How to Wear Bright Pink Shadow

Bright makeup burst onto the spring ’11 runways like a tropical (colored) storm, and one of the brightest—albeit unusual—trends was vibrant red and pink eye makeup.

The great thing about pink is that it’s both slightly punky and slightly princess, so it looks good on many different types of women.The trick is simply knowing which shade to choose and what other makeup to pair it with. Here a foolproof tips for wearing pink eye shadow:

 

1. Beware of red.The closer the shadow color veers toward red, the trickier it is to wear, choose a pale, bluish-pink shadow if you’re fair (try the pale pink from Nouba Nouvola Cream Eyeshadow no 202; a vibrant flamingo pink for olive skin (such as the bright pink in Nouba Nouvola Eyeshadow no 204); and a warmer, more coral-y pink for dark skin (Shu Uemura Glow On Blush in M55 Matte Blushed Orange also works beautifully on eyes). And the true hot pinks look especially gorgeous on Latina skin.

2. Wing it. Pink shadow is meant to be daring, so brushing the shadow on your lids and dragging it out slightly past the outer corners of your eyes, it gives the color even more impact.

3. Mix it with black. This is true of any bright shadow: You need to pair it with black eyeliner or, at the very least, a lot of black mascara. The black anchors the look and defines your eyes so you’re not just seeing pink against bare skin, which can make you appear sickly,adding that if black pencil looks too heavy, you can use a chocolate brown one instead. Try Deborah Makeup 24ORE Eye pencil no 254 and Nouba Mascara Super Volume no 20

4. Go monotone. Pink is one of the few bold colors that looks pretty when worn together on eyes and lips. In Japan, the girls are wearing hot pink shadow with an equally bright pink or coral lipstick.Try Nouba Classic Lipstick no 48. “For a less eccentric look, go with a sheer lavender-pink lipstick like Nouba Classic Lipstick no 158. Then on your cheeks, apply a faint layer of natural pink blush, such as Nouba Blush on Bubble no 50. You want a slight flush so you’re not washed out by the strong eye and lip colors.

5. When in doubt, go sheer. If a heavily-pigmented shadow is too much color for you, try dabbing a hot pink cream blush on your lids instead. 

The cream texture is less intense than a velvety powder and creates a fresher, more spring-like look.To prevent fading, priming lids first with YSL Touche Éclat, patting on the blush, then setting it with a dusting of translucent powder.