What to Wear So Your Eyes Pop

I’ve always been a little mystified when people have told me a particular shirt or dress really brought out my eyes. You, too? There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to which colors of clothing intensified the color of my eyes. But the truth is there are rules of both science and art at play when we manage to wear something that makes our eyes shine. So today I thought we’d learn what to wear so your eyes pop.

Let’s Talk About Skin Undertones First

While we’re focusing on our eyes today, let’s discuss skin undertone briefly. It may seem like I’m chasing a rabbit, but hang with me.

In general, to detect the undertone of your skin simply look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. Do they appear purplish or blue? Then you have cool undertones. Do the veins look distinctly green? Then you have warm undertones. And if you seem to have both blue and green veins or it’s too close to call, then you have neutral undertones.

You’ll look your most radiant when the colors on your face (your makeup and jewelry) and the clothing closest to your face carry the same undertones as your skin. So if you have warm undertones, you’ll look more vibrant in clothing, jewelry and makeup with warm undertones. If you have cool undertones, you’ll really shine when your clothing, jewelry and makeup has cool undertones. And if you have neutral undertones, you’re doubly blessed! You’ll really shine in colors that are also more neutral and pure, but you can beautifully wear both cool and warm undertones.

If you’re still struggling to determine your skin undertones, you could also consider what your skin naturally and usually does when exposed to the sun for a long period of time. If you burn and then tan, you may have neutral undertones. If you just burn, you probably have cool undertones. And if you generally tan easily, you could well have warm undertones.

Why discuss skin undertones first, when we’re supposed to be talking about the eyes? Because when we learn which colors will make our eyes pop, we’ll do well to choose shades of those colors with the undertone that best complements our skin.

As they say, it’s worth chasing a rabbit if it has some meat on it! And this one does. But let’s move on to our eyes now.

Why the Eyes Have It

While we’ll look vibrant and beautiful when we wear colors of the correct undertone, that doesn’t mean that our eyes will necessarily look their most alluring in all of those colors. Depending on the color of your eyes, there are certain hues that you might want to choose in order to really make those peepers…peep!

The tiny flecks of color in your eyes reflect the colors that bounce off them. So the time of day and light in the room also affect the color of your eyes. That’s why we all look beautiful in candlelight. The flickering light from the candle literally causes a light show in our eyes!

People with light colored eyes will see the most variation in their eye color. So if you have light blue, green or hazel eyes, you’re likely used to people looking at you a little puzzled and declaring that “your eyes are a different color today!” That’s because light eyes simply reflect the colors around them more.

So the clothing we wear close to our faces, as well as the makeup we apply, the glasses we wear and the jewelry we select can truly change the appearance of our eyes. As our eyes pick up more color, they’ll pop and look sharper, more in focus and vibrant.

And since the eyes are the windows to the soul, it’s worth discovering what to wear to make your eyes pop.

What colors will make your eyes pop?

Actually wearing colors on the opposite side of the color wheel from the color of your eyes will make your eyes pop. But also, wearing various shades of the same color as your eyes will make their color intensify, thus causing your eyes to really stand out.

Let me break it down for you.

If you have blue eyes…

• wearing orange will actually make your eyes pop because orange is opposite blue on the color wheel. You’ll get the same effect with colors like copper, orangish brown and gold. Have cool undertones? Then simply choose an orange with a bit of a blue cast to it, maybe an icy peach. That’s why you may get a lot of compliments when you wear pale or blush pink.
• wearing any shade of blue – from icy blue to navy – will intensify the blue in your eyes, garnering compliments about your pretty blue peepers.

If you have green eyes…

• wearing purple or red or various shades of those colors will make your green eyes come alive. You can choose from shades such as plum, royal purple, lavender, fuchsia and mauve, depending on your skin undertone.
• wearing any shade of green – from pale green to many shades of blue (like teal) – will intensify your green eyes and almost hypnotize those looking into them.

