How to Pair a Bold Red Lip with Rose Gold Eye Shadow

What better way to usher in spring than by changing up your makeup routine? Seriously, it’s the perfect time to try an updated smoky eye and a classic red lip! Whereas the cooler months of the year are home to dusty gray eye shadow and oxblood lipstick, we’re firm believers that sunny weather is worthy of warmer hues. While rose gold started out as a fashion trend and then shifted into hair color, it’s now migrated to the makeup world—and let us tell you, it looks positively stunning on just about every skin tone. And surprisingly, rose gold eye shadow pairs really well with red lipstick. Want to learn how to flawlessly pair the latest rose gold makeup with an age-old red lip? We’ve got you covered with the how-to. So, grab your makeup bag and get to work!

HOW TO DO A ROSE GOLD SMOKY EYE

We will forever love the intensity of a traditional dark smoky eye, but there’s just something oh-so-pretty about rose gold makeup and how it shimmers in the light. Here’s how to embrace the jewelry-inspired look.

Step 1: Start with eye primer

When you’re working with highly pigmented eye shadows, it’s a good idea to use an eye primer first. This can help create an even canvas to apply your eye shadow, and it can also help your eye makeup stay in place.

Step 2: Create your base

Using a flat eye shadow brush, layer your lid with a rose gold eye shadow, like the L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24 HR Eye Shadow in Amber Rush.

Step 3: Add depth to your crease

Next, using a soft crease brush, gently blend a slightly darker rose gold-accented hue, like the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Eyeshadow in Pain Au Chocolat, into the crease of your eye, working your way in from the outermost corner. Be sure to fully blend this new layer of color where it meets your base in order to avoid any harsh lines of demarcation.

Step 4: Highlight your brow bone

To complete your shadowed look, dip your blending brush into an almost-white eye shadow—like the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Eyeshadow in Paris Beach—and swipe it underneath the tail end of your brows to help mimic the way light would naturally make your bone structure pop.

Step 5: Finish with a cat eye

To complete your gorgeous statement eye, top it off with a quick swipe of black liquid eyeliner, like the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Eyeliner in Black Party, along your upper lash line.

HOW TO DO A BRIGHT RED LIP

Now that you have your eye makeup look on point, it’s time to complement it with a pretty red pout. Here’s the thing about classic red lips: Whether they’re paired with jeans and a T-shirt or an evening gown, the effect is all the same—pretty and polished. To perfect a bright red lip, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Exfoliate your lips

Before swiping on your lip color, slough off any dead skin cells that might be on the surface of your lips with a lip scrub. This will make for a much smoother application process.

Step 2: Line your lips

When you’re working with a highly-pigmented lipstick, using a lip liner first can help prevent your color from feathering—plus, it can add definition to your pout. Use one in a shade that matches your lips, choosing from the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lip Liner line.

Step 3: Apply your lipstick

Using the red lipstick of your choice—may we suggest the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Paints/Lip in DIY Red—fill in your lips starting at your cupid’s bow and working your way out to the corners. For a bright red lip with more of a matte finish, try the L'Oréal Paris Rouge Signature, Lasting Matte Liquid Lipstick in I Am Worth It instead.

Step 4: Use foundation to clean the edges

Working with super-bright lipstick can be a little intimidating. The good news is that a little swipe of concealer can help fix any lip mishaps and make your lips look a bit more refined in general. All you have to do is dip an angled brush into the concealer of your choice and use it around the perimeter of your lips.

MORE eye makeup for red lips: 3 EASY IDEAS

Because red lipstick is so classic and is fit for so many occasions, you might wonder about the other eye makeup looks that pair well with a perfectly red pout. As usual, we have a few ideas. Keep reading to learn about three other eye makeup ideas for red lips.

#1: natural makeup

A perennial favorite that won’t ever go out of style, natural eye makeup is a sure bet for just about any lip color—including a red lip. The idea behind natural eye makeup is to accentuate and enhance your, well, natural features. To do so, you can customize your natural makeup look to your eye color, too. The final result is a subtle eye makeup look that really lets your natural beauty shine. Here is the best Natural Makeup for Every Eye Color.

#2: Shimmery metallic shades

In addition to rose gold, there are plenty of other metallic eye shadow hues that deserve the spotlight (i.e. your attention). The best part is that when it comes to metallics, you can play around with one or two shades to customize your look (and match it to whatever you’re wearing). Try the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Metallics Eye Shadow, which comes in five different high-impact shades, or the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Crushed Foiled Metallic Eye Shadow, which is available in three illuminating hues.

#3: nude shadow

Sometimes you might just want to let your bold red lip color shine on its own, and that’s totally fine, too! Pair your red lipstick with a nude eyeshadow that will enhance your natural eyes without taking away from that gorgeous red lip color. Try the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche La Palette Nude, which comes with ten highly-pigmented shades in shimmery, matte, and satin finishes.

Next up: Explore your darker side! Here’s How to Find the Best Dark Lipstick for Your Skin Tone.