Tips for the Best Brown Eyeshadow Looks

Brown eyeshadow looks give you tons of options and versatility for creating the perfect makeup look. From soft and natural daytime styles to bold and glamorous evening looks that make a statement, brown eyeshadow caters to every mood and occasion. Its neutral tones blend with all skin tones and eye colors, making it the go-to palette for makeup enthusiasts. Here's a look at some options for creating a beautiful eye using brown eyeshadow in a variety of colors and hues.

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The Appeal of Brown Eyeshadow

There's a reason why brown eye shadow is a staple with makeup artists. Whether you desire a classic brown smokey eye, or a glammed-up brown eyeshadow look, the range of colors available makes it easy to express your creativity and put together the perfect makeup look for any occasion.

• Wide range of color options. A brown eyeshadow palette covers a wide range of colors. From light shades like cream and taupe, all the way to the other end of the spectrum with rich dark chocolate brown. Then there are all the beautiful colors and hues in between that mix-in other colors to give these neutral colors more depth. Like a beautiful copper brown, or warm browns with flecks of gold. There are so many brown hues and neutral color choices available, and there's something for everyone.
• Great for any eye color. Another reason why brown eyeshadow is so popular is because it offers options for everyone. No matter your eye color, there's a neutral or brown eyeshadow that works with your eyes. There are definitely certain colors that work better than others, but we'll chat more about that in a minute.
• Works with any shape eye. Just like with eye color, a brown eyeshadow complements different eye shapes. Certain makeup looks work better with certain shapes and sizes, but there's definitely a neutral eye shadow color that's right for you! Finding the right color and technique for applying the eye shadow, allows you to enhance the natural beauty of your eyes.

How to Choose the Right Eye Shadow Color

With the depth and breadth of brown eyeshadows available, it may seem a little overwhelming. How can you find the right color for your skin tone and eye color? LimeLife by Alcone makes it super easy with their eyeshadow palettes that are color coordinated per eye color. This really takes the guess work out and gives you the colors that are the ideal starting point for creating a variety of makeup looks. 

You'll see that these color palettes don't stick with just brown eyeshadow. They include complementary colors that make your eyes pop. But if you want to build your own palette and stick with neutral shades, here are some tips for choosing neutral colors.

​Look at Skin Undertones

Understanding the undertones in your skin is important to helping you find the right colors. And this isn't just for eye shadow, this includes all makeup shades. I discuss this in depth in the How to Choose LimeLife Foundation article, but in short there are three different undertones.

• Warm undertones: People with warm undertones will notice that their skin has a yellow, gold, or peach tinge to it. You have a warm undertone if the veins on your wrist look either green or olive, and gold jewelry is more flattering against your skin. Also, your skin looks yellowish in the sun.
• Cool undertones: Skin that has cool undertones has a pink, red, or blue tinge to it. The veins on your wrist look either blue or purple. Silver jewelry is more flattering and in the sun your skin appears blue-ish.
• Neutral undertones: As the name implies, skin with neutral undertones does not have pink/red/blue or yellow/gold/peach coloring but it is somewhere in between. The veins on your wrist are blue-green and when you look at your skin in the sun it appears greenish.

There are so many options when it comes to brown eyeshadow looks. When you want to branch out and try something new, go with something bolder or brighter. Do bold colors scare you? Make sure to stick with a matte eyeshadow color because matte finish is less intimidating.

Light won't reflect off the matte formula, so it becomes more wearable. This makes it easier to step out of your comfort zone and try a bolder color. You can also start small and just add the bolder color to a small area. Use it as an eyeliner or apply it to your lid rather than to the full crease.

To take the guess work out of it, try the LimeLife Essentials Palette that includes all of the neutral colors you need. These palettes include 6 colors and it's available in light/medium and medium/dark shades. It's a great starting point for beginners and pros alike.

Create Smoky Brown Eyeshadow Looks

A smoky eye is probably one of the most popular looks you can create using eyeshadow. There's a wide range of looks you can create just with this one technique. While many people tend to think of it as a big, bold look. You can also make it much softer and lighter if you want. Here are some tips for creating beautiful smokey brown eyeshadow looks.

