Here Is The EXACT Liner Or Shadow To Wear For Your Eye Color. An Exhaustive List.
by The Candidly Team
The whole point of wearing eye makeup is to make our eyes look wider, brighter, more … mesmerizing. Right?
So it’s a real betrayal that some of our dusty old, go-to shadows and liners can actually make us look older and more tired.
We desperately want to know what eye makeup will get our eyes to light up like a thousand stars. However, we do not want a 12-step routine that involves blending and blending and blending for 14 hours a day.
So the question really boils down to what exact products do I need to make my particular eyes quickly pop?
Well, we’ve just created a list of products that answer this question for every eye color. They’re all excellent for mature eyes: creamy, non-creasy, easy to apply, properly set and not smudgy.
And we’re not proposing any frosty blues or electric purples (like many other color-matching articles) that just aren’t realistic for everyday wear. This is your-face-but-better, natural, glowy, clean girl makeup, and it all starts with the eye.
Brown or Deep brown eyes
If you have zero skill
Merit Solo Shadow In Midcentury
Cream shadows are the best option for not settling into lines or wrinkles. This is the softest, one-and-done formula that is almost impossible to mess up. You can sweep it on with a brush or your finger and the color blends perfectly without looking dry or cakey. Midcentury is a warm, beautiful brown that creates contrast with dark brown eyes and brings out the flecks of gold in light ones.
Price: $24
If every liner you try smudges
Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Longwear & Waterproof Gel Eyeliner In True Brown
All we really need to make eyes pop is a rich brown liner. And this is the rich brown eyeliner that can stop you ever looking for another rich brown liner. It glides on with such creaminess and blendability, you won’t believe how perfectly it sets or how long it lasts.
Price: $75
If you have hooded eyes
Soshe Beauty Waterproof Precision Eyeliner In Lovesick
This is the narrowest most precise liner we’ve tried to date, which is ideal for gorgeous, girl-next-door makeup. It’s waterproof, so it doesn’t slide and doesn’t make lids look creased or weighed down. The burgundy tint can set off all the different brown, yellow, and green tones in your eyes, making them pop while still look natural and earthy.
Price: $24
For an easy cat eye
Stila Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner In Dark Brown
This deeply pigmented, dark brown will add depth and drama without being as overpowering or harsh as a black liner. The liquid line glides on easily - just use small, sweeping strokes as close as possible to the lash line. You can control the swoop of the cat eye with zero feathering and it dries very quickly so it doesn’t smudge.
Price: $24
For wearable glam
Victoria Beckham Lid Lustre In Starlight
If you have any gold in your eyes, this will make all those flecks dance. If you have cooler, dark brown eyes, the contrast will make it just as illuminating.
Price: $38
Blue or Grey eyes
If you have zero skill
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes To Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow In Rose Gold
This cream formula carries a coppery, pink twinkle that enlivens blue eyes without looking dry which is why some eyeshadows age us. In fact, it’s perfect for mature lids because it doesn’t crease and will actually blur lines to look lifted and younger.
Price: $35
If every liner you try smudges
Charlotte Tilbury Walk of No Shame Eyeliner Pencil
The color might initially feel outside your comfort zone of browns and blacks but if you want a brightened twinkle that gets your eyes to look prettier than you knew they could, try this color from Charlotte Til. It’s waterproof and doesn’t smudge, so you can spend all day and night feeling like you’ve just turned up the brightness of your eye color.
Price: $29
If you have hooded eyes
Soshe Beauty Waterproof Precision Eyeliner In Nights In Bordeaux
We talked above about this being the most precise waterproof eyeliner we’ve ever sampled, but let’s face it, if you don’t have brown eyes, you didn’t read that section, so we’re saying it again. The perfectly pigmented plum will give you depth, making your eyes stand out, while looking very clean and fresh.
Price: $24
For an easy cat eye
Stila Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner In Black
When your eyes are soft and blue, you can go for a black liner to get your most captivating cat eye. This liner is easy to apply perfectly on the first try, and once it dries, you’re set all night.
Price: $24
For wearable Glam
Victoria Beckham Lid Lustre In Tea Rose
The coppery notes will electrify a blue eye with the laziest, most effortless sweep. It’s actually hard to mess this one up, even as a dramatic evening look.
Price: $38
Green or Hazel eyes
If you have zero skill
Warm oranges, coppers, and golds will make green eyes shine, and this shadow is the most natural way to create this effect while taking you all of 7 seconds to dab onto your lids. The nude Vachetta shade is honestly gorj on every eye color, but it’s the biggest gift if you have green or hazel eyes.
Price: $24
If every liner you try smudges
Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner In Cinnamon
We wrote an entire article about how this creamy pencil can achieve your most stunning smokey eye all by itself. It takes less than a minute, no skill, and not one person would believe it took you a single product to create it. If you have hazel or green eyes, you will weep when you see the blended, romantic results.
Price: $34
If you have hooded eyes
Soshe Beauty Waterproof Precision Eyeliner In Lovesick
We have now told you 3 times about this liner, but for our olive-eyed ladies, that skinny streak of burgundy is one of those most natural ways to make green eyes stand out.
Price: 124
For an easy cat eye
Stila Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner In Black
A classic black liner can transform your whole look like nothing else, but it neeeeeds to be applied with complete control and precision, and that is what this liquid liner does best.
Price: $24
For wearable glam
Victoria Beckham Lid Lustre In Velvet
It can be applied to look more subtle or more vivid, but either way, it will be like someone lit a torch along your eyeline. Don’t be fooled by how pigmented the color looks in photos. It’s very easy to blend and soften.
Price: $38
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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