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Enhance one of your most alluring features by determining the best eye shadow colors for blue gray eyes.

Choosing the Right Shades

There are several strategies to choose the right eye shadow to best accentuate your eye color. First, don’t match you eye shadow to your clothing! Instead, choose shadows that complement your eyes and are appropriate depending on your destination or the time of day. Subtle shadow is appropriate for daytime wear at work or school, while you can take it up a notch for a night on the town.

Opposites Attract

Remember the color wheel from art class? The opposite of blue is orange. These two colors complement each other and both appear more intense when they are adjacent. Obviously orange eye shadow would be a little shocking, but think warm tones like brown, bronze, peach and gold. For daytime wear, try brushing a peach or beige shadow with a subtle shimmer from your eye lids to brows. This natural look can be paired with brown eyeliner and mascara. If you desire a more contoured look, brush a little gray-brown shadow along your eye creases and blend thoroughly.

At night, experiment with glittery bronze and gold shadows. Using an eyeshadow brush, apply the shadow all the way around your eye for a dramatic effect. Another option is to use gold or bronze shadow to accentuate a dark brown smoky eye.

The Blue Eyeshadow Debate

Some might argue that blue eye shadow is best left in the 1980s, but a grayed-down shade of blue can really enhance blue gray eyes. Don’t pick a shadow that exactly matches your eye color. Instead, try a deeper shade that matches the rim of your eyes. Apply slate blue shadow close to your eyelids and blend it with a pale gray shadow to fade towards your brow bone. At night, create a smoky eye using navy shadow and eyeliner. Neither of these looks screams “blue eyeshadow!” so you won’t have to worry about looking dated.

Other Flattering Shadows for Blue Gray Eyes

Aside from warm, orange-based colors and cool blue shadows, there are a few other good choices for eye shadow colors for blue gray eyes. Most shades of gray are flattering on every eye color. For daytime, try pale shimmery grays, and at night go smoky with dark charcoal shadow. Another flattering color to try is purple. Violet runs the risk of looking as dated as 80s blue shadow, but if you apply a sheer layer it will look chic and modern. Deep eggplant shadow applied close to the lash line will make blue gray eyes look even bluer.

Where to Buy Eye Shadow Colors for Blue Gray Eyes

Many cosmetic companies offer eye shadow sets selected specifically to complement your eye color. This takes a lot of the guess work out of choosing the right shadow. There are several sets available for blue gray eyes:

• Hot Lashes
• Almay intense i-color, available at many drugstores
• Sephora Blue Eye Palette
• POP Beauty Blue Eye Class
• Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner by Physicians Formula

Final Word: Tips for Choosing and Applying Shadow

Even if you are experienced at shopping for makeup and have years of experience applying it, here are a few eye shadow tips you should keep in mind.

• Choose one feature to accentuate. If you are wearing dramatic shadow, keep the remainder of your makeup, such as cheeks and lips, on the subtle side.

• Invest in a good set of eye shadow and liner brushes to ensure even application. However, don’t be afraid to use your fingers to blend, too!

• If you don’t have much experience choosing the right shadow for your eye color or often end up hating your purchase after you get home and try it out, go to a department store and enlist the help of the makeup counter staff. Schedule an appointment for a makeover to ensure one-on-one attention. Also, try shopping at stores like Sephora and Ulta where you can test out the shadow before you buy it.

• Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment! There are no hard and fast rules about makeup.