Brunette women are lucky. We really do have the widest choices of colors available when it comes to cosmetics . Because brown hair covers such a wide spectrum, from light golden brown, to coffee bean, most women find they have an equally wide range of colors to choose from.
The first thing a woman needs to look at when choosing makeup colors if she is a brunette, is, of course, her hair color. Where does she fall on the brunette scale? Those in the lighter ranges generally do better with lighter colors, while those in the darker ranges can often carry bolder colors successfully.
Skin tone also plays a major role in a brunette’s palette. Brunettes run the gamut here, also, from a peaches-and-cream complexion, to ruddy, to porcelain, to olive. A woman’s unique combination of hair, skin and eye color will determine her best shades.
It may be easier to discuss what colors to avoid. Brunettes rarely, if ever, look good in peach. Salmon, vivid coral, maybe. But true peach? Not often. It tends to give a brunette’s skin and hair a gray cast. Peach accents, such as piping on a T-shirt, may work, but too much gives an ashen appearance. So, a brunette should avoid peach-toned blusher or base. Most brunettes wear pinks well, darker or lighter, depending on skin and hair tones. They should also usually avoid orange, mustard, chartreuse and lime greens. If a brunette has sallow or ruddy skin, these colors will tend to emphasize it — and not attractively.
Teens will want to go for trendy tones, but a mature brunette woman will want cosmetics that play up her strengths and camouflage flaws. One good example is eyeliner. A non-teen brunette will want to look at dark brown, navy, charcoal, smoky blue or black eyeliners, with a preference going toward the brown and smoky tones. These define the eyes and make them “pop” without looking too stark.
Regardless of hair color, women should go with as neutral a base as possible. They should aim for one that closely matches their skin. Wearing a pinker tone to reduce sallow skin, or a yellowish one to reduce ruddiness rarely works. Remember: yellow and ruddy make orange. Less desirable skin qualities can be camouflaged better with powder and a good blush.
Eyeshadow is another area where the color is limited mainly by the brunette’s imagination. In general, eyeshadow should match, or not compete with, the colors a woman is wearing at the time. Blue and green should be used carefully and sparingly, but there is a whole rainbow available, otherwise. Most brunettes should have a warm brown and a light tawny shade in their arsenal of eyeshadows. These colors match almost any outfit or situation. They will usually not compete with anything. A brunette should also have a plum shade and a lavender and a pink shade in the palette, as well. Armed with these colors, she can go anywhere!
Lipstick pulls together a woman’s makeup. Lipstick should be chosen in consideration of hair, skin, clothing and occasion. Most brunettes wear red well. They may look better in reds that have a warmer undertone or a cooler one, but every brunette should have a knockout red lipstick in her cosmetic case. A good, solid pink or rose is usually a good brunette choice. Brunettes should not choose lip colors that are so neutral as to make the lips blend in with the rest of the face. With darker hair, this makes their faces appear unbalanced. A blonde might be able to get away with very neutral lips, but brunettes must have some color.
A neutral lipliner is good as a base for most colors. It gives the lipstick something to cling to and helps it last longer. Brunettes should generally aim for clear colors. They can be soft, even “smudgy,” but should never be muddy. Brunettes (and all women) should choose colors that make the most of their good points, and minimize their flaws with subtlety.
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