1. Start by applying eye primer, concealer, or foundation to your eyelids. This helps even out your skin tone and of course helps give the eye shadow something to hold onto so that it lasts all day. I like to use LimeLife concealer for this because it's waterproof and won't crease. Apply all over the eye area from the lash line all the way up to your brow bone. 
2. Use a large eyeshadow brush to apply your lightest eyeshadow color all over the lid. This helps set the primer and creates a powdery finish. A pretty cream color is perfect for this step.
3. Next apply a slightly darker color (“midtone”) to the crease area and extend up towards the brow bone but make sure to leave a gap under the eyebrows. Be sure to blend thoroughly. When blending in the crease area, be sure to keep your eyes open. Our tendency is to close our eyes, but to make it look good you really need to see what it's going to look like and that the transition is in the perfect position.
4. When applying eye shadow, make sure that it doesn't go past the end of your eye. Pretend that there's an imaginary line going from the tip of your nose, touching the outer corner of the eye and extending to the end of your eyebrow. Don't apply eye shadow outside of this line. And for ideal eye shadow placement, keep shadow in the middle of eye. A line from the inner corner of your eye to the arch in brow shows you the 2nd line to use as a guide. Keep eye shadow within these two imaginary lines. See the video below to see an example of this.
5. Continue to blend the mid tone and extend the color over the lid and down towards the lash line.
6. Now use a firm and flat eyeshadow brush to apply your darkest color. This can be black, or a really rich dark brown eye shadow. Apply this color along the upper lash line, making the line a little thicker in the center of the eye. It essentially gives you a crescent shape across the lash line. If you don't want to use eyeshadow for this step, you can also do it with black eyeliner. LimeLife's Enduring Eyeliner Pencil is a great choice for this. It's a long-lasting gel liner that glides on smoothly and it's waterproof and smudge-proof formula keeps it in place for 24 hours.
7. If you want to add a little more depth to the look, add a contour color that is slightly darker than your skin tone. Apply this just above the eyeliner. 
8. Apply eyeliner to the upper water line, or tight line. If you pull your eyelid up slightly it gives you a better view and vantage point for applying the liner in this area.
9. You can also apply highlighter, or white eyeliner, in the inner corner of the eye to finish the look and make your eyes look brighter and more awake.
10. Now finish off your smokey eye look by applying mascara for long, full lashes.

Be sure to clean under your eyes and get rid of any fall-off left from the eyeshadow. Pro tip: apply your eyeshadow before applying makeup to your face. This way you can use makeup remover to get rid of any eyeshadow that falls under your eyes and on your face. Once that area is clean, you're ready to apply foundation and concealer as needed.

Pictures of Brown Eyeshadow Looks

Here are a few ideas to help inspire your brown eyeshadow looks. Whether you choose a pre-built palette designed to complement your eye color, or decide to build your own custom eyeshadow palette; there are so many ways to create a gorgeous look.

Smokey Eye Tutorial

Natural Brown Eyeshadow Looks for Everyday

A brown eyeshadow is the foundation, so to speak, for any makeup look. It doesn't always have to be a smokey eye, or bold look. Use brown eyeshadow color for a quick and easy everyday look.

Even for me as a makeup minimalist, I use a light color eyeshadow over my entire lid. I stick with matte eye shadow and skip the metallic shades because I like a very natural look. When I want a little touch of color, I add a neutral shade that has a hint of pink in it. And as someone with hazel eyes, I always tend to go with purple eyeshadow and eyeliner when I want to jazz up my look with more color. 

This is a good example of how using a color wheel can help you choose a color. If you have green eyes, the colors across from that on the color wheel include purples, pinks and reds. But don't get stuck on trying to match your eye colour, use your skin tone as a guide and you can find a color in the right shade for you. Just pick a color with the red or yellow undertones that goes with your skin's undertone.

This next picture shows-off a look that was created using the eyeshadow palette for brown eyes. It has gorgeous colors that really make brown eyes pop.

Tips for Easy Brown Eyeshadow Looks

This video is short and to the point. Gives you some quick and easy tips for creating brown eyeshadow looks that you can complete in just minutes.

Using Other Products as Eye Shadow

I really like to get the most out of my makeup bag and that means using multi-purpose products. For instance, you can use a blush or bronzer for eyeshadow. This is especially true when going for brown eyeshadow looks.

This is helpful if you only like to wear eyeshadow for a special occasion. Rather than purchasing an eye shadow that you won't use much, try using your favorite bronzer instead. The rich brown color of the bronzer can be applied to your lid, crease, or just to the outer edges of your eyes. 

Brown eyeshadow looks are timeless. It can take you from day to night. And, it's perfect for any occasion. Whether you want a natural look for work, or you want a dramatic look for a special event, there are nude shades and application technique that can give you the overall look you want. Just have fun experimenting with colors to find the look you want.

Shop LimeLife by Alcone or read my article about Eyeliner vs Eyeshadow