4 Celebrity-Approved Ways to Wear Red Eyeshadow

By Marianne Mychaskiw
Aug 18, 2016 @ 12:45 pm
amie McCarthy/Getty; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

We're calling it—red eyeshadow is officially the new neutral. Though it's a risky shade, it can be surprisingly easy to pull off with the proper placement and blending skills. "The key is to find the right red, and keeping the balance," explains Nick Barose, who created Lupita Nyong'o's look. "Red shadow is usually something that intimidates people, but just do it in small doses." Clearly, stars like Nyong'o and Shay Mitchell are on board with the trend, as is the rest of Hollywood. To take this trend from the red carpet into the real world, scroll down for some eyeshadow inspo and see how four stars worked the look.

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Stay Within the Same Color Family

amie McCarthy/Getty

Although the general rule of thumb would be to put the focus solely on the eyes or lips—never both—Lupita Nyong'o proves that rule is meant to be broken. By sticking to a similar color scheme all over, makeup artist Nick Barose created a cohesive, streamlined effect that was anything but matchy-matchy. "We kept the red pretty much just on the upper lids," he tells us. "It's important to still define eyes with black liner when using color like this so the eyes don't look red and shapeless."

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Smoke It Out

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Combine with a deep brown tone, your red shadow gives the tried and true smoky eye a brand new twist. To create the effect, makeup artist Patrick Ta began by blending a warm brown hue into her crease, then repurposed a berry blush as shadow, which he packed directly on top into a graphic shape.

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Use It As Eyeliner

Mark Sullivan/WireImage

A swipe of vivid liner creates as intense of an effect as an all-over color, minus the aggressive blending time. Follow in Solange Knowles' lead and keep the rest of the face minimal. Use a bold hue—anything too muted can read too similar to an allergy flare-up—and concentrate the color in just one area.

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Go for a Sheer Finish

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Prefer to be easy on the eyes? Opt for sheer wash of color like Amber Valletta. Begin by applying a shadow primer similar to your natural skin tone all over, then use a super-fluffy blending brush and a light hand to swirl the hue over the top. You'll still be in line with the daring trend, but the effect will border more along the lines of a whisper than a shout.

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