Beauty

9 Colorful Eyeshadow Looks That Makeup Artists Absolutely Love

Prepare to swoon.

Celebrity makeup artists love these 9 colorful eyeshadow looks.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

A red lip is one thing, but to go full throttle with rainbow-hued pigments for your glam can feel intimidating. But you don't have to be afraid of colorful eyeshadow looks. There are countless ones to try for a gorgeous glow-up, and they add a pop to the upper half of your face — aka the only part that's visible above your mask (these aren't going away any time soon, after all).

From bright, unexpected eyeliner shades to a colorful take on the smoky eye, you've got plenty of options for an easy look. Bustle spoke with Urban Decay’s global makeup artist Steve Kassajikian, celebrity makeup artist and rep for Catrice Cosmetics Robert Sesnek (who works with Hailey Bieber, BTW), senior national makeup artist at M.A.C. Cosmetics Fatima Thomas, makeup artist David Lopez, and other pros for some inspo on colorful eyeshadow styles to try. Spring is just around the corner anyway, so now is the perfect time to start experimenting with a rainbow of different shadow and liner colors.

To pair with your spring nail art and seasonal hair color makeover, check out these nine colorful eyeshadow looks worth incorporating in your makeup repertoire.

1

Blended Color

The key to wearing colors? According to Kassajikian, it's all about a good blend, which allows you to make all sorts of bold pigments wearable.

For this metallic look, Kassajikian used Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencils as the base and blended them out before swiping on matching eyeshadow shades with a tapping motion. Palettes like Huda Beauty's Mercury Retrograde and Anastasia Beverly Hills' Norvina Pro Pigment offer a variety of colors to nail this look.

2

Strong Contrasts

If you're ready to be daring with your makeup, Kassajikian says to try contrasting shades. This look uses bold, primary colors in unique shapes and pairings to give the eyes a major pop.

To try it yourself, he recommends applying your choice of eyeshadow onto the eyelid and use a flat brush to create a winged look on the sides. Then, use a fluffier brush to apply more of that shadow. After that, use a contrasting eyeshadow shade along the lash line and inner corner of the eyes.

For vivid color options, opt for a palette like Juvia's Place's Warrior 3, or go with Milani's Gilded Pastels for more of a pastel vibe.

3

Bright Liner

Robert Sesnek

A more subtle way to rock a colorful look is with liner, according to Sesnek. His take? Roses, hot pinks, and oranges are the best options for testing out unexpected eye makeup styles, and it's actually very wearable. If you own an eyeshadow color that's bold, he says you can use a wet angled brush to transform it into an eyeliner.

4

Textured Color

Robert Sesnek

This colorful gradient eye from Sesnek features a softly blended halo of shadow and a deeper color at the lash line. A bit of metallic on the lid adds texture and sheen.

To get the look, Sesnek used Catrice's Pro Neon Earth Eyeshadow Palette, but other warm-toned options like Tarte's Toasted eyeshadow palette will do the trick as well. Begin with a deeper shade of burnt orange or red and apply it on the lid close to the lash line, but don't blend it too far above the crease. Next, use a lighter shade and buff the color into the crease to blend the two shades together for a soft look. Finally, add a metallic shade to the center of the lid for a gorgeous pop.

5

Defined Color

Fatima Thomas

Thomas is all about wearing a bold color on the eye with a sculpted crease, matte eyeliner, and vibrant lid — and it's customizable, so you can choose how you rock it.

To get the look, Thomas says to start with an eyeshadow primer that'll help your colors stay in place and help with blending. Next, opt for an eyeshadow shade just a few tones darker than your skin and blend it into your crease. Then, choose an accent color for your lid and apply it all over, blending it up into your crease shade (Thomas uses a lavender shadow for this). She notes that brown eyes look bright wearing purple, blue, and green, and blue and green eyes look good in purple, warm neutrals, and peach.

Once done, opt for a slightly deeper shade than the one on your lid and use it to deepen your outer corner and crease. Palettes like Fenty Beaty's Snap Shadows work well as they feature shades in the same color family. Finish up with a pair of false lashes or loads of mascara. You can also use a black liner on the lash line or go bold with a colorful mascara that matches your eyeshadow.

6

Smoky Blues

Who says a smoky eye has to be neutral? This bright blue take on the classic makeup look was created by celebrity makeup artist Erin Parsons, who turned to cream eyeshadows to create it.

A taupe shade works as a neutral transition color in the crease and on the lid. Pair that with a bold blue (or vivid color of your choice) applied along the lash line (top and bottom) and inner socket. To get the pop in the center of the lid, apply a highlighter, like the metallic of BECCA's Shimmer Skin Perfector, and blend upward for a halo effect.

7

Geometric Shapes

According to Lopez, it's prime time to use "makeup like art" and your face as a canvas. Case in point: his colorful dotted look, which is simple but adds an element of fun to your Zoom parties. And you don't have to add color all over the face — he says it's up to you how to wear it.

He recommends using two dots (in colors of your choosing) on either side of the eyes or in the inner corner. To recreate his look, he used Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix Mattes to dot into place with a Q-tip.

8

Monochromatic

When it comes to color, makeup artists Cara Lovello and Lauren D'Amelio say monochromatic is the way to go. Lovello points to Kourtney Kardashian's Vogue cover as inspiration for her look. To copy it, she used a dark shade of purple on the inner and outer corners of the eyes. Then, blend toward the center but leave space open. In that spot, apply a lighter shade of purple to create a "halo" effect. As the final touch, she added glitter (specifically ColourPop's Glitterally Obsessed) for a pop.

For another take on the look, D'Amelio uses metallic reds and garnets for a halo-style application. With her eyeshadow, she recommends emphasizing the outer corner for an elongated look and blending a deeper shade of red along the lash line and outer corner into a "V" shape. Then, she finishes by smudging the lower lash line and adding highlight to the lid.

9

Metallic Hot Pink

Celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo, the mastermind behind Selena Gomez and Karlie Kloss' looks, has created a vibrant hot pink lid.

To get the look, he first applies a primer before going in with a garnet eyeliner on the inner corners of the upper and lower lash line. He then uses a black liner along the top lash line and smudges it just slightly beyond the eye line. Next, he takes a bright pink shade and blends it into the inner corner and up into the crease before adding a bold red hue to the outer corners. That is blended into a winged shape on the sides. For the final touch, he adds a shimmer shade in the hot pink color family all over the lid.