I really like the Boots No7 #ColourYourWay campaign as I think it’s a great way of encouraging people to try a bit of colour without going overboard; having a play with more colourful make-up doesn’t need to leave you looking like you’ve let your five year old loose on your face, or that you’re heading to an 80’s, and you can experiment with colour and have a bit of fun, whilst still looking polished, sophisticated and generally grown-up. As someone who loves nude eye make-up, I thought it would be fun to see what alternatives there are to the usual browns, beiges, champagnes, golds and bronzes that typically form a nude palette and a nude eye look.
Turns out, there are quite a few colours you can do a natural or smoky eye with, whilst stilling keeping the finish quite muted and fresh. The main colours I focused on are berry shades, purple, green and grey, as I feel that all of these colours work on most colourings – as you seek out certain types of these colours, for example, a grey-leaning purple rather than a neon, then you can happily and easily add a flash of colour to your eye look. Whether I go for a daytime neutral look, or an evening smoky eye, I always go for the nude shades, but these main ones work well for both looks. Black and Grey are both great colours to work into your eye look to add something a bit different. I love, love, LOVE the the Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil as it’s so creamy and easy to use, and the Grey shade works really well with brighter colours as it offsets the pigmentation really well. Another great way to try out colour without going too overboard is to use a black eyeshadow like the Stay Perfect Eyeshadow in Carbon Matte, then use colour over the top of the black base – this gives a hint of colour, and is a great way of dressing down shades that are too bright. If you really want to embrace having a play with grey eyeshadow, the Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Trio in Twilight is perfect, since it contains black, white and silver, so with a bit of blending you can achieve pretty much every shade of grey you could ever want!
If you can be a bit more adventurous (and I really think you should!) then gentle shades of green and purple are a great choice. The Stay Perfect Shade and Define is an extremely easy way to play with colour, as it’s a cream eyeshadow in stick-form, so you can literally slick it on, blend it in (all around the eye for a great and easy, smoky finish) and you’re good to go. It comes in a decent selection of shades, including Deep Purple, which is that lovely, muted, stormy purple that is a perfect way to do grown-up colour. Of course the easiest way to try out colour is with a coloured liner, like the aforementioned Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes Pencil, which comes in Purple and Green too. Or you can line eyes with the matte black shadow, then go over that with a brighter shade of liner.
I’ve really enjoyed playing with colour recently, with my favourite being using shades of moss, sage and forest green. The Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Quad in Green Glades is just gorgeous – two extremely wearable greens, one highlighting champagne shade and a deep grey for definition, all come together to make a truly beautiful quartet of colour. In the look featured here, I used the sage green (top right) all over the upper lid, then the brighter green (bottom left) in the centre of each lid and all along the lower lash line. I then finished with a slick of the Grey shade of the Amazing Eye Pencil, and if I was going to vamp this up even more, I would also the grey shade along the lower waterline to give a really smokey finish.
There are no rules for make-up and I do think you should feel free to pair whatever colour combinations you like together. However, when wearing colour around the eyes, I like to try and keep the rest of my face quite neutral and pretty. Any of the gorgeous Pop and Glow Blush Sticks (there are three, Mango Sorbet is pictured) alongside the Petal shade of the High Shine Lip Crayon will give the look a fresh, modern finish, especially if you’re going for a smokier finish around the eyes. When I first got really into make-up in my teens, I used to wear a purple smokey eye with a neutral, nude lip, so things haven’t really changed much, apparently! All the products mentioned are available exclusively from Boots, where you can check out the full range here – link.
*PR Sample
