This autumn’s eye trends are popping with colour and definition. Wild combinations and transitions from lid to brow with intricate designs and shapes aren’t just for Instagram models showing off their artistic chops anymore. A full spectrum of bold rainbow hues and solid shades are flashing down the runways this season. Sharply angled liner and liner along the crease say, ‘look at my eyes when I speak to you’. Creativity and colour are taking centre stage and giving us the freedom to draw, colour, and shade to our heart’s and eyes’ content.
Winged liner is here to stay, and it’s showing up in bright green, lavender, cobalt, and sunset. Colourful liners and classic charcoals, browns, and greys can create dramatic smoky looks on their own, or add angles and definition to further the popping effect of bright shades. Pastel versions of bronze and mint are bringing in an almost creamy dessert theme. A liner that can double as a shadow, with defined-but-natural cheeks acting as supporting cast, is this season’s best friend, so try unique combos of By Terry eyeshadow and blush together – the Stylo Blackstar line of 3-in-1 eyeshadow sticks can line, shade, and contour with six sultry selections. Blush should contour but not draw attention away from the all-about-eyes of autumn.
Few could have predicted a look that you could call ‘Glam Raccoon’ would be popular in any season, but bright shadows with full coverage all the way around the eyes is everywhere. Yellow, cobalt, and minty/retro green are popular choices. Splashes of bright colour are also showing up in every form you can think of: top lids only, a bright, thin line along the bottom lid only, the outer or inner corners in thirds, or as angled wings and rectangular blocks.
Which colour should you pick? Stark contrasts are everywhere and there aren’t really any rules to follow here. But if you crave a starting point to make your eyes pop against an intense shade, some classic complementary colour rules are a good starting point. This means colours that are opposed to one another on the colour wheel from back in art class. Red is opposite green; blue is opposite orange; yellow is opposite purple. If you have green eyes, the range of colours on the opposite side, and the colours in that family, will make each other stand out – so reds, pinks, burgundies stand in stark contrast to your green irises. However, think about green eyes with a stinging yellow or a pale pastel blue – those make a statement too, and they’re right next to each other on the wheel. Picking an attractive and unique shadow and liner that has rarely been seen before is really the focal point with any iris!
Glitter is making a show again this season but it’s more subtle. While exciting explosions of colour are one way to go, runways are also seeing a lot of pulled up buns and blunt bobs paired with au naturel faces. A fresh face with subtle contouring blush, smooth neutral lips with slight shine, and glitter lining the eyes is a soft and pretty look for when you want to go more flirty than dramatic.
This season, get creative and have fun colouring in or outside the lines with whatever shades you can get your hands on.
