How to pick the right eye shadow for your skin tone

We've got tips from the experts!

You might think yellow eye shadow looks terrible or that red makes you look like you’re coming down with some sort of allergy. But guess what? There’s a reason as to why they’re included in makeup palettes.

The shades we generally skip over are actually some of the most flattering ones out there and have the ability to totally refresh your look. As compiled from InStyle, here are some expert tips to choosing the best eye shadows, depending on your skin tone. Happy shopping!

Fair skin

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Hollywood makeup artist Mai Quynh, who counts Elizabeth Olsen among her clients, suggests a cream antiqued bronze to warm up the yellow undertones in fair complexions.  If you aren't a frequent eye shadow-wearer, make sure the formula you purchase blends effortlessly so that there really is no reason for you to mess it up.

Olive skin  

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If you have a little bit of a tan like Glee star Lea Michele, it would be best to opt for a teal colour as opposed to a powdery, sky blue which has the tendency to wash out this skin tone.

Tan skin

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Few eye shadows are as good at multitasking as gold. Freida Pinto's makeup artist Kirin Bhatty swears that a shimmering gold also works great on tan skin as a highlighter. So that’s two makeup products for the price of one! What more could you want?

A deeper tan skin

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We know you won’t like the sound of this but vibrant green shades really pop on darker skin tones. The mix of cool and warm shades is really flattering on deep tans.

Medium-dark skin

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As seen on Yara Shahidi, cranberry is an unexpected neutral on medium-dark complexions. You can dust it across your entire lid as an alternative to the scraping the last bits of your usual eye shadows from their pots. But do invest in a warm berry shade that will brighten up your whole face.

Dark skin

PHOTO:FILE

Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong'o's makeup up artist Nick Barose says that a rose-gold shade comes out quite luxe on dark skin. "But it'll look edgier if it has a strong, orange tone to it." If you’ve got dark skin, consider the shimmery shade the most flattering colour you’re probably not wearing — yet.

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