Brown eyes make up between 55 to 79% of the world populations’ eye color, making brown eyes the most common color of eyes globally.
Because brown is a neutral color, many shades of color go well with them.
Whether you have light chocolate colored eyes or deep, rich coffee colored eyes you can always make a statement with grays, silvers, golds, and most uniquely, all shades and hues of the color purple.
By making purple a one of your standard eyeshadow go-tos, you will make your eyes pop. This is because brown contrasts beautifully with purples.
Purple eye makeup is extremely wearable—regardless of whether you decide on a sultry violet eyeliner or a quick smokey eye made with varying degrees of purple hues.
Purple also lends itself to being combined with metallic eyeshadows, gold and silver glitter accents and eyeliners that are black, brown, or contrast and complementary colors like orange hued makeup.
When used as an eyeshadow color palette, purple also is an easy color to glam up or down, depending on the occasion.
The color purple has been long associated as being the color of royalty and wealth, and wearing it on your eyelids will indeed make you feel like the queen that you are.
This first look uses a cut crease technique—this is a technique that is used to make the eyes appear larger than what they are where a lighter shade of eyeshadow is used to cut across the crease of the eyelid causing a contrast between the colors- and pink and purple eyeshadow to create a stylish look.
In this look, black eyeliner is substituted out with a silver one giving the eye an extra bit of metallic pop, and highlighting the color contrast even more. This look is a popular one with celebrities and leaves us wanting to wear it all the time!
Another great example of a cut crease technique is used here and is for when you are feeling in an artsy or whimsical mood and you, more importantly, have a few more minutes to block out for your makeup.
This look uses mauve and bright purple tones to create a dusky feel. Then to complete this look, all you need is an angled brush that is relatively thin, concealer and a steady hand to get this look right every time.
It may be difficult to do the first few times but will get easier after a few practice attempts
Pink and purple are perfect accompaniments to each other and by using purple on the top eyelid and pink on the lower lash line, you will achieve a beautiful contrast.
The result is a colorful, stunning look, and both colors compliment brown eyes perfectly. Tie it all together with some volumizing mascara or some eyeliner to enhance the look.
Lilac, often the chosen color for bridesmaid dresses and wedding centerpieces, is the perfect purple color or hue to use when you are looking for something a little more understated to wear on your lids.
By adding a light hue of lilac to the center of the eyelid and in the corner of the eye, combined with a darker color on the whole eyelid and paired with clever blending, will highlight the brown of your eyes and make them pop.
Here, the combination of pink and purple is used again-just showing how even with only a few colors in your makeup kit, you can make a variety of eyeshadow looks.
Here, purple and pink eyeshadow is built up using different shades in different intensities with a couple of special techniques. The end result is a look that is both simple, elegant and dramatic all at once.
If you are after a Valentine’s look or any other romantic or whimsical occasion, this eyeshadow look is for you. It has a sweet love-heart shape on the inner corners of the eyes, accentuating the eye and highlighting the brown of the iris.
The expert mixing of lighter and darker shades of purple and pink is an effective way of making a smokey eye with a difference. The end result is romantic, whimsical and dramatic—everything you could want for a pop of color on your eyes.
When veering off your normal track of using neutral palettes on your eyes like your coppers, browns and golds, picking a color as bold as purple can be quite daunting.
However, the good news is, is that you do not have to really apply any complicated or intricate makeup techniques to achieve a flawless look on your eyes.
The simple use of purple with lots of black eyeliner and lashings of mascara or false eyelashes will do the trick.
The key thing to remember is to blend carefully, as these bold color blocks of purple are really quite noticeable if they are not blended together with a brush or the tip of your finger at a push.
Inspired by the night sky and the moon, this look is really great for any nighttime look and celebrates artistry involved in creating looks with makeup. It is always important to remember that use of makeup is a form of self-expression.
9. Popping Purple
If you are new to applying makeup and especially bold colors like purple to your eyes, and are struggling to achieve the pop of color that you see on Instagram and in makeup adverts-don’t lose hope, as there are several tricks you can try out to achieve this.
The first is using a primer to give you a smooth and nude base to start on.
When adding the purple tones, use a damp brush so that the color of the purple eyeshadow is really able to be worked in properly and making pigmentation that much obvious. Another good tip to try out is the use of setting spray.
Makeup setting spray makes your makeup last for the entire evening, no matter how much you are running about or dancing or even exposed to the elements.
When used together, purple and blue make a killer combination. Purple is of course derived from blue and red parts of the light spectrum, and so the blue and purple hues work well together.
They are dramatic and intense when used together, and create an illusion of the night sky on your eyelids. It is a perfect color combination for a special occasion makeup or a date night out.
As seen on all the royals clothes in days gone by and even now, gold and purple were often used as a color symbol to indicate power, abundance, and wealth.
Gold and purple are a great color combination and can be used together in many ways to create eye-catching designs.
The metallic gold really accents the purple hues and also works on highlighting the golden hues in your brown eyes to make a beautiful end result that will become a staple look in your makeup repertoire in no time.
The great thing is that gold can be incorporated with purple in many ways-from shimmer eyeshadow to gel eyeliners or even gold bedazzling on the eyelid.
If you are after a few sharp lines such as tapered edges that can be seen on the underside of this pop of purple, or even wings, then this look is for you. It is done by using tape or a sharp-edged brush to give you those precise lines.
Tape is a versatile tool to have in your makeup kit and can also be used to perfect eyebrow shape or creating these flicks of eyeliner wings.
The beauty of this look is that any liner color can be used, and you can also create a smokey eye effect if you wish with varying the purple hues on the eyelids.
Not a color combination that is typically thought of, but it really does work well. Yellow and purple are on opposite ends of the color spectrum and so give a beautiful contrast to one another-just like this soft buttercup yellow and lilac purple does.
