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JC Olivera Beauty Makeup The 11 Best Eyeshadow Colors for Brown Eyes The 11 Best Eyeshadow Colors for Brown Eyes Here’s how to “eyemaxx” like a pro
It’s the summer of maxxing everything, and the latest to get optimized on social media is eye color—more specifically, the best makeup for specific eye colors.
If you’re old enough to remember the era of eyeshadow palettes that were curated for each eye color (a special shoutout to Almay and Maybelline for their color-coded palettes), then you know not every color is made equal when it comes to complementing your irises.
If you have brown eyes, you’re in luck, because the world of eye makeup is your oyster. “Brown eyes can wear just about everything—that’s the beauty of them,” says Jamie Greenberg , celebrity makeup artist and founder of Jamie Makeup . “Brown eyes naturally have a lot of depth, so you have room to play with both subtle and dramatic shades.”
While brown eyes are extremely versatile, Greenberg says, jewel tones (think deep greens, sapphire blue , and plum), olive green, burgundy, and chocolate brown look especially good. The high saturation of these hues stands out against the depth of brown.
Not only can brown eyes play with a wide range of shadow hues, but also with a variety of undertones. Greenberg says you can go in a moodier direction with cool-toned taupes and grays, such as charcoal, to create a canvas that makes brown look extra rich. For warmer undertones, lean into bronze and caramel shades to emphasize the golden flecks of your brown eyes. Shimmer shadows, such as gold, gray metallics, and even pink shimmers, also bring out the gold in brown eyes.
Ready to eyemaxx your brown eyes? Ahead is a brown-eye cheat sheet for the best eyeshadow and eyeliners to keep on hand so they pop (no makeup expertise required).
Blue and brown have long been paired together, from runways to interior design. Brown is technically a deeper shade of orange, which sits opposite blue on the color wheel, so the two complement each other. You can pick from four blue shades in this Dior palette and use the beige center shade to brighten areas like the inner corner of the eye and the brow bone, which will make the blue pop even more against your brown eyes.
Greenberg created this matte eye stick as a neutral base to “bring out the warmth in your eye,” she explains. Use this alone to elevate the golden-brown hue of your iris, or as a primer before shimmers for a longer-lasting look.
Greenberg recommends forest green shadows and eyeliners, which lean cool-toned, to make brown eyes look brighter and wider. The stark contrast and cool undertone provide the perfect contrast against brown. This superpigmented eyeliner from Charlotte Tilbury can be used as a strategic liner or all over the lid.
Bronze and golden hues were made for brown eyes. This shimmery eye stick from Bobbi Brown has flecks of glitter that mimic the gold flecks in brown eyes, plus cooling technology that gives the lid a slight chill upon application.
Since brown eyes look great with a wide range of shimmer, Greenberg recommends picking up this Makeup by Mario metallic palette, which has neutral metallics and colored metallics, like jewel-toned blue and olive green—two colors that Greenberg says bring out the depth of brown.
Layer on the iridescence with this duo shadow compact from Patrick Ta…