If you have brown eyes…

• wearing any cool color will highlight your eyes. Why? Well brown is a neutral and not on the color wheel. It’s actually comprised of all the primary colors. So when you wear cool colors your eyes will brighten. Bright red or blue probably bring you a lot of compliments.
• wearing any deep shade will intensify your eyes. That’s why your eyes will look more serious and smoldering when you wear eggplant, burgundy or dark teal.

If you have gray eyes…

• wearing black will cause your eyes to brighten. Gray is also a neutral and not on the color wheel. But when you wear black your eyes will not be overwhelmed by color, but will instead stand out against the darker backdrop.
• wearing various colors could make your eyes sparkle. Yeah, that sounds kind of generic. But your gray eyes are probably made up of specks of various shades. Detect those colors and wear them often. Your clothing will enliven those little specks and make your eyes shine. Look for specks of blue, green or yellow in your eyes.

If you have hazel eyes…

• wearing either purple or red will probably brighten your eyes. Hazel eyes are generally composed of green and brown flecks, so, depending on the composition of your eyes, check out the suggestions above for green or brown eyes.
• wearing dark green or teal probably intensifies your eyes. Again, depending on whether your eyes are made up mostly of brown or green flecks, use the guides above for one of those shades.

If you have amber eyes…

• wearing shades of blue will probably brighten your eyes and make them pop. Your eyes are a golden, orangish brown. They may have a russet, coppery tint. So opposite orange on the color wheel you’ll find blue shades that bring out your eyes.
• wearing russet or coppery browns will intensify your eyes. Also, when you wear deep golden or yellowy colors your amber eyes will pick up those hues and be magnified.

If you have black eyes…

• wearing white or light gray will make your eyes pop. Black is also a neutral. But when you wear light neutrals like pale gray and white, your black beauties will brighten.
• wearing black or dark gray will intensify your eyes. Of course, when you wear dark shades of deep colors like plum, green or cobalt, your eyes will also look even more piercing.

Tips for everyone

There are also a few colors that look beautiful on most everyone simply because they are neutral colors, having a balance of warm and cool undertones. These colors include true red, blush pink, teal and eggplant. But while these colors look great on all three skin undertones, they won’t necessarily make your eyes pop.

To emphasize your eyes more, you can also

• add a little eye liner, especially to the top lash line.
• wear at least two coats of mascara, one that lengthens and defines lashes.
• Add some false eye lashes, especially to the outer corners of your top lashes.
• define and fill your eyebrows, creating a natural arch at the outer edges so that your eyes are beautifully framed.
• wear natural looking eye shadow that frames and opens the eye.
• line your lips with a nude lip liner and fill with lipstick in a shade that complements your skin undertones.
• create a dramatic eye with eye makeup and simultaneously wear a more subdued lip shade (but definitely wear lip color).
• or, conversely, create a natural eye with eye makeup and simultaneously wear a more dramatic lip color.

I hope you’ll check out these tips and let me know if they work for you. And if you have any questions, let me know. I’ve done tons of research on this now. Ha! So, I’m still no expert, but I might be able to answer your question. And it’s always possible I didn’t explain something quite right. So just let me know!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy this post about how to dress in colors that make you shine. And I’d love it if you pinned this post to one of your Pinterest boards or shared it on Facebook. Thanks so much for visiting Dressed for My Day today!

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Blessed for My Day

Sometimes I realize that I have put God in a box of my own making. I decide what He can and cannot do based purely on my experience. Or I doubt certain things I know about God while magnifying other characteristics with which I’m more comfortable, creating a god that balances on my scales but isn’t necessarily the one true God.

Today let’s make sure that we allow God to be God. Let’s search His Word and spend time there, in His presence, learning more about Him, instead of just assuming we know Him. And let’s ask Him to reveal Himself to us. Finally, let’s be teachable, willing to be corrected if we have created a false god in our minds, one who is weak or limited or framed by our own whims and desires.

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. ~ John 4:24