Get in, loser; we’re going Rainbow Brite.
Break out all your palettes and round up all the colorful eyeshadows you can find because these rainbow eyeshadow ideas are turning up the color wheel on its head. There’s nothing more fun in dousing your face in the most vibrant look you can think of. If you’re ready to be transported back to your Kindergarten classroom, then good, because it’s time to show off all your ROYGBIV knowledge.
When starting your rainbow eyeshadow look, there are a few tips you need to know in order to really make your colors shine. Before grabbing the palettes, start by priming your eyes. Next, if your shadows lean toward the lighter side, laying down a white eyeshadow first gives the shadows a base to really pop. And using a wet brush to apply will really help everything sing and shine.
Once your eyes are fully prepped, you’ll be ready to dive headfirst into the world of rainbow eyeshadows. There’s so much you can do and so many colors to grab, just remember to keep track of your brushes so you don’t muddy the colors and lose their impact.
The last thing to know before delving into rainbow makeup is to check all your fears at the door because all of these rainbow looks can be done without a degree from beauty school. It doesn’t get any bolder or braver than covering yourself in seven different colors, so get ready to go for it.
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Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Don’t Shy Away From Shimmer
As if the ROYGBIV spectrum wasn’t enough to inspire you, Sabrina Carpenter upped the ante on her rainbow look by going super shimmery with her eyeshadow. It’s very elevated and gala-ready while still being playful. ColourPop’s Fade into Hue Shadow Palette ($34, ColourPop) has shimmer shades and pastel colors to create a boatload of rainbow looks. However, if you prefer less bells and whistles, Makeup Revolution X Lenkalul Celestial Dreams Shadow Palette ($10, Ulta Beauty) has the soft eyeshadows you need without overloading your sensibilities with too many options.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Prep For Pastels
If you’re looking for inspo that’s colorful while also playing it safe (especially if this is your first time or you’re not feeling a full-on rainbow vibe), why not keep things super soft by staying within the pastel color family? To do this, Revolution’s Reloaded Palette ($7, ASOS) has super soft shades that are easy to build upon. Since yellow is so light, it can easily get lost in the sauce, so by framing it in the middle, the other shades will really pop against it.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Go All The Way With Glitter
You can never have too much glitter, so grab all the heavy pigmented, super glittery shades you can. If you don’t have any on hand, Rude Cosmetics’ United Shimmerdom ($26, Rude Cosmetics) has creamsicle glitters, or you can really pack in vibrant pigments with NYX’s Glitter Goals Cream Pro Palette ($25, NYX Cosmetics). While the placement of your colors doesn’t matter, one of the best ways to do achieve this look is by wetting your brush first so each swipe really leaves a ton of shimmer and color in its wake.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Don’t Blend
When it comes to rainbow eyeshadow, you don’t have to be so Bob Ross about it. Since you’re already feeling colorful and fun, something as simple as just putting each color in order across your eyes without blending them together serves as a beautiful yet incredibly easy way to rock your rainbow look. For colors you just need one swipe of to pack a punch, Morphe’s We Make Rainbows Jealous Palette ($35, Morphe) and Beauty Bay’s The Double Bright Palette Duo ($22, Beauty Bay) are both anything but subtle. These two palettes have intense, matte shades you won’t even want to blend.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Treat Each Eye Differently
Since fitting seven colors on one eyelid is a tall order, try splitting your eyes into warm tones on the left and cool tones on the right. (Or, hey, do the opposite!) You’ll need a palette with plenty of colors across the ROYGBIV spectrum, like Tracy Cosmetic’s Rainbow Eyeshadow Palette ($20, Tracy Cosmetics). This palette has 39 shades, so it’s bursting with so many color combinations you’ll need two eyelids to play with all of them. Daring and graphic just became your new calling card.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Don’t Shy Away From Contrasting Colors
Bring all of your eyeliner into the mix to really make each one of the colors pop. The swooping design Doja Cat made with her contrasting colors is something you can’t look away from. You only need two colors with a little shimmer, so a simple nine-pan palette like BH Cosmetics Do Not Disturb Color Shadows ($15, Ulta Beauty) will get the job done. Eyeliner is the bane of many people’s makeup existence, but Monfince’s Liquid Matte Eyeliner Pencil Set ($13, Walmart) makes it so easy to get Doja’s sharp lines no matter how shaky your hands may be.
Rainbow Makeup Ideas: Smoky Eyes Work, Too
If you’re really ready to give your arm a workout while applying your beat for the night, master this rainbow smoky eye. By picking colors all of the same tone — no matter if that’s on the darker or more neutral side of the color wheel — the whole look will blend better together. For this hazy take on rainbows, Rimmel Magnif’eyes Eyeshadow Palette ($10, Target) has darker, more neutral colors, so hopefully you can still keep some feeling in you hand after all that blurring and blending.
These looks are for the lovers, the dreamers, and me.
