Skin tones fall into 5 main categories Porcelain, Fair, Light olive, Dark olive or Dark. Click on your skin category below and discover which makeup colours for the face, lips and eyes best suit your skin tone for a glam-gorgeous party season.
Porcelain skin tone
Pale and flawless like Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightly and Gemma Arterton.
Eyes
For maximum drama create a sultry smokey eye using a spectrum of grey shades from pale through to the grittiest gun metal.
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Benefit smokin' eye makeover kitCreate a graphic outline to the top and bottom of your lash lines using the blackest of black eyeliner or liquid liner.
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Clinique eye defining liquid liner in blackFor the perfect finishing touches... add a stroke of silver glitter to your smokey eye for a glamorous yet subtle look.
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Urban Decay heavy metal glitter eye liner in glam rockFace
Pale skin is naturally flawless so keep foundation to a minimum or use foundations that claim to do this as you want to create a matte or dewy finish to the face.
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Lancôme Teint MiracleFor porcelain skin concealers are your best option to even out the skin tone and disguise any blemishes or dark circles.
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Yves Saint Laurent Touche EclatFor the perfect finishing touches... aDust the face with a translucent powder to give your skin a beautiful velvety lustre.
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bareMinerals mineral veilCheeks
Cheeks should be kept bare but if you do want to give cheeks a flush of colour keep it subtle with soft pink shades.
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Clinique blushing blush powderFor the perfect finishing touches... Slightly dust the apples of your cheeks and up to the hairline.
Lips
Lip stains in subtle pink tones through to soft berry shades work best for your complexion. Avoid strong and vibrant lipsticks.
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Benefit Benetint lip and cheek stainFor the perfect finishing touches... Add a clear lip gloss to give lips a shiny fuller look. Alternatively, use a lip gloss with just a hint of colour.
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Natio moisturising lip gloss clearFair skin tone
A classic English Rose complexion like Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Beckinsale.
Eyes
Fair skin tones can experiment with colour for the eyes to create a sexy and on-trend party look. Choose blue colours from electric blue, through to navy, sapphire and midnight blue or purple shades including a sumptuous deep violet.
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Dior 5 colour eyeshadow in mistic smoky or night dustUsing a coloured eye pencil that complements the shade of your eyeshadow choice, outline the top and bottom of your lash line.
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Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on eye pencilFor the perfect finishing touches... Add lashings and lashings of mascara.
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Lancôme Definicils Mascara in NoirFace
Your skin is fair so don't go over board with foundation. All you need is to even out the skin tone. Liquid foundations work best as the texture is light creating a flawless, dewy finish.
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Estée Lauder double wear lightUse a concealer to even out the skin tone and disguise any blemishes or dark circles.
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Benefit Boi-ingFor the perfect finishing touches... Apply a light dusting of transcluent powder to set your base and give a beautiful velvety lustre.
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bareMinerals mineral veilCheeks
Give cheeks a flush of colour and keep it subtle with soft pink to peachy shades.
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Too Faced Brightening Blusher in Pinch My CheeksFor the perfect finishing touches... Try a cream blusher and then dust over with light coating of powder blusher.
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Illamasqua Cream BlushersLips
Keep lips neutral or opt for soft pinks and peaches.
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YSL Rouge VolupteFor the perfect finishing touches... Add a clear lip gloss to give lips a shiny fuller look. Alternatively, use a lip gloss with just a hint of colour.
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Natio moisturising lip gloss clearLight Olive skin tone
Pale skin with a tendency to tan easily for a subtle golden glow like Jennifer Aniston, Lucy Liu, Jessica Alba.
Eyes
For full on glamour create a sultry smokey eye using intense shades from grey through to browns and bronzes. Choose an eyeshadow that has a slight shimmer to it.
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Urban Decay NYC Book of Shadows Vol.IIICreate a graphic outline to the top and bottom of your lash lines using the blackest of black eyeliner or liquid liner. For best results elongate the eye by taking the line up to the eye socket. Use a pencil first and trace over with the liquid liner.
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Lancôme Le Crayon Khol eye linerFor the perfect finishing touches... Coat the lashes with black mascara. Alternatively, get a false eyelash cut it in half and glue to the outer corners of the eyes.
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Eyelure Naturalites Intense 147Face
Let the gorgeous golden tan tones of your skin shine through. Use a light liquid or mineral based foundation to create a flawless, dewy finish.
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Yves Saint Laurent Perfect Touch Radiant Brush FoundationUse a concealer to even out the skin tone and disguise any blemishes or dark circles.
