Everyone’s doing it nowadays—from international celebrities to your favorite YouTube beauty gurus. I’m talking about monochromatic makeup. “Monochro—what?” you might be asking. It’s simple. This global trend is all about matching your focal makeup color with your outfit, or working with the same color family for your eyes, lips, and cheeks! That’s right, all three of them. Whatever your skin tone or fashion choice may be, the madness for monochromatic is a no fail option. It may seem like a daunting task, but with the right product, it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a list of six different, red carpet-worthy looks you can achieve with just one palette!
When it comes to eyes, nude and brown shades are the easiest to work with and flatter practically every shape and skin tone! Using W7’s Arabian Nights palette, sweep one of the three medium shades all over your lids as a base color. Define the crease and outer corner of your eyes with one of the darkest shades, making sure to also blend it into your base color. For best results, use a clean and precise fluffy brush to do the separate blending job. Lastly, highlight the inner corner of your eyes with the lightest shade and pair everything with either a soft, nude lipstick for a classic daytime look or a brown, coppery lipstick for a bolder, evening affair. Step it up by also using any of the darkest shades as a soft, natural-looking eyeliner.
Pairing your eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick can be a challenge even for makeup aficionados. The struggle is real. But what about using your blush as eyeshadow and vice versa? It’s the ultimate ‘monochroma-trick’. With POP Beauty Contour 101’s palette in Luminous Effect, pick up the center blush shade using an eyeshadow brush and sweep all over the lids. For a more intense color pay-off, work with a damp brush. Highlight the inner corners or center of your lids with the left highlighter shade or just leave as is. Then with a blush brush, apply the same center shade to the apples of your cheeks. You’ll be a vision in pink!
This palette isn’t ‘hot‘ just because it has an array of fiery and flattering shades. It’s a local fave among beauty-obsessed influencers. If you want to go for a golden goddess aesthetic, perfect for most special occasions, apply Mustard Yellow Matte or Orange Brown Matte as your base shade and brighten your eyes with Tangerine Silver Shimmer layered over the middle of both lids. Highlight the inner corners with Gold Shimmer and use the same shade to also highlight the tops of your cheekbones. To complete the look, choose a peachy-pink or soft coral lipstick, and with your finger or a brush, dab a touch of Gold Shimmer or Orange Shimmer to the center of your lips!
With universally flattering shades, the Physician’s Formula Bronze Booster Highlight & Contour Palette can add definition and glow to your entire face, including your eyes. Apply the contouring shade all over your lids, making sure to blend softly outwards and up towards your brow bone. Layer the bronzer over the eyelid area only and blend both shades together where they meet for a soft gradient effect. Use the contouring shade again to line just underneath your eyes and blend out once more with a soft, precise brush. Don’t forget to use the same contouring and highlighting shade to define your cheekbones, and with a light hand, sweep the same bronzer along your forehead (and hairline) and just under your jawline for a major glow job.
Blind the haters with just one palette. Any of the three gorgeous highlighting shades can instantly brighten even the darkest eye areas by applying them all over your lids and the inner corners. Get creative by using all three shades and blending them together, or play it safe by sticking to just one. All three compliment one another for full-proof, monochromatic mixing. Finish with an on fleek wing for a timeless, wear anywhere look. Add a twinkle to any passing cutie’s eye and use any of the shades to then highlight your brow bone, the bridge and tip of your nose, the very tops of your cheekbones, and even your cupid’s bow.
If you’re still a little wary about going mono with your makeup and aren’t sure if you’ll make the best color matches, look no further than the Milani Everyday Eyes Powder Eyeshadow palettes. Each variant is perfectly coordinated for the trend and for monochromatic newbies alike so you can’t go wrong. For an ultra glam look, sweep the lightest matte shade from the ‘Must Have Neutrals‘ palette all over your lids and blend up close to the brow bone until all edges are softened out. Dab any of the shimmery shades onto the center of your lids and blend out those edges again. With a light touch, apply the black matte shade to both the outer half and inner half of your lids and once more, blend away. Use the gold or peach shimmery shades as a brilliant highlighter for the tops of your cheekbones and brow bones, too. You can even take the medium matte brown included in the palette to give yourself soft, smoky brows.
Written By:
Ari Yupangco
BEAUTY CONTRIBUTOR
Ari has been blogging since 2012 about all things beauty with a sprinkle of different topics here and there. She loves makeup just as much as she loves almost anything nerdy like video games and comic books, and is big on Japanese culture.
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