Adding a Pop of Color

Lately I’ve been feeling more adventurous with my make-up and I think that is due to the changing weather and the discovery/rediscovery of some more colorful products!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a neutral girl through and through, but as someone who likes to play with make-up there are only so many times you can wear the same basic shadows and neutral lipsticks before you get bored. Therefore I’ve been trying to add a pop of color somewhere in my look every day I wear make-up!

I find that the easiest way to wear color is on your lips and cheeks. Pink is especially nice this time of year, but it’s also fun to mix in some berry or coral tones. For a blushing complexion I’ve been loving the Milani powder blush in Tea Rose. When I first hauled this blush, I’ll admit my first impression of it wasn’t great. I found the color powdery and hard to build up. But when using a brush…whoa this packs some pigment! The matte finish is nice alone or with some extra shimmer on top. The bright color would look amazing on a range of skin tones!

As for the lips, there’s a huge range of bright, spring/summer shades but I narrowed it down to four: two lipsticks, a lipgloss, and a liquid lipstick.

The liquid lipstick is a shade I’ve been holding on to for months, waiting for the warmer months to bring it out. Stila’s Stay All Dayliquid lipstick in Venezia is a beautiful corally-red pop of color! I love to wear this with a simple outfit and makeup and let this color stand out. Stila’s formula is really long-lasting, comfortable, and Venezia is a beautiful shade.

Another incredibly bright shade is from Rimmel’s Kate Moss matte line. #110 is a bright orangish red and definitely not for the faint at heart! This is a slightly drier formula but the staying power is freaking amazing for a drugstore lipstick. Until I swatched this alongside Venezia, I had no idea it was a dupe for Stila’s liquid lipstick! So if you (like me) prefer a traditional matte lipstick to a liquid lipstick, or you simply love the color and would like it cheaper, #110 is a nearly identical shade.

For a glossier option, the Mary Kay nourishine plus lipgloss in Shock Tart is a gorgeous pink that can be worn alone or one top of a lipstick. What I like about this is that it’s really pigmented for a gloss but it can be toned down depending on how vibrant you want it.

A final lip option is not as bright as the others but still a pretty summer color. Clinique’s Raspberry Glace has been a favorite of mine for years! True to its name, it’s a raspberry pink with a slight shimmer. It’s easier to wear than the other colors I’ve included, so I keep this in my purse so I can throw it on whenever. No need to wait for autumn to rock a berry lip!

 

A trickier place to wear color is on the eyes, at least for me. However, I have been experimenting with different shades that are out of my neutral comfort zone. Rather than bringing out the electric blues and the bright reds, I’ve gone for more muted shades like purple, olive, and pale blue. Maybe someday I'll venture into the full spectrum of the rainbow, but for now I'm keeping it simple!

Regardless of eye color, I think olive green is a flattering shade on everyone. The Clinique chubby stick shadow tint in Mighty Moss is one of my favorites. The creamy stick shadow is easy to apply and blend out for a metallic finish. It’s a simple way to add some color into your look, and cream products are great for spring and summer!

The next duo works together to create an understated blue eye look. I know what you’re thinking—blue eyeshadow? I’ve been avoiding blue since my middle school days but these soft metallic shadows are colorful but not too bold for the average neutral-lover. The two shades in the Tidal Waveduo from L’Oreal are some of the only blue shades I feel comfortable wearing!

Another easy way to add color is with purple or plum shades, which many of my neutral palettes include but I usually skip over. You can use a darker purple as a crease shade in a standard brown eye, or you can do an entire eye look with purple shades! I find that purple looks especially nice with brown eyes, which I have, but purple also makes green eyes pop.

Colored eyeliner with a neutral look is yet another great way to add color for the summer! I love using a teal eyeliner with a light gold shadow. I received a few lovely colored eyeliners for Christmas this year, including an Elf set and a Mary Kay set. The teal and purple shades from Elf are beautiful while a green one from Mary Kay has been making an appearance on my eyes lately! I usually only use a color on my upper lash line, but with eyeliner there’s plenty of room to explore. I want to try a colored wing soon!

What's your favorite way to wear colored make-up?

Xx Katie