Eyes On The Prize
Lynn Palm wears icy blue eyeshadow.
7 Colorful Eyeshadow Looks You Can Nail With Your Eyes Closed

Get ready for eyes that absolutely pop.

by Margaret Blatz
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One of my absolute favorite things in the world is colorful eyeshadow. Just a dash of a vibrant shade on your eyelid can change your whole look, and you don’t even need to break out millions of makeup tutorials to recreate a bright eye at home, on your own. All you need is some daring energy, at least one fun palette, and you’re off to the races with tons of inspo for your next colorful eyeshadow look.

I consider myself an expert in DIY colorful eyeshadow looks. While I love nothing more than layering on the colors, I’ve also refused to ever learn how to do a proper cut-crease look or anything else that requires actual skill. So, when I say these makeup styles are easy, I mean easy. Some of these can even be mastered without brushes and in five minutes or less. So if you’re ready to test them out but feeling a little nervous, know there’s nothing to fear in the least.

There are many different kinds of colorful eyeshadow styles out there. You can go down a single shade route or try out a halo style, or if you’re really feeling the rainbow fantasy, load up as many colors as possible. The limit does not exist when it comes to playful eyeshadow.

So, grab your most exciting palette, set up your mirror, and try out these easy, eyeshadow looks.

01Bold Basics

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The simplest colorful eyeshadow style can be achieved, unsurprisingly, by using just one bright color on your eyelid. For this, I personally love to use reds or a highly pigmented pink because both colors will pop without you needing to do any more work. Just grab a makeup brush, powder it up, and you’ve got an eye-catching look.

02Smoky Pastels

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When it comes to lighter shades and pastels, they can more easily fade into your skin and not pack the punch you want. To combat that, all you have to do is smoke out your under-eye with a darker shade. It doesn’t have to be cleanly done to look super cute.

03Fresh Fades

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If you just want to dip your toes into the world of colorful eyeshadows, you can lightly apply the pigment of your choice to your under-eyes as well as the outer corner of your eye. This look works better with a soft touch, so be prepared to gently apply and possibly wipe some excess away from your lids.

04Cool Complements

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OK, you don’t have to go down the Christmas route in order to achieve this look, but you can start playing with the rainbow by painting each eye a different color. (And, if you’re headed to a holiday party, then Christmas-themed eyes might actually work.) For this, you should probably check out the color wheel and stick to contrasting or complementary colors. Think purples and greens or, if you’re feeling daring, shades of blues and oranges.

05Rainbow Brights

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If you’re feeling like you’ve got a good handle on using one color for each eye, then it’s time to get a little bit more complicated with your look and break out your little makeup brushes. Once again, there’s no need to be precise for this makeup to look good. In fact, the best part is that each of the colors should shine on its own, so you don’t even need to blend this colorful eyeshadow look.

06Halo Accents

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To go down a glam route, you can try out halo style eyeshadow. All you need to do to accomplish this is to use your colorful shadow on the inner and outer corners of your eyes. Then, pat a shimmering shade into the middle and blend it out toward your eyebrow. Accentuate the look with mascara to really draw out the drama.

07Goin’ For Gradients

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Create your own little gradient by choosing a color you have in a few shades. Start with the lightest pigment you have on the inner corner of your eye work your way outward so that you’re using the darkest on your outer corner. Once you’ve used all the colors, blend them together. If this isn’t dramatic enough for you, you can very lightly add some black to the darkest eyeshadow to make it darker.

You don’t need to go to beauty school to master colorful eyeshadow, just try these looks instead.