Color Confusion

There still seems to be some confusion about "matching your make-up" to your clothing or accessories. Penny understands that this is a slippery slope and sometimes hard to understand.  So let me see if I can help clarify my earlier post about "choosing the right colors."

Eye shadow should "compliment" your clothing. I think by saying you should "match" your eye shadow to your skin tone, hair and eye color, it is confusing. I should have said, eye shadow colors should COMPLIMENT your skin tone, hair and eye color. More importantly, pay attention to application and your overall look. If wearing dark or smokey eyes, your lips should be light or neutral. If wearing dark or red lips, your eye shadow should be more neutral. (Read full story)

The guidance given about not matching your eye shadow to your clothes is not a hard and fast rule. If you're wearing a brown sweater and various shades of brown compliment your skin tone, hair and eye color...then it is okay to wear brown; especially for a monochromatic look. Fashion pros are simply trying to keep budding fashionistas from wearing bright, gaudy, highly pigmented colors, in hues that are an exact match to primary colors, fuchsia, turquoise, electric blue, red, aqua or an orange, for example. Would you wear red eye shadow with a red sweater (if it wasn't Halloween & you weren't dressed up as a She-devil)? No! But you could wear gray, tan/neutral, brown, or even navy on your eyes when wearing red, as all those colors would compliment your clothing. At times it is also acceptable to wear varying shades of the color you're wearing. For example, in the picture shown, actress Eva Longoria Parker is wearing purple and pink eye shadows with her purple dress and she looks fabulous! Penny is not trying to piss on anyone's parade here...by all means...have fun with your make-up! The reasons they have a gazillion colors of eye shadows to choose from is so we can experiment and have fun with our looks.  Be sure not to apply your shadows too heavily or in the wrong place on the lid. The rule of thumb is:

1. Lightest shade = under your brow; brow bone; or all over the lid
2. Darkest shade = in the crease or at the corners
3. Medium shade = lower lid or closest to lash line (before eyeliner)

Eyeshadow application also does not mean you have to use 3 colors (first picture here). You can use one color over the entire lid; or use a 2 color application like the second picture shown here. To find the right colors for you, simply go to your nearest beauty counter and ask for a make-over. Explain what look you're comfortable with, and that you need help finding colors that match your complexion and overall look. Be clear with what you're asking for...daytime look, evening look, party look, etc. If you work in a corporate office environment, you don't want a look that screams Elvira! LOL! That's just not a 'sexy look' at that point ladies...you just look like you're crazy and plan to run off and join the circus. (Ooops...did I just say that out loud?) LOL!

Hope this has been somewhat helpful. Please feel free to ask questions.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.

P