How to Apply Natural Makeup for Brown Eyes

Co-authored by Nine Morrison

Last Updated: December 7, 2022 References

Because brown is neutral and doesn't have an opposite on the color wheel, all colors complement brown eyes to some degree.^{[1]
X
Research source} While bold colors like deep purples, bright blues, and metallic shades may make brown eyes stand out best, they aren't exactly ideal for a natural look. If you have brown eyes and want to accentuate them with makeup that looks natural, you will need to consider the most appropriate colors and techniques for the job.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Selecting Your Colors

1
Stick to earth tones and other natural shades. Keep in mind that certain colors will look natural on some people while looking obvious on others. Stick to shades close to your skin, lip, and hair colors.
- If your eyebrows and eyelashes are black or very dark brown, then black eyeliner and mascara will look natural on you. For red hair, try out auburn^{[2]
  X
  Research source} or brown^{[3]
  X
  Research source} mascaras to find one that suits you best. If your hair is blonde, taupe mascara can define your lashes while still looking natural.^{[4]
  X
  Research source} Use eyeliner sparingly if you have lighter hair, and consider experimenting with brown eyeliners.
- Pick an eyeshadow that is either close to your skin tone or a few shades lighter as your base color. For fair to medium skin tones, this means whites, taupes, and light browns. Taupes and browns are also good choices for darker skin. Just stay away from white bases when going for a natural look, as these don't blend well on darker skin.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
- Select a second darker color for your shadow. These can be browns, taupes, and mauves.
- Go a little lighter than your base for a highlighter. Pick a color that is the same hue as your skin but a little lighter than your base eyeshadow.
2
Avoid glitter and shimmer. While skin can shine, it doesn't naturally glitter. Metallic eyeshadows like bronze and gold look wonderful with brown eyes but can ruin the illusion of a completely natural look.
- If you want to incorporate metallic colors while still looking natural, do so sparingly and try to pick ones that blend well with your skin tone. For example, a slight splash of gold on the inner corners of your eyes can brighten them while still looking subtle on tan or olive skin.
- Matte versions of metallic colors are another more natural-looking option.
Advertisement
3
Don't clash with your skin's undertone. Your undertone may be rosy (also called cool), golden (also called warm), or neutral. For a natural look, you especially want to stick with hues with a matching undertone to keep your makeup from standing out.
- If you have rosy undertones, eyeshadows with subtle pink, red, plum, and blue tinges can look natural.
- For golden skin, eyeshadows with subtle peach, gold, or yellow tones will work for a natural look.
- If your undertone is more neutral, then you likely have both rosy and golden undertones. This can make things tricky, since even though most colors will look good on your skin, it can be more difficult to tell what will seem natural. Try out a few different shades to figure out which look best under natural light.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Applying Your Eye Makeup

1
Brush your base color onto your entire lid. Load an eyeshadow brush with your chosen base color. Tap the side of your brush to remove excess powder. With your eye closed, brush the color onto your entire lid using light strokes. It's ok if you go a little above your crease. Reload your brush as needed.
2
Add shadow along the outer part of your crease. Load a small angled brush with your chosen shadow color. Tap your brush to remove excess powder. Starting from the outer corner of your eye, run the angled brush along your crease. Stop just before you reach the inner corner of your eye. Do this with one long stroke. The end result should be a highly pigmented outer corner and a gradient towards a much lighter inner corner.^{[7]
X
Research source}
3
Blend the eyeshadows. Use a clean blending brush. Make small, circular "buffing" motions with the brush along the line where the two colors meet. Start from your inner corner and work your way across to the opposite side. Do this until the two eyeshadows have blended together seamlessly. Your eyelid should now look airbrushed and very close to how a shadow would natural fall.
4
Dab a small amount of highlighter under your eyebrow arch and at the inner corner of your eye. Use a clean eyeshadow brush. Dot a tiny bit of your highlight color at the inner corner of your eye and directly under the point of your eyebrow's arch. Use a clean, preferably small, blending brush to blend your highlighter into the surrounding area.
5
Apply eyeliner. Eyeliner will accentuate your beautiful brown eyes. However, eyeliner is the trickiest type of makeup to put on when you're going for a natural look. Which eyeliner styles look natural will depend on a combination of your eyelash color and your eyes' shade.
- If your hair is light, consider minimal eyeliner. The easiest way to achieve this to make a very thin line across your upper lashline. For an even more subtle, natural look apply liner between each individual lash instead of drawing on a line.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
- If your hair is dark, you can use either a minimalist technique or a slightly thicker line. A thicker line will bring more attention to your brown eyes, but a thinner one will look more natural.
- If both your eyes and hair are very dark, you can try a subtle winged or "cat eye" eyeliner in addition to any of the above methods. At the outer corner of your eye, continue your eyeliner slightly at an upward angle pointing to the end of your eyebrow. Match the thickness of this line to the rest of your eyeliner. Small wings will create the illusion of an extended lashline.
6
Brush on mascara. Finishing your eye makeup will help your brown eyes look even more beautiful. However, like eyeliner, this is another step where it's easy to overdo it. If you're worried about looking too done up, consider skipping this step. Otherwise, go over your upper lashes just once or twice with the mascara color best suited to your look.
7
Finished.

Expert Q&A

Question

What is the best shimmer eyeshadow?

Nine Morrison
Professional Makeup Artist
Nine Morrison is the owner of WedLocks Bridal Hair & Makeup, the largest bridal beauty company in Colorado. Her work has been featured in Brides Magazine, The Knot, and by Moroccanoil, and her company replicates this standard across 400+ weddings per year. She has been in the beauty industry for over 10 years, and also travels as a beauty educator and business consultant.

Nine Morrison

Professional Makeup Artist

Expert Answer

A little shimmer is okay on lighter shades, but not darker colors. Light colors are going to highlight features by bringing them forward, and shimmer reflects light so it enhances that effect. Matte colors absorb light and push features back, so when you put a shimmer in that color, it's fighting against itself.
Question

How do you make your eyes look bigger?

Zyla

Community Answer

To make your eyes look bigger, use lighter colors as eyeshadow and open up your eyes even more with a skin colored or white eyeliner on the lower lashline.