Having hazel eyes is a spectrum. Whether you have flecks of green within a mostly brown iris, or brown and gold colors with flecks of green, it’s a beautiful eye color to have, and there are so many ways to play up your eyes with the right makeup.
If you’ve been wanting to play around with eyeshadow but have no idea where to start (we get it, having gorgeous hazel eyes can make choosing a single color intimidating!), don’t worry—because we’ve tapped makeup artist Cassandra McClure to break down what to look for in an eyeshadow for this unique eye color.
Meet the Expert
Cassandra McClure is a makeup artist and advisor to JUICE BEAUTY.
What to Look For
According to McClure, “For hazel eyes, you want to choose colors that enhance the unique blend of green, gold, and brown tones typically found in hazel irises.” These colors include rich browns and golds that “can help amplify golden flecks in the eyes,” she says. Additionally, she notes that earthy greens, soft pinks, and warm taupes can help naturally brighten hazel eyes. “Plums and deep purples can draw out the hidden tones in hazel eyes, adding depth and intensity,” she says.
Although eyeshadows come in many different textures and formulas, McClure says the type you go for depends more on the occasion and vibe you’re going for, rather than having hazel eyes itself. “For example, matte textures are excellent for daytime or professional settings, while shimmer or metallic can be perfect for evening events,” she adds.
Best Eyeshadow for Hazel Eyes
1. Best Eyeshadow Quad for Hazel Eyes:
CHELLA Hello Beautiful Manifest Bronze Palette
McClure is a fan of this clean beauty brand and notes that this palette “is perfect for creating a soft, understated look that enhances hazel eyes without overwhelming them.” You can play around with one color at a time or build them all up together for a dramatic effect on hazel eyes.
2. Best Metallic Eyeshadow for Hazel Eyes:
ELATE BEAUTY Pressed Eye Colour in Rise
The shimmer in metallic eyeshadows, “particularly golds and bronzes, can emphasize the golden specks in hazel eyes,” says McClure. She loves these single shades from ELATE that are crease-resistant and totally buildable so you can craft a soft everyday look or intensify it for nights out.
3. Best All-in-One Palette for Hazel Eyes:
ILIA BEAUTY The Necessary Eyeshadow Palette in Warm/Nude
The best thing about having hazel eyes is that every pair is unique. It can be fun to play around with different colors to create a look that’s all your own. This palette that features six different shades is a great starting place. It “offers a mix of matte, satin, and metallic finishes in neutral and warm tones that are perfect for hazel eyes,” says McClure.
4. Best Longwear Shadow for Hazel Eyes:
MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Born to Beam
Born to Beam is a yellow gold shade that can help illuminate the gold flecks in hazel eyes. You can color match your own hazel eyes with identical colors in eyeshadow to really play up your eyes. This longwear formula is perfect to just paint on, go, and have it stay on all night long.
5. Best Drugstore Eyeshadow for Hazel Eyes:
NYX COSMETICS Ultimate Glow Shots Liquid Eyeshadow in Kiwi Killa
We’ve covered the neutral brown and gold shades for hazel eyes, but don’t forget, many people with hazel eyes have flecks of green in their irises as well. This vegan shadow from NYX COSMETICS is the perfect shade of green. It naturally mimics the green colors found in hazel eyes and delivers 12-hour wear with no fallout.
6. Best Light-Reflecting Shadow for Hazel Eyes:
MAKE BEAUTY Multi-Chromatic Shadow in Purple Haze
When choosing a metallic or shimmery shadow, it’s best to opt for one that’s blendable so you can get a more natural look (even though glitter is about as unnatural as you can get!). This will allow your eyeshadow to appear effortless. This shadow from MAKE BEAUTY is the perfect shade to play up hazel eyes. As McClure said, plum and purple tones are a makeup-artist secret to draw out hidden tones in hazel eyes.
7. Best Eyeshadow With SPF for Hazel Eyes:
BAREMINERALS 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Elegant Taupe
Why not add some SPF to your shadow? This formula by BAREMINERALS delivers 12-hour longwear color, SPF 15 protection, and even helps smooth over fine lines as you wear it. This gorgeous taupe shade is one of the colors McClure recommends. If you find that brown colors don’t work with your hazel eyes, we recommend reaching for a taupe instead.
8. Best Eyeshadow/Eyeliner Hybrid for Hazel Eyes:
VIOLETTE_FR Yeux Paint Liquid Shadow in Scarabée d'Or
Want to start out a bit more subtle with your eyeshadow? Turn it into an eyeliner! This liquid color from VIOLETTE_FR has a thin applicator so you can carefully craft a colorful wing or smudge it out for allover lid color. Genius!
9. Best Crease-Free Formula for Hazel Eyes:
WHATS UP BEAUTY Eyeshadow Duo
This shadow duo features a purple metallic shade on one side and a matte mauve shadow on the other. Combine them both for a unique look that effortlessly brings out all the tones in your hazel eyes. Ipsters love how easy it is to create a gorgeous eye look with just two shades: “I like these shades [...] it’s an easy, quick look to apply,” wrote Ipster @nay_greenleaf12.
10. Best Wet or Dry Shadow for Hazel Eyes:
ELLA EDEN Eyeshadow
Create your own signature look by dipping your shadow brush in a bit of water before going into the pot for extra-pigmented color. Alternatively, you can just dab your fingers directly in and smudge it on. This product is totally fuss-free, and since the formula is long-lasting, it’ll stay on even in the upcoming sweaty summer months.
11. Best Eyeshadow Stick for Hazel Eyes:
LAURA MERCIER RoseGlow Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in Kiss From a Rose
This subtle pink shade from LAURA MERCIER is gorgeous and will surprise you with how well it illuminates your hazel eyes in just a few swipes. Soft pink is another shade McClure suggested, and when you choose the right tone, it’s also subtle enough to be considered a neutral—meaning you can smudge it over the lid for an instant brightening effect that looks amazing on a variety of skin tones.
12. Best Liquid to Powder Formula for Hazel Eyes:
IL MAKIAGE Color Boss Eyeshadow in Rise & Grind
This deep-green shadow has a metallic finish and it blends on the eye like a liquid formula but dries down to a powder-like finish. If you typically go for dark brown or black eyeshadows, try mixing it up with green to flatter the flecks of natural green in your eyes.
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