by Melissa D. Ing

Created on: May 07, 2011   Last Updated: January 28, 2012

In a world where cosmetic companies direct campaigns at blue eyed blondes, green eyed women are often left floundering. Real green eyes are extremely rare; less than 5% of the population are truly green eyed except for Iceland, where 89% of women and 87% of men have either green or blue eyes. Eye shadows do exist for green eyes, and recently cosmetic companies have begun jumping on the marketing bandwagon to cater to them.

With all the emerging quad and multi-quad eye shadow palettes specifically designed for green eyes color choices are becoming clearer. What cosmetic companies are still struggling to take into account is the different skin and hair color's of green eyed people. While one cosmetic company making eye shadow compacts for green eyed people may work for some, others are finding them disastrous. Here's how to choose.

Know your skin tone

Skin tones have either pink, peach or olive (for dark complexions) undertones. To find yours, take three pieces of fabric, one a vibrant pink, one peach, and one olive green. With a make up free face drape them around your neck one at a time. The one that doesn't make you skin look sickly but vibrant, will represent your skin tone. A quick tip, is that most Caucasian women will either have peach undertones, indicating a red head's complexion, or pink undertones, indicating a blonde's complexion.

Know the basic colors

Using eye shadow effectively for green eyes, means knowing the colors that will actually enhance them. Just because one color or shade doesn't look great as a solid color on your eyelid, doesn't mean it can't be used as a contour color in your crease, or as an eyeliner color with softer eyelid color. Here are the basic colors.

Greens

Many of us with green eyes have been taught not to wear green eye shadow. Done correctly, various shades of green can really make eye's pop out. Paler green eyes do well with forest green's and moss green's while darker green eyes really pop out with a sage green. Layering green's can take some getting use to, but done effectively they can really make a statement. Physicians formula offers a 12 color palette including green's to make green eyes sparkle.

Plums

Different variation of the wine color family: plums, wine, burgundy and pinks can be layered very effectively to bring out green eyes. Cover girls Exact Eye lights Eye-Brightening Shadows are a custom made palette of four plum color's that can be layered several different ways, depending on the shade of your own green eyes.

Browns

Browns can be a wonderful color to emphasize green eyes. Bronzes, can be used to highlight in the corner or the creases, and soft beige or taupe's make an excellent neutral eyelid color to build on for a layering effect. Creams can be used as a highlighter or even as low lid eyeliner to make green eyes really stand out.

Grey

Often overlooked, grey can be a fabulous color to layer with. Often used as contour or for a splash of dramatic color on the edge of outer eyelids, grey can really compliment green eyes. Alternatively, using grey eye shadow as a dramatic eyeliner can be very effective.

Gold and silver

Gold and silver eyeshadow are often used for a dramatic or evening look. Layering gold or silver eye shadow over your entire eye lid and using either a green or brown in the crease can bring out green eyes dramatically.

Choosing eye shadow for green eyes need not be difficult, so long as you are aware of the basics of color, and are prepared to spend a little time playing around with different color hues. Never be afraid of dramatic color, but if focusing on your eyes remember to do a soft, or neutral colored lips, or your entire look may become a bit too dramatic.

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