Colored mascara: Choose the perfect mascara for your eye color

Looking to add a bold pop of color to your look? Colored rímel may be just the thing. A departure from the typical black mascara shades can be used to achieve a variety of effects, from subtle and natural to boldly beautiful.

Colored mascara is a great way to accentuate your natural beauty, too. It can make your eye color stand out and get the attention it deserves.

Whether you're looking to achieve a bold, monochromatic look or just play around, here's what you need to get started. You'll get tips from New York City based makeup artists Ashleigh Ciucci and Natalia Thomas about which shades flatter which eye colors and how best to use mascara in an overall look.^1,2

En este artículo:

• Why use colored mascara?
• Wearing brown mascara
• Wearing blue mascara
• Wearing purple mascara
• Wearing white mascara
• Wearing pink mascara

Why use colored mascara?

Colored mascara can be a bold statement. It's not a typical makeup bag addition, which is why some are wary to try it. But colored mascara is making a comeback - thanks, according to Ciucci, to the return of fashion and beauty ideals of the 1980s. "It offers a shortcut to a bold look without having to use a million products or spending an hour on your eye makeup," she says.

It also offers fun new ways to play. You can do different elements of your face in contrasting colors, like blue mascara and a peachy lip, or go monochromatic, with pink mascara, pink cheeks and pink lips.

A colored mascara can make eye colors pop. Ciucci uses the color wheel to identify which colors are complementary to the natural eye color. A widening range of shades and formulations has made this easier, which has also helped the tool's popularity.

"In the past, the technology for colored mascara was not as advanced; we only had blue and eggplant tones to choose from beyond the typical black and brown," Thomas explains. "Makeup has become more fun and diverse, as people now use it to express themselves with colorful looks."

Wearing brown mascara

To start with the basics, brown mascara makes blue eyes pop. That’s thanks to the contrast of the two shades.

For a soft look that complements any eye color, Thomas suggests a brown mascara on both top and bottom lashes.

“Use brown mascara when you’d like a natural enhancement that doesn’t read as makeup — but rather a lush lash line,” Thomas says.

Pair a brown eyeliner with several coats of brown mascara. Then, "focus the brown mascara on the outer corners of the upper and lower lashes for a wide-eyed look," Ciucci advises.

"If you're prone to transferring, sporting the dreaded 'raccoon eye' due to smearing and smudging, grab a fluffy eyeshadow blending brush and dust translucent powder onto your eyelashes once the mascara has dried," Thomas says. It should blend right in and not be noticeable if you're using translucent setting powder.

Discover blending brushes y translucent powder.

Wearing blue mascara

Blue mascara (y blue eyeliner) is a nice shade for brown eyes.

It will bring out any bright flecks in the iris, Ciucci notes. To achieve a great look, she advises applying a simple black flick to just the outer corner of the upper lash lines and several coats of blue mascara to the lower lashes. Another great blue mascara effect, she adds, is to concentrate the blue mascara on just the center of your upper and lower lashes for a doe-eyed look.

In addition to the tricks above, Thomas suggests pairing blue mascara with some shimmer on the eyelids for just a fresh, dewy skin look.

Wearing purple mascara

Both makeup artists agree that purple mascara is the right choice to make both green and brown eyes shine. Try smudging a purple eyeliner along the upper lash line, then coat lashes with purple mascara.

You can also pair it with a little bit of highlighter on the inner corners of the eye. "Or coat the outer corners of your upper and lower lashes with several layers of purple mascara for a more dramatic look," Ciucci suggests. For your overall look, a purple shade is also beautiful when paired with light pink and blue tones.

Wearing white mascara

Great news: White mascara is universally flattering for all eye colors, Ciucci notes. For a bombshell look, try applying glitter to the eyelids and coating your lower lashes with the white mascara, too. Another favorite look from her: black liquid liner applied to the upper lash line with a cat-eye flick on the outer corners. Then coat the outer edges of the upper lashes with white. Talk about dramatic!

Thomas adds that white mascara is a fun choice for anyone who wants an artistic or angelic look. "Since there is no specific eye color that this complements, consider it a versatile addition to an unexpected twist to your makeup," she explains. "I love wearing white mascara with a heavy dose of highlighter and a flushed cheek to evoke a cherubic aesthetic."

Discover white mascara, black liquid liner y highlighter for the above looks.

Wearing pink mascara

Pink mascara looks great on all eye colors, but there are a few steps to take to avoid looking tired. "If you're more fair-skinned and the skin around your eyes gets pink, thoroughly conceal around the eyes and apply a creamy-colored eyeliner pencil to your waterline," advises Ciucci.

Explore corrector y eyeliner pencil options.

Thomas explains that green and blue eyes go great with pink, but of course anyone can give it a whirl. "Wear it with the attitude of a runway model and a popsicle-colored glossy stain on the lips - or with a red lip for a more romantic feel," she says.

Ciucci suggests smudging green eyeliner along your lower lash line and applying pink mascara to your top lashes since they’re complementary colors and will help brighten the eye.

You can also dot on a shimmery pink cream shadow to your lids and blend out with your finger. Then apply pink mascara to your lower lashes.

No matter what colored mascara you go for, remember to experiment and have fun. Makeup is all about self-expression. Try out a few shades to see which one suits you best.