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Benefit Boi-ingFor the perfect finishing touches... Apply a light dusting of transcluent powder to set your base and give a beautiful velvety lustre.
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bareMinerals mineral veilCheeks
Cheeks should be kept bare but if you do want to give cheeks a flush of colour keep it subtle with the palest of pale pink and rose shades. Powders and cream blushers both work well.
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Diorblush - glowing color powder blushFor the perfect finishing touches... To accentuate your natural glow use a gold highlighter to the brow and cheekbones for a subtle glam finish that effortlessly complements your skin tone.
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Benefit girl meets pearlLips
Keep lips neutral or opt for soft pinks and peaches.
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YSL Rouge VolupteFor the perfect finishing touches... Add a clear lip gloss to give lips a shiny fuller look. Alternatively, use a lip gloss with just a hint of colour.
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Natio moisturising lip gloss clearDark Olive skin tone
Skin that tans easily for a more intense golden glow like Eva Longoria, Salma Hayek, Freido Pinto.
Eyes
Choose metallic shades in earthy shades such as green and brown or be daring and opt for striking gold and silver. Metallic eyeshadows have a shimmer to it for ultimate glam appeal.
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Urban Decay black eye paletteCreate a graphic outline to the top and bottom of your lash lines using the blackest of black eyeliner or liquid or gel liner.
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Smashbox Jet Set waterproof eyelinerFor the perfect finishing touches... Add false eyelashes to all your lashes or just to the outer corners by cutting one lash in half.
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Eyelure Naturalites Intense 147Face
Use a light liquid or mineral foundation. Apply heavier to the areas that need to be evened such as dark circles or any blemishes.
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Yves Saint Laurent Perfect Touch Radiant Brush FoundationApply concealer and dust the cheeks with a translucent powder to give your skin a beautiful velvety lustre.
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bareMinerals mineral veilFor the perfect finishing touches... If your skin is oily use a shine-stopping compact powder.
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Clinique Stay-Matte sheer pressed powderCheeks
Apply a cream blusher in neutral to nude shades to the apples of your cheeks and towards the hairline. Blend in well.
For the perfect finishing touches... Add a 3 dimensional glow to your cheeks by layering a bronzer over your cream blusher. Apply the bronzer around the sides of your face - start at the temples and work down to the upper cheekbones and towards the jawline creating a '3 shape' along the sides of your face. Then layer your cream blusher along the apples of your cheeks so it sits on top of the bronzer.
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Benefit Hoola bronzing powderLips
Keep the focus on the metallic eyes so avoid vibrant lipsticks and opt for neutral lipsticks.
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Chanel Rouge CocoFor the perfect finishing touches... Add a clear lip gloss to give lips a shiny fuller look. Alternatively, use a lip gloss with just a hint of natural colour.
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Natio moisturising lip gloss clearDark skin tone
A deeper and darker skin tone like Rihanna, Halle Berry, Beyonce.
Eyes
For full on glamour create a glamorous smokey eye using a mix of gold and brown shades. Opt for one's with a shimmer or metallics. Two-tone the look by blending brown shades to the inner socket and working out to gold. Remember to blend evenly.
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Clarins Barocco eye colour trioCreate a graphic outline to the lower lash line only using the blackest of black kohl eyeliner.
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Chanel Le Crayon KholFor the perfect finishing touches... Volumise the lashes with a mascara or add false eyelashes.
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Yves Saint Laurent volume effect Faux CilsFace
Use a light liquid or mineral foundation. Apply heavier to the areas that need to be evened such as dark circles or any blemishes.
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Black Up fluid foundationUse a concealer to even out the skin tone and disguise any blemishes or dark circles.
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Fashion Fair concealerFor the perfect finishing touches... Apply a light dusting of transcluent powder to set your base and give a beautiful velvety lustre.
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Clinique Stay-Matte sheer pressed powderCheeks
Add some colour in cream or powder format to the cheeks. Rich burgundy or deep berry shades will work well to complement the brown and gold shades you've applied to the eyes.
For the perfect finishing touches... Use cream blusher first and dust over subtly with a powder blusher.
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Illamasqua cream blusherLips
Make lips the focus by outlining with a rich burgundy, brown or burgundy coloured pencil and then fill in with a deep berry or hot pink lipstick that gives a glamorous yet sexy vampy look.
For the perfect finishing touches... Add a clear lip gloss to give lips a shiny fuller look.
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Natio moisturising lip gloss clear