Both colors bring out the brown eyes and if you are looking for extra layers of glam, you could finish off the look with some silver eyeshadow in the inner corners of the eye or even on the low lash line if you want something even more adventurous.
If you are looking for a look that is less bold and more subtle, suited for going to the office or every day life, then using nudes and some lighter pale lilac will do the job while still making your brown eyes the center of attraction.
Adding a light dusting of pale lilac shades to your eyelid blended with some nude shades will give you a feminine and classy look without much effort or time.
If you want to, you can pair this look with a nude lipstick or if you are feeling more bold and adventurous, a purple lipstick of your choice to accentuate the purple color palette.
Creating a smokey eye with shades of pink and purple with sultry black is a combination you cannot go wrong with.
The variation of color makes the brown in your eyes pop, and if you are looking for a smash hit where people won’t be able to take their eyes off of you, then this is it. You will command the room.
Cut creases can be a bit tricky to perfect, but once you have them down and as part of your makeup skill set, you will love to use this color combination of purple and silver.
This cut crease includes a bright pop of purple combined with a silver line to create the crease detail in the crease of the eye. In this particular example, a nude-taupe shade is used for blending and combining everything together.
The silver adds to the drama of an otherwise simple look and the metallic undertones of the color compliments all purple hues and brown eyes perfectly, every time.
What is it about brown eyes and purple hues that just work so well together? The best part about this winning combination, is that you can create a multitude of looks with just a few different shades of purple.
If you are looking for a simple, understated look, use lighter shades of purple with brown liner, or go bold and bright with purple and metallics. Either way, you will love the look that is achieved with this combination.
Warm metallic tones such as gold or shimmery browns or coppers around the eyes will really help to bring brown eyes to life and make them glisten and shimmer under the light too.
The warm gold or browns will highlight any brown, gold flecks or color variations in your eyes. The warmer metallic tones will compliment the cooler purple color hues and create not only a balance, but also give your eyes a pop of glamour and gloss.
19. Copper Tones With Purple Hues
As described above, the warmer metallic tones compliment purple eyeshadow well. Coppery eyeshadow shades do the same—they bring a warmth and earthy feel to the look while complimenting the boldness of the purple hues.
Here, we see an example that combines the bold lines of purple across the lower lash line with the top eyelids balanced out with the brick-red tones of copper. This is an absolute must-try for any occasion and is simple and easy enough to do on the fly.
Using clever and expert blending of pink and purple in a gradient of light pink to dark purple makes for a dramatic, glamorous look that allows the color to be built up slowly.
When blending colors together with eyeshadow, it is best to start with a small amount at first and then build it up slowly-it is easier to add color than take it away if you have added too much.
The last look on our list, is a silver flick in the cut crease of the eyelid to add something sparkly and glamorous to this nude-brown blend with purple hues.
This look on its own (without the silver addition) is a great daytime look for the office. Adding the silver line in the crease takes your look to a whole new level, ready for those after work drinks, quickly and effectively.
Tips And Tricks
Before committing to a purple color, test it out first. When you are buying a green eyeshadow, apply it to the back of your hand to see how the color contrasts to your skin. It is important to note if it downs out your skin or compliments it.
Mixing purples with metallic colors and shimmer-based products will give you a more rounded and elegant look.
Blend and buff your eyeshadow shades together to get a more cohesive and smooth look on your eyelids.
Always start with a light cream, nude, or peach color as a base before applying the bolder purple colors
With applying bold eye colors like purple, it is best to start off with doing your eyes, then the rest of your face.
If you want to highlight the corners of your eyes, add in darker or lighter shades to enhance them.
Layer the eyeshadow until the desired color is achieved.
Always, always use eyeliner and mascara to finish off your look.
If you are having trouble with perfecting the techniques mentioned above, such as wings or creating cut creases on the eyes, be sure to check out YouTube tutorials. There are many different hacks and shortcuts to perfect the techniques and many knowledgeable people out there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Colors Go Well With Brown Eyes?
Because brown is such a great neutral color, just about any color goes well with brown eyes. With rich brown eyes, colors like cobalt blue, turquoise, teals and other shades of green will also bring out the earthy tones of your eyes.
Other colors that work well with brown eyes are your coppery golden colors, as discovered above also work a charm to bring out your eyes, along with deep reds and orange tones.
How Do You Blend Purple Eyeshadow?
Usually, you will blend the darkest purple shade that you are using in the crease of your eyelid and then go back and forth across the area in small circles until it looks like it has been airbrushed.
You should always start with less eyeshadow and increase as you go, using light strokes. Blending takes time, but the longer you do it, the more polished your look will be at the end of application.
What Color Lipstick Goes Well With Purple Eyeshadow?
Because purple is not a neutral shade of color, you will have to match your lip color to the purple eyeshadow look created on your eyes.
When wearing a very bold purple eyeshadow combination, it is best to stick to pastel and peachy pink lip colors along with muted nudes and taupe.
If you are going for an extra bold look, there is no shame in pairing your purple eyeshadow with a bright and dark red as well.
The choice of lip color is of course all dependent on your skin tone, complexion, and the look that you are going for, but the sky is the limit on the choices on the market these days.
Hi, my name is Miranda Cole, and I’ve been working in the makeup industry for the last 10 years. I began my journey as a beautician, and now I specialize in both makeup and hair.
Over the last 10 years, I have watched as the latest trends change, and have seen the evolution of beauty and makeup in particular. As a result of this, I have a good knowledge of different makeup products, and hairstyles that will suit specific complexions or face shapes.
I want Fabulyst to be an extension of my day job, so that I can help educate others on everything they need to know about fashion and beauty. From the latest style pieces to wear, to the best hairstyles, I will be covering everything there is to know.
