The colour makeup wheel is your friend. Trust the colour wheel!

The artists’ colour wheel is a great makeup aid, helping you perfect face, skin, and eye makeup. It also allows you to experiment with a near-endless number of shades. All this and more on how the colour wheel for makeup can influence our choices in makeup.

Learning the basics: What is a colour wheel?

Even if you look at the most basic colour wheel for makeup, you’ll find that it comprises 12 colours:

• The three main or primary colours: red, blue, and yellow.
• The three secondary colours: green, orange, and purple.
• The six tertiary colours which are amber, magenta, chartreuse, teal, violet, and vermilion.

How can an artists’ colour wheel influence the way we apply makeup?

Whether you’re using a makeup colour wheel for eyes, an eyeshadow colour makeup wheel or one for your face, the colour wheel can influence your makeup choices in three key ways:

Understanding what your undertones are

Most women using makeup understand what generally works for them well – most of the time, anyway. However, they often don’t consider how a colour wheel for makeup can actually impact their day-to-day choices when we talk about concealer, foundation, or colour cosmetics, for example. 

Such products are available in undertones like cool – i.e. red/purple or pink/blue – and warm, such as golden or yellow. When you try out different foundation shades to see which one disappears first, you can effectively understand whether it’s better to go with a cool, warm, or neutral undertone to match your skin. It’s almost magical once you figure it out!

Coming up with a specific makeup look

Now, we’ll admit that not every single kind of makeup look under the sun can benefit from the colour theory, but a colour wheel makeup, on the other hand, can definitely prove to be useful. 

Let’s say you want a dynamic look that’s really subtle – the artists’ colour wheel, in this case, can help you come up with what’s referred to as ‘stealth contrast’, and more balanced harmony – both of which can provide a truly exceptional final look. 

See, once you understand how the placement of colours work on the wheel, you essentially have the power in your fingertips to make your cheekbones pop more, for example, make your specific eye colour stand out, or select a lip colour that accentuates your overall look in more ways than one. 

Colour correction to hide unwanted aesthetics and step up the overall look 

The makeup colour wheel for eyes and skin is actually a fantastic colour correction tool. 

For instance, if you look at blue on the wheel, its exact opposite is orange. Well now, let’s say you have dark circles along with blue undertones – you can easily conceal them through varying tones of peaches, soft pinks, and orange right before applying concealer. This extra work can really pay off and go a long way to cover up blemishes and other unwanted aesthetics. 

See? Like magic. 

If you’re looking for a good colour wheel to start off with, the Ben Nye FX Color Wheels will more than live up to the task.

Understanding how the colour wheel applies to different skin tones

All of us have different skin tones, each one quite unique in its own way. Did you know that you can use the colour wheel for makeup to choose complementary shades for blushes, eyeshadows, and more? 

Let’s take deep and very fair skin tones, for example. With these skin tones, you can get away with pretty much any colour, right? They’re overall neutral, after all, and you can experiment by mixing in at least one cool or warm shade to make the final look more dynamic. To give you a quick example: if you’re wearing warm/peachy eyeshadow with a warm/rosey lip stain, then a cool/pink cheek colour can help you achieve subtle or “quiet” contrast, as we like to call it. 

Similarly, medium-olive skin tones are mostly neutral-warm which means to create a subtle look, you’ll be using warm makeup colours to achieve a harmonious effect within the skin. To create a little extra drama, you might use cool eyeshadows colours – plums, purples, and blues or cool cheek colours, such as fuschia, to create a contrasting effect within the warm skin tone and really make your makeup stand out.

Plus, don’t forget to learn about the best dark colours for shades. 

Using the colour wheel to improve your face and eye makeup

Alright, let’s start with makeup colour wheel for eyes:

The colour wheel can really take your eye makeup to the next level. All you need to do is take into account your specific eye colour, and you will almost always find a complementary shade that’s beyond perfect:

• For blue eyes, we recommend shades of yellow and orange to create the desired eye makeup look.
• For brown eyes, experiment with shades of purple or blue and integrate that into your look.
• For hazel eyes, shades of orange, gold, and pink are great. 
• And, for green eyes, choose shades of red and pink to add extra zest to your look.

