The Best Makeup for Your Hair Color
The right cosmetics and techniques will guarantee a flawless look, no matter how many times you dye your locks
Whether you change your hair color as frequently as Emma Stone or have never even added highlights, it’s important to consider shade of your tresses when you reach for makeup.
“Changing your hair color alters the way light absorbs and deflects around your face,” says Alexa Prisco, star of The Glam Fairy. Which means your bright and sunny summer makeup look could leave you looking a little washed out if you dye your hair come fall, especially since skin tones naturally change as tans fade (unless your golden skin comes bottled).
First, whenever you tint your locks, don’t forget about your brows. Dying isn’t necessary—just be sure to update your brow pencil color, says celebrity makeup artist Pati Dubroff. If you’re a shadow girl, use a small angled brush to apply color where your brows are sparse, Prisco says. As for the shade, brows on brunettes should be three steps lighter than their hair, while blondes should use a color three shades darker. Redheads look best with a color that’s close but not exact, such as a brownish auburn shadow, and if your locks are black, use a shadow that matches your hair as close as possible.
And now for the rest of your makeup…
Face: “Youthful, healthy skin is gorgeous on brunettes,” says Marissa Nemes, a celebrity makeup artist who has worked with Faith Hill and Mariah Carey. To get that glowing face, she suggests applying a tinted moisturizer and following it with a bronzer such as Mary Kay Mineral Bronzing Powder in Canyon Gold. “Gently sweep the bronzer brush on the cheekbones, brow bones, and bridge of the nose to add subtle definition, and then apply a blush on apples of the cheeks for a muted burst of color,” she says. Rosy tones are a good choice since it looks most natural with darker hair colors.
Eyes: When the weather cools, think warm and reach for shadows in the gold, bronze, burgundy, and peach families. “These shades help make the eyes look larger and bring out the hues of the hair color,” says New York-based makeup artist Heather Adessa. She advises using the lightest shades, such as gold or champagne, on the upper lid and applying deeper tones on the crease. For your liner, Jill Powell, a celebrity makeup artist and hairstylist who works with Demi Lovato, recommends “tight-lining” your eyes: “Line right at the root of the lashes with a black liner, and then line eyes per usual with brown liner. This will give depth dimension and really make eyes pop without looking too harsh.”
Lips: Brunettes can get away with a much bolder lip than their lighted-haired counterparts. “Unlike blondes, darker-tressed women already have a stark contrast between hair and skin, so darker lips really bring out the tones and depth in the hair,” Adessa says. She recommends plum and burgundy lipsticks.
