The Best Makeup for Your Hair Color

The perfect shades for black hair, blondes, red heads, and brunettes

 Dark Brown

"Dark brown hair frames the face, creating a gorgeous canvas for bolder colors." --Petra Strand, makeup artist; creator, Pixi by Petra

Brunettes whose hair is a rich shade of espresso or chocolate can pull off vibrant, beautiful makeup in hues, like plums, burgundies, reds, and metallics.

Add warmth to your eyes with a metallic-tone eye shadow (bronze, copper, or gold all look great) swept across yours lids and into your creases. Next, stroke black liner along the inner rim of the bottom lash line; finish with two or three strokes of black mascara. (1) Try Prescriptives In Bloom Eye Color Duo in Marigold ($24, prescriptives.com).

Bronzers sprinkled with golden flecks give cheeks a light-reflecting glow. (2) Try Youngblood Mineral Radiance in Sundance ($39, ybskin.com).

Brush a bold hue, like burgundy or brownish red, onto your lips to create a beautiful contrast to your striking strands. (3) Try Burt's Bees Super Shiny Lip Gloss in Zesty Red ($7, burtsbees.com).

 

Black

"Play up the mysterious, sexy vibe of black hair by accentuating just one feature with sultry color." —Jerrod Blandino, founder and creative director, Too Faced Cosmetics

If you have black hair, put the focus on your eyes with smoky shades like charcoal and navy, and keep lips and cheeks subtle with a sheer pink blush.

Make eyes smolder with a charcoal-toned liner across your top and bottom lash lines, then go over it with a navy shadow. (1) Try Wet n Wild Idol Eyes Cream Shadow in Distress ($2, walgreens.com).

Brush on several coats of black mascara. Hint: Use a wand with a mini-brush applicator to get even the teeniest lashes. (2) Try Tarte Bottoms Up Lower Lash mascara ($16, sephora.com).

Apply a sheer pink blush to the apples of your cheeks for a hint of tint. (3) Try Clinique Quick Blush in Pronto Pink ($22, clinique.com).

Dab a petal-pink gloss on your lips to add color without detracting from your eyes. (4) Try e.l.f. Hypershine Lip Gloss in Blossom ($1, eyeslipsface.com).

Blonde

"Since blond hair surrounds your face with light, play up that golden glow with a touch of iridescence." —Brett Freedman, L.A. makeup artist; founder, Vanitymark Cosmetics

Whether their locks are a warm honey or a cool wheat tone, blondes look best in sheer shades of peach, pink, gold, and champagne.

Dust eyes from the lids to the creases—and just under lower lashes—with a shimmery amber or champagne shadow. (1) Try NARS Face Color in Hungry Heart ($37, narscosmetics.com). For added definition, sweep brown eyeliner along your top lash line, and finish lashes with a coat of black mascara.

Create a healthy-looking glow: Apply a peachy-pink powder blush to the apples of your cheeks. (2) Try MAC Mineralize Blush in Moon River ($23, maccosmetics.com).

Give lips a warm wash of color and plenty of shine with a glossy peach-pink shade. (3) Try theBalm BalmShelter in Girly Girl ($19, sephora.com).

Red

"Red hair naturally adds warmth to the complexion; colors that have a hint of brown or apricot enhance that without looking too bright." —Bobbi Brown, author of Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual

Blessed with a mane of auburn or ginger hair? Try makeup shades that are just as luminous: sheer greens for eyes and dewy pinks for cheeks and lips.

Play up the warmth of red hair by brushing a subtle mossy-green shadow across your lids, and finish with a reddish-brown eyeliner above your top lashes. (1) Try L'Oreal Paris Wear Infinite Made for Me Naturals Eye Shadow Quads in Forest Light ($7 for quad, lorealparis.com).

Use a rosy cream blush to give cheeks a dewy, natural-looking flush. (2) Try Bobbi Brown Sheer Color Cheek Tint in Sheer Coral ($22, bobbibrown.com).

Keep lips soft with nudes or pinky browns. (3) Try Maybelline New York Volume XL Seduction in Seductively Nude ($9, drugstore.com).

Medium Brown

"Soft shades of brown—from caramel to chestnut—are the furthest thing from severe; just about any color of makeup complements them." —Troy Surratt, New York makeup artist

Because it's neither too dark nor too light, medium-brown hair gives you a wide range of color options--from earthy neutrals to bold, juicy shades of coral, berry, and pink.

Define eyes without going overboard, with bone, beige, or gray eye shadows, and a stroke of blue eyeliner traced along the top lashes. (1) Try Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place eye pencil in Midnight Blue ($19, esteelauder.com).

Add radiance to your skin by sweeping a pink or tawny blush along your cheekbones. (2) Try Revlon Matte Powder Blush in Blushing Berry ($10, walgreens.com).

Smooth on a lip stain in a rich berry hue to offset your hair and give your mouth a sexy pop of color. (3) Try Sally Hansen Moist & Matte Lip Color in Charmeuse ($8, at drugstores).