How To: Pull Off Adding Bold Colour

As we’re headed toward warmer weather, it’s always a fun idea to take ourselves out of our everyday, mundane makeup routines with a pop of colour! Adding an unexpected bold colour to our eyes, face or lips is an easy and exciting way to snap us all out of the dreaded makeup rut. It can be scary to experiment with colour, but we’ll share with you our tips on how to incorporate beautiful, bright colours into your routine like a pro.

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Pair bolder eyeshadows with neutrals

In my opinion, the most enjoyable and daring way to wear colour is in your eyeshadow look. The trick to pulling off bright colour during the day is to tone it down with neutral shades in order to make bolder shades the focal point of the whole look. Urban Decay’s Naked Basics Palette ($47 from BeautyBay) and Stila In The Light Palette ($52 from Mecca) are fantastic neutral palettes that make great accompaniments to more striking shades.

Ditch boring black eyeliner

Wearing coloured liquid eyeliner on the upper lashline is probably my go-to way to add colour to my look during the Summer months. Who knew one thin line across your lashes can provide such a fresh, statement look? But if you’re still nervous to go all out, you can always tone down the look with traditional black liquid eyeliner. Start by lining the top lashline with black liner. Then, simply use coloured liner such as Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner in Electric Blue or Green Spark ($25.95 from Priceline) to draw a thin line right on top of the black.

Bring colour to your waterline

This is probably the easiest and most approachable way to incorporate colour into your makeup look, whilst still creating that high-impact effect. Simply use a cotton tip and gently remove excess moisture from the waterline (white rim above your lower lashline). Then proceed lining the waterline with a waterproof eye pencil in a fun colour – I love the staying power of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliners ($9.95 from Priceline) which have fun colours like Deep Blue, Orange and Purple in the collection. For extra longevity and a bolder effect, use a powder eyeshadow in a similar shade just under the lower lashes to set the creamy liner.

Go sheer with tinted lip balms

Tinted lip balms are a great introduction into wearing colour on your lips. They are definitely not as long-wearing as traditional lipsticks, which have greater pigmentation and staying power, but are a great stepping-stone in building confidence with colour experimentation. Maybelline’s Electro Pop Baby Lips available in shades such as Berry Bomb, Pink Shock and Oh Orange ($3.95 from Priceline) are exciting colours that sheer out on the lips for that pop of colour, without going overboard.

Try bright pink instead of red lipstick
Red lipstick can provide an amazing confidence boost in just one swipe on the lips but can be very intimidating sometimes. Opt for a bright pink lipstick, which is easier to pull off than red, as the shade mimics your normal lip colour and colours naturally found in the face. Bold pinks create a vibrant and exciting twist on a classic makeup look. I adore Maybelline’s Color Sensational Vivid Lipsticks in Vivid Rose, Pink Pop and Fuchsia Flash ($16.95 from Priceline) or NYX’s Soft Matte Lip Cream in Addis Ababa ($12.95 from Target) to do just the trick.