How to Apply Eye Makeup on Fair Skin

Co-authored by Nine Morrison

When you have fair or pale skin, applying eye makeup can be a bit more challenging. For one, darker looks like smoky eyes can be too dark if you use the wrong colors. Also, while lighter colors tend to look better, they can leave you with veins and dark splotches showing through your makeup. The good news is that it’s possible to apply eye makeup and create all the popular effects when you have fair skin, but the trick is finding the right colors and matching your makeup with your undertones.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Determining Your Undertone

1
Know what an undertone means. An undertone is the basic tone of your skin underneath the surface layer, which isn’t affected by things like tanning, acne, and surface discoloration. Your undertone will help you choose the best shades for makeup, clothes, and jewelry, because undertones are associated with certain colors, which can be better matched with some colors over others.
- People with cool undertones are associated with bluish, reddish, and pinkish skin tones.^{[1]
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- People with warm undertones are associated with golden, yellowish, and peachy skin tones.
- People with neutral undertones can have a combination of cool and warm skin tones.
2
Figure out what your undertone is. There are a few indicators that will tell you what your undertone is, such as your hair color, how your skin reacts to the sun, the color of your veins, and the color of your hair.
- People with cool undertones: look best in silver jewelry,^{[2]
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  Research source} burn easily in the sun, have blue veins at the wrist, and usually have hair that’s blond (ash or sandy), brown (ash or dark), blue-black, auburn, snowy, or silver-gray.
- People with warm undertones: look best in gold jewelry, will bronze in the sun, have green veins at the wrist, and often have hair that’s blond (golden, strawberry, or honey), brown (golden or caramel), brown-black, red (copper or wine), or creamy white.^{[3]
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- People with neutral undertones: look good in both types of jewelry, have blue-green veins at the wrist,^{[4]
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  Research source} and tend to have hair that’s blond, brown, red, white, or gray.
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Choose appropriate colors. Once you know your undertone, you can select colors that will best complement your skin. Most people with pale or fair skin tend to have cool undertones,^{[5]
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Research source} which means you should look for cosmetics (and clothing) in sea shades, soft purples, taupes and grayish beiges, metallics,^{[6]
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- For pale people with warm undertones, try earthy reds, yellows, greens, browns, peaches, corals, and violet-reds.
- If you are pale but have a neutral undertone, you can wear any color, but you may look best in muted berry colors, such as raspberry, lemon, and lavender.^{[8]
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Know what colors to avoid. When it comes to applying makeup on fair skin, one of the most important things to remember is that darker shades may simply be too dark and that the contrast of dark cosmetics on pale skin can be too stark.^{[9]
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- Try browns and grays instead of black for cosmetics like mascara and eyeliner,^{[10]
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  Research source} and use brown instead of black as your base color when you are creating a smoky eye effect, and blend your eyeshadow more rigorously.^{[11]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Applying Eye Makeup

1
Prepare your face. You always want a fresh canvas to work with when you're applying makeup. This is especially true if you have pale skin, because any leftover makeup will show up more prominently than it might otherwise.
- Wash your face with a gentle cream facial cleanser. Lather the cleanser in your hands and use circular motions to massage it into your face.
- Rinse your face with warm water, and then pat your skin dry with a clean towel.
- When your face is still slightly damp, apply your favorite moisturizer, serum, or toner.
2
Put a concealer or foundation on your eyes. To create a good base for your makeup to stick to, and to cover veins and redness, rub or brush a pea-sized amount of primer, concealer, or foundation onto your eyelids, under the brow line, and below your eyes.^{[12]
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- This step is particularly important if you are going to be using a light shade of makeup, which won’t cover discoloration and veins.
3
Apply eyeshadow. Once you’ve picked out colors that will match your undertone and that aren’t too dark for your fair skin, you can start applying makeup to your eyes. For a basic look, start with three colors: a base color, a lighter color of a similar shade for highlighting, and a darker color of a similar shade for contouring.^{[13]
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- Apply a small amount of base to the root of your eyelashes. Slowly build the color and work it up toward your brow bone, stopping just below your brow line.
- Take a lighter color of a similar shade and apply that just below your brow line. Use the darker color in the crease of your eye to add some contour.
- Make your eyes look more open by adding a dab of your base color above and below your tear ducts.
4
Put on some eyeliner and mascara. Use a quick drying eyeliner to avoid smearing dark eyeliner all over your freshly applied eyeshadow, and remember to use a lighter color, such as gray, brown, or even blue.
- Apply a line of eyeliner along your lash line from the inner corner of your eye to the outer corner.^{[14]
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- Apply one to two layers of mascara to your upper lashes.
5
Add definition to your eyebrows. People with fair skin and hair may need to add some extra definition to the eyebrows, and you may want to add some extra darkness to your brow if you have fair skin and dark hair.^{[15]
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- Choose a brow pencil or tinted gel that matches the shade of your eyebrows. Apply short strokes of color to your eyebrows, starting at the inside corner and working toward your temple. Use the brush to work the color through your brows and gently sculpt the shape.^{[16]
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Expert Q&A

Question

What color eyeshadow is best for fair skin?

Nine Morrison
Beauty Consultant
Nine Morrison is the owner of WedLocks Bridal Hair & Makeup, the largest bridal beauty company in Colorado. Her work has been featured in Brides Magazine, The Knot, and by Moroccanoil, and her company replicates this standard across 400+ weddings per year. She has been in the beauty industry for over 10 years, and also travels as a beauty educator and business consultant.

Nine Morrison

Beauty Consultant

Expert Answer

On extremely fair skin tones, you usually need to go with cooler colors, like pinks, purples, greens, blues, and cool browns.
Question

My eyes are very far from each other. What can I do?

Community Answer

Just embrace it. If that doesn't help, then you might want to try to wear makeup on other places on your face. That way, people will focus more on other places on your face, and not your eyes.
Question

I have small eyes. What should I do?

Community Answer

Apply white eye shadow or white eyeliner pencil in your inner eye corners, then apply eyeliner on your water line.