in teals, blues, purples, and pinks in addition to neutrals like chocolates, bronzes, coppers, and taupes. So get over your aversion to color for fear of looking clownish or your distaste for neutrals for fear of looking blah, because both can look incredible—and when applied properly, perfectly pop those brown peepers.

We tested the theory on Divalicious Blog contributor and brown-eyed beauty Christina Ballinger. Here are step-by-step instructions for each look—as we’re confident you’re gonna want to try this at home.

Complementary Eyeshadow for Brown Eyes — Purple Rain

Create this flirty and feminine look by following these eye makeup tips:

• Step 1: Prep lids with a base for truer color payoff.
• Step 2: Apply a lavender cream shadow to the upper lid from lash line to crease.
• Step 3: Dust a lavender powder shadow over the cream to set and intensify the color.
• Step 4: Sweep a dark violet into the crease and along the upper and lower lash line and blend.
• Step 5: Rim eyes in a plum eyeliner.
• Step 6: Coat top and bottom lashes in mascara.

Complementary Eyeshadow for Brown Eyes — Aqua Allure

Create this fresh and unexpected look by following these eye makeup tips:

• Step 1: Prep lids with a base for truer color payoff.

• Step 2: Pat a bright aqua cream or powder shadow to the lid from lash line to crease. Run same shade below lower lashes.

• Step 3: Rim eyes in teal eyeliner and smudge.

• Step 4: Coat top and bottom lashes in mascara. 

Monochromatic Eyeshadow for Brown Eyes — Bronze Goddess

Create this basic yet glam look by following these eye makeup tips:

• Step 1: Sweep a cream or flesh-toned neutral over the entire lid from lash line to brow with emphasis on the brow bone and inner corner as a highlight.

• Step 2: Dust bronze shadow from lash line to crease.

• Step 3: Pop chocolate brown shadow into crease and onto outer corner blended toward the center of the eye for a smoky effect. Run same chocolate shade beneath lower lash line and blend.

• Step 4: Rim full eye in dark brown liner.

• Step 5: Coat top and bottom lashes in mascara.

Pretty soon we’ll have everyone’s hearts a-thumping and singing Sha la la la la la la la la la te da.

Do you have brown eyes? Test the theory and share your results. We’d love to see your own pictures and hear what products really worked—and wowed!