Now, let’s move on to the colour wheel makeup for face:

The colour wheel can prove just as useful when it comes to wearing facial makeup in a way that makes your skin tone look absolutely flawless. So, let’s do some colour correcting, shall we? 

If you’ve never done colour correction for facial makeup then here’s a quick refresher: colour correction requires the use of specific makeup products to eliminate discoloured skin. Typical suspects include dark circles and redness, so it’s a great way to have an even and fresh-looking complexion. 

When devising your daily face makeup strategy, here’s how you can use the artists’ colour wheel to your advantage:

• For dark circles or hyperpigmentation, a peach or orange colour corrector is your best companion. Again, blue is the opposite of orange on the colour wheel (surprise, surprise!).
• For redness, a green colour corrector can help you create more even skin tone. If you look at the colour wheel, red is the exact opposite of green – the two shades cancel each other out, helping to neutralise the skin tone. 
• For broken capillaries or spots, use a yellow colour corrector. This will help to even out your skin tone. Again, look at the colour wheel and you’ll find that yellow is the exact opposite of purple, thus, helping to neutralise the skin in case of the above issue. 

Top 5 shade recommendations according to the colour wheel for makeup

By now we know that an eyeshadow colour wheel or one for the face and skin can help to even out your skin tone, with one of the key benefits being your eye colour popping more. But did you also know that specific shades can be paired together to highlight your facial features even better? Here are our top five picks:

Yellow eyelids with purple eyeliner

Yellow has been trending a lot as of late when it comes to eye makeup. If you want to achieve a beauty look inspired by sunshine itself, paint your eyelids with a beautiful yellow shade. Use a purple eyeliner to line the upper lash line to finish off the look. When these two tones work together, they can absolutely look divine. 

Green eyeliner with pink blush

Want to add an extra pop of colour to your eyes? First, use a green eyeliner to line the lower lash line. If you look at the colour makeup wheel, you’ll see that a dab of pink blush across your cheeks provides a beautiful complementary accent. 

Blue eyeshadow with coral lips

Another trending look is blue eyeshadow work with a coral lip. 

Blue and orange are perfect opposites on the colour wheel, so the opposing shades will pair perfectly to bring out your best features. 

Gold lids with blue mascara 

Want to add a touch of luxury and glimmer to your face? Then you must wear golden lids with a bit of blue mascara!

Let’s take a look at our colour wheel – ah, yes – these too were meant to be together forever!

Coral cheeks with turquoise eyeliner

Fancy a more summer-like makeup in winters? It’s been done before and it’s gotten quite popular, so why not, right? 

Bright coral cheeks pair effortlessly with a touch of turquoise eyeliner, because the colour wheel says so!

Use A Colour Makeup Wheel Now

Whether you use the eyeshadow colour makeup wheel, a performance SFX colour wheel or a colour makeup wheel in general, if you know how to cleverly pair specific colours according to your skin tone and eye colour, then you’ve got it made as a beauty queen!

Hopefully, this article has armed you with the knowledge on how to effectively use the colour wheel for makeup to achieve a variety of looks. While you’re at it, also check out how to remove temporary tattoos as you never know when you may need to reclaim unused space on your face and body!

On a side note, ever wondered ‘what is spirit gum’? If you’ve put on any special kind of makeup that needs removing, then this can be a lifesaver! 

FAQs

How do you use the colour wheel for makeup?

The colour wheel helps you choose complementary colors for makeup. Pick shades opposite each other for contrast or adjacent colours for a harmonious look.

How do you know what colours look good on you in makeup?

Determine your undertone (cool, warm, or neutral) to find flattering makeup shades. Cool undertones suit cool colours, while warm undertones shine with warm tones.

What makeup colours go together?

Makeup colours that go well together often follow a theme. For example, earthy tones like browns and greens complement each other, while neutrals pair with almost any color.

How do I choose a makeup colour palette?

Select a makeup colour palette based on your skin tone, eye colour, and the occasion. Experiment with shades that enhance your natural features and match your style.

Sources

Halpern, L., Carhart, R., Lentz, K., (2023) The 12 Best Color Correctors for Dark Circles, Tested & Reviewed. In Style. [online] Available at: https://www.instyle.com/beauty/makeup/best-color-correctors-for-dark-circles [accessed 20/12/23]