Best Eye Shadow Colors for Brown Eyes

A great eye shadow for brown eyes will help you play up one of your best features. Though you may not be able to pull off every color of the rainbow, women with pretty brown eyes still have a plethora of shades to work with. Greens, champagnes, bronzes, golds, browns and blues are just some of the shades that play beautifully with this eye color.

Choosing the Perfect Eye Shadow for Brown Eyes

Adding depth, dimension and a flattering cast to brown eyes isn’t a tough task. In most cases, brown-eyed individuals might be better off placing more emphasis on their skin tones in order to determine the best shades for their eyes. This is because brown eyes are so versatile and team well with so many colors, whereas certain skin tones look more attractive with specific colors than others.

Here are just a handful of popular selections that will easily flatter any brown-eyed girl.

Browns

Brown eye shadow is a perfect fit for brown eyes. Here are some great shades to add to your collection.

• MAC Espresso is a matte brown shade that perfectly plays up brown eyes. True to its name, it’s one of the most versatile shades in MAC’s impressive collection of colors, and is often touted as a liner, shadow and brow-filler in one. Wear it in the crease during the daytime and apply with a more heavy hand at night for a more dramatic look. Use a wet liner brush to achieve a bold line.
• Almay Intense i-Color Everyday Neutrals for Brown pairs a pale highlighting shade with rich amethyst hues. Formulated to specifically call attention to brown eyes, this handy kit works well on most skin tones and won’t break the bank, either.

Purples

This regal hue will make you feel like the belle of the ball no matter where you go. Purples can be tricky, but with such a wide array of variations to choose from, almost any skin tone can pull off this lovely color now.

• MAC’s Creme de Violet is a rich, reddish purple that is guaranteed to make brown eyes pop. It has a gold pearl frost over the initial color, which tones it down just slightly, while picking up the tones of your eyes.
• DuWop Violet Eyes is a tribute to purple’s many variations – everything from shimmery violet to sweet lilac to vibrant amethyst is included in this pocket-size palette. Its many options allows everyone to experiment with this color and try out different looks.

Greens

In many cases, the best way to make a color pop is to team it up with the opposite color on the color wheel. In the case of brown eyes, however, this isn’t the case, because brown is not truly represented. So if a contrasting color can’t be found, the best way to make the color pop is to team it with something seen in nature, like green.

Greens and browns are frequently paired up throughout the natural world, which makes it a fitting choice for brown eyed girls to use as their eye shadow cues. Try these shades to complement the warmth of your eyes, while bringing in some subtle color:

• Senna’s Metallic Eye Color in Underground is a rich, taupe bronze with a metallic shimmer. It’s subtle enough to not overwhelm brown eyes, while adding just the right amount of green to show them off to their best effect. The metallic shimmer gives a rich glow to the lid.
• Urban Decay’s Mildew: Don’t let the name of this shadow throw you off; it’s a rich green with a hint of warmth in the color, perfect to pair with brown eyes. It has a rich, velvety finish that will play off the color of your eyes beautifully.

Blues

Nothing quite draws attention to the eye area as effectively as blue. If your brown eyes are a warm, nearly orange or red tone, then blue eye shadow is the perfect complement. Rather than go for 70s shades of frosted blue, however, try more modern tones such as:

• Estee Lauder’s Blue Fury, a rich, nearly navy blue that will add some interest to a smoky eye look, while lightening and brightening your brown eyes.
• Nars Cosmetics China Blue is a deep, royal blue that will make your brown eyes stand up and salute. This color is bold enough to work with darker skin tones, while still showing off and drawing attention to brown eyes.

Kits

Though brown-eyed women can pull off many shades, they might opt for a customized eye makeup kit to make things easier. Many convenient palettes containing just the right colors for brown eyes are available, including:

• Viseart Eyeshadow Pallette features 12 shadows carefully chosen to enhance brown eyes. It’s the perfect example of brown’s ability to pair well with just about anything. This sleek palette contains everything from sunny yellow to bold cranberry to subtle peach.
• BHCosmetics Enhancing Eyeshadow Pallette for Brown Eyes is a color-coordinated palette of six shades ranging from violet to brown to peach. Worn together, the colors create the ultimate smoky eye; worn individually or two at a time, they have a low-key impact.

Enchanting Brown Eyes

Whether you choose a simple sweep of purple color, or a full eye makeup look with several hues on your brown eyes, choosing the right eye shadow can make your eyes stand out beautifully. Experiment with various tones and hues to get the best colors to enhance your brown eyes, skin tone and style today.