If you ever take notice of people's make up then you'll certainly, at one point, have seen someone and thought 'wow that suits her so much, why can't I have make up that looks that good?'. In actual fact there is no good reason why you can't have it, but it's just a matter of finding the right shades for your complexion, and applying the right amount.

Firstly let's start with pale complexion; one of the most difficult types of skin, hair and eyes to cater for. You may well be tempted to warm your skin up with bronzer or fake tan, but our advice is to try and love your skin as it is. Pale is very much in fashion again now and it's incredibly feminine if you couple it with pink blusher, soft pink lip gloss and natural mascara. If you are going to try warming up your skin the do it via foundation (preferable minerals) rather than bronzing powder. One with a beigey, almost yellowy tint will warm up your skin tone, without making you look orange or on the other end of the spectrum, too pink. Generally, black make up around the eyes will be too harsh for daily use, so use a mid-brown eye liner for pale eyes and dark brown mascara. As for eye shadow, pale pinks, beiges, browns, lilacs and greens are perfect, but never anything too bold and bright. Use a pale pink lip colour, or if you want to make a statement bright red. Try to stay away from dark reds and plums on the lips.

If you've got darker hair then chances are you have brown eyes too, and brown eyes can be used to really make a statement with bold eye shadows that are completely the opposite to your colour. Firstly, take a look at what shade of brown your eyes are. If they're halfway between green and brown then the opposite to that is red or pink. Don't be afraid to choose bright colours, especially if you're looking for evening wear make up solutions. For those with yellowy brown eyes, choose lilac or strong violet to create a huge contrast that matches at the same time. Very deep brown eyes will benefit from either purple and grey smoky eye shadows or pale beige and mid browny-orange ones.

Secondly, you'll want to frame those brown eyes with something darker than your iris itself, so choose black eye liner and/or mascara and a pale lip gloss or lipstick so as not to overload your face. Use a blusher to match your lip colour gently swept over your cheekbones to finish off the look.

If you've got dark skin then you should concentrate on buying good quality foundation and concealer to create a flawless look, that is, if you don't have flawless skin already. Black women with smooth, matte skin look incredibly alluring even without any eye make up or lip gloss on at all. Saying that, if you are going to apply eye make up, go for purple or blue to make a statement, or charcoal or gold for something to wear every day. Line your eyes with black kohl and black mascara and finish off with either a caramel or deep purple lip colour. Stay away from red lipstick at all costs if you have dark skin.

Stan Tian

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