Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has worked with hundreds of clients over the years, and the beauty pro is now sharing some of that experience and knowledge to help others enhance their natural looks in the easiest way.
British-born Charlotte, 47, has revealed a clever hack for working out what shades will best flatter your eyes, explaining that it’s as easy as looking at a traditional color wheel.
‘To light up the eyes, the magic trick is to find a color that is directly opposite to your eye color on the color wheel,’ Charlotte explained to DailyMail.com while discussing the launch of her new Eye Colour Magic collection.
Beauty tool: Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury has revealed how to use the color wheel to choose the best shade for your eye color, explaining you need to look at opposites
‘You capture the magic of color when you select shades opposite to your iris’ natural hue, igniting your eyes and making them more magic!’
Charlotte says that all of her makeup artists are taught to use the color wheel on clients – whether those people are walking into a store to try out some products, or getting set to strut their stuff on the red carpet.
Expert: The beauty pro, 47, said that the trick can also be used when picking other products, such as color correcting shades
Don’t have access to a color wheel? Never fear – Charlotte has listed out the shades that work best for most eye colors.
‘If you have blue eyes, choose earthy tones of russet, copper and gold; for green eyes, maroon, violet and purple hues are best,’ she said.
‘Cool sapphire, navy and radiant blues make brown eyes shimmer, and hazel eyes can be dialed up with rich, warm khaki tones.’
Charlotte used this age-old wisdom when putting together her newest collection, curating four different palettes and double-ended eyeliners that are each made to enhance a specific eye color.
For those with blue eyes, Charlotte designed the Copper Charge Luxury Palette and Eye Color Magic Liner Duo; anyone with hazel eyes should use the Green Lights Luxury Palette and corresponding double-ended liner.
For blue eyes: Charlotte’s new collection is aimed at enhancing different eye colors, and uses the color wheel hack as its inspiration, offering the Copper Charge products for blue eyes
Shake things up: Although the rule is there to help people discover the most flattering shades for their specific eye color, Charlotte said there is no reason you can’t experiment
For hazel eyes: Charlotte explained that those with this color eye can ‘dial them up with rich, warm khaki tones’, which can be found in the Green Lights shades
Mesmerizing Maroon is the palette and liner of choice for people with green eyes, and Super Blue was created for brown eyes.
And according to Charlotte, the color wheel trick doesn’t just apply to your eyes; the beauty pro says it can also be used when choosing other products.
‘I also use contrasting colors to counteract the look of hyperpigmentation and dark undereye circles, especially when it comes to HD-cameras and red carpet lighting, which is why I launched my amazing Magic Vanish! Colour Correctors,’ she said.
‘The peachy to rosy-coral shades help balance out the blue-green and violet tones that are often present in those naughty complexion imperfections.’
But just because these rules exist doesn’t mean you have to follow them to the letter – quite the opposite in fact, says Charlotte.
‘Once you know the rules – break them!’ she urged. ‘Choose contrasting or harmonizing colors to light up your eyes; mix and match your matte and metallic eyeliner duos to amplify your light-play.
For green eyes: ‘Maroon, violet and purple hues are best,’ Charlotte advised, having collected these colors in her Mesmerizing Maroon palette
For brown eyes: ‘Cool sapphire, navy and radiant blues make brown eyes shimmer,’ the beauty guru shared, having combined these shades in her Super Blue products
Experiment: Charlotte urged people to change up what colors they are using, explaining that her new products are design to enhance all eye colors
‘You don’t have to be a blue-eyed girl to get the copper effect. With this collection, I am giving you the power to morph your eyes and mesmerize the world.’
For example, while Copper Charge might have been designed for those with blue eyes, Charlotte says it will also work wonders on those with brown eyes, revealing: ‘The mesmerizing gold, rose-copper and russet-brown hues in this eye-enhancing palette play with the light to make brown eyes glow.’
In fact, Charlotte says ‘brown eyed beauties’ can actually get away with wearing ‘any shade on the color wheel’, but notes that sapphires and navy tones will help to give them a ‘lit-from-within amber effect’.
One piece of advice Charlotte has for anyone wanting to be a bit more experimental with their color palette however is to pick one area to ‘dial up’, while keeping the rest of your face more low-key.
‘It’s important to think about balance with your looks, so my advice when it comes to color is to dial up one area and choose complementary colors and products to enhance your makeup look so you can keep the focus on the eyes,’ she said.
‘I always apply the eyes first, then the lips, then the blush — so that you can find just the right amount of color to tie everything together.’