Women
from ancient times till now have always looked for ways to beautify themselves
and accentuate a specific part of the body to showcase its real beauty.
Eyeshadows have been in existence for almost as long as makeup itself and it is
a vital component when you want your eyes to stand out of the whole look. And
as they say, your eyes are a window to your inner self, so exaggerating their
colour will definitely go a long way to enhancing your entire look.
With
different types of eye colours and even more types of shades now available in
stores, it is paramount to know which category you fall into and the colour
shades that best complement them. Your overall style and look can be affected
greatly when the wrong eyeshadow is used.
But
no need to fret, this article is going to cover everything from the different
eye colours to all the possible eye shade that will complement and accentuate
your eyes as well as flatter your face.
But
first, let’s take a brief lesson on the history and evolution of eyeshadows.
History of Eye Shadow
The
use of eyeshadow has been traced to 10,000 B.C in the times of ancient
Egyptians who make them from lead, chrysocolla ore, oxidized copper, ochre,
malachite, antimony, burnt almonds and ash. They called it kohl and would keep
the powder in a small container or pot and use a small stick to apply it to
their eyes mostly to give it an almond shape appearance. During that time it
was only used among the royal family, but with time it became popular among the
ordinary people and from there, the Kohl found its way to Greece.
In
Greece, the different colours of eyeshadow were explored and it was used as a
means to beautify the face. They used malachite and lapis lazuli to get
different colours like green and blue among others and they also exported these
eyeshadows to other parts of the world.
The
Romans, experimented with other types of materials to get a wide array of
colours and shimmers with some having herbs and other plants incorporated into
it which is believed to help ward off the evil eye.
The
Indians too used the eyeshadow to protect themselves from the sun, diseases and
evil eye. In Japan, eyeshadows were made from things like petals from flowers,
bird droppings and rice flour.
1909
saw a sharp increase in the sale and use of eye shadows when heavy shades were
used in the London Ballet Russes and this time also see the eyeshadow more as a
beautifying agent rather than for religious or medical purpose only.
In
the 1920’s, dark smoky colours were in vogue and they really did take it a bit
far (it was much even though they looked beautiful) and by the 1960’s, people
ditched the dark smoky eyes for more bright colours but this time, they applied
it up to their eyebrows! And blue and green were the most popular colours then.
By
1980, people moved from just green and blue into other colours and went all out
too, there were really bright colours popping up everywhere and in 1990, the
eyeshadows come with glitters too! Metallic eyes were popular as well as blue
and pink shades.
Today,
eyeshadows are way different from their ancestors and it is safe to say, it’s
used too has been toned down from the too much to just enough to get the job
done.
Now
that you have enlightened yourself with the evolution of how the eyeshadow came
about, let’s now see the different eye colours and the best eyeshadow for them.
Best Eye Shadow for your Eye Colour
One
of the biggest cosmetic mistakes women make is trying to match the colour of their
eyeshadow to the colour of their bag, shoe or the cloth they are wearing; this
is a big fashion mishap and should be avoided at all cost. The best way is to
choose an eyeshadow colour that will bring out your complexion, complement your
hair and flatter your eye colour. Below are some recommended shades based on
your eye colour.
Blue Eyes
Blue
is a cool colour and to bring out the colour more, using warm colour will
definitely work the magic. To make your blue eyes more attractive, try shades
like slat grey, taupe and neutral earthy shades. The softer the shades the
better and definitely stay away from using blue as it will only dull your eye
colour and anything dark or smoky eyes should also be avoided.
Grey Eyes
They
are hard to find but if this is your eye colour then use eyeshadows that will
bring out the hidden colours of the eye, which can be blue, green or brown.
Smoky eyes also complement this eye colour well and a similar hue can be quite
the perfect colour.
Light Brown Eyes
If
this is your eye colour, then you are very lucky as almost any shade will complement
it well, it’s like giving a blank canvas to paint anything you want. Gold and
reddish brown accentuate it more and dark hue gives you a dramatic sexy look
but if you want to make your eyes pop, then go for pink or green and if they
happen to have a metallic appearance, it will help you bring out any gold
colour present in your eyes.
Green Eyes
This
type of eye colour is naturally bright and muted shades work best for them helping
you bring out the eye’s vibrant nature while bright shades will just create a
sharp contrast which might not be very good. Violet, lilac and plum are just
some of the best shades for this eye colour and try to stay away from cool
shade as they just make your eyes look washed.
Hazel Eyes
This
eye colour is like a cross between green and brown and to make the golden tone
prominent, use golden shades that have a bit of yellow in them (your eyes will
sparkle). Light purple and pale pink can also help you make your eyes look
mysterious.
Dark Brown or Black Eyes
These
eye colours are also very flexible in terms of the different types of shades
you can use to complement them. To make your eyes pop and look larger, use bold
shades like violet, cobalt blue and silver or green to make the brown more
pronounced.
On
a final note, knowing your eye colour and what eyeshadow to use that will
complement and flatter that colour is the first step to making your eyes the
centre of attention. The wrong colour will cause more damage than good to your
overall outlook, so before you apply an eyeshadow next time, settle down and
read this article. Everything you need is right here.