Natural Makeup for Brown Eyes to Freshen Up Your Look

A simple, sleek look to highlight your natural features.

Brown is the most common eye color, so fortunately there’s an abundance of makeup products available for your use that complement your natural features. For a natural look, a little always go a long way. When applying natural makeup for brown eyes—whether you have dark brown or hazel irises—we recommend sticking to nude tones, minimal eye makeup, and a clear complexion. Follow the makeup tutorial below for a fresh everyday look, and embrace the natural makeup artist in you.

Natural makeup for brown eyes

1. Prep skin with skin care and primer

To keep your makeup as smooth and minimal as possible, it’s important to prep your face for flawless application, and prevent against creasing or flaking.

• First thoroughly cleanse and tone your face to remove excess oil, dead skin cells, and other gunk. We recommend ingredients like tea tree oil to help minimize pimples as found in the Black Mint Cleanser from Odacite, or a rosewater toner to soothe inflamed and reddened skin.
• Follow with the rest of your skin care routine. 
• End with a moisturizer to prevent flaky skin.
  • Oily skin types will want to choose a Mattifying Moisturizer to minimize grease and prevent makeup from slipping.
  • Dry skin types will benefit from a Hydrating Moisturizer for smooth, radiant skin.
• Apply a makeup primer all over your face to create a smooth canvas. Make sure to pat the primer in evenly and leave a minute for it to absorb.

2. Apply a natural foundation

Choose a natural foundation with a satin or dewy finish, and sheer to medium coverage.

• We highly recommend using a serum foundation because the coverage is more adjustable and the formula blends seamlessly into skin. Serum foundations are also unique in that they nourish skin with wear to prevent against sudden flare-ups. That way you’re blurring the appearance of your blemishes while also preventing against them too!
  • Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation from Gressa: Medium to full coverage with velvety finish, ideal for all skin types.
  • Phyto-Pigments Flawless Serum Foundation from Juice Beauty: Medium to full coverage with dewy finish.
  • Essential Foundation from Sappho New Paradigm: Light to medium coverage with dewy finish. Especially beneficial for acne-prone skin.
• Apply a layer of natural foundation on your face sparingly. Stick to using just enough to blur imperfections and even out your skin tone. Make sure your foundation is evenly blended over your skin for the most natural look.

3. Define your eyebrows

In a natural makeup for brown eyes, feel free to embrace full brows! Your eye color will usually be darker than others, so a full set of brows will help add more balance to your face.

• Don’t use concealer to highlight the edges, or your eyebrows will look too glam for a natural makeup look. The key is for your eyebrows to look defined enough for a fresh, groomed appearance. 
• For the most natural eyebrows, make sure you know what your ideal eyebrow shape is. Most of the time, this means tracing your natural brow bone with your finger and following with brow makeup. You might also need to groom your eyebrows according to what’s best for your face shape.
• For brown eyes, select a brown eyebrow pencil, powder, or gel that matches your natural brow color.
• First focus on filling in any gaps. Apply your eyebrow makeup gently in single layers at first. Once you’re satisfied with the uniform look of your eyebrows, feel free to define your eyebrow tails while keeping makeup minimal.

4. Tightline your eyes

A cat eye won’t do for a natural makeup look, but tightlining will! Tightlining involves drawing eyeliner on your upper lash line and along your water line. When done right, it defines the shape of your eyes and makes your lashes look thicker, but will almost look like you’re not wearing any eyeliner! It’s an easy way to brighten up your eye area for a fresh, clean look.

• For tightlining, choose a natural eyeliner that won’t irritate your eyes. Both a black and brown eyeliner would work well for brown eyes.
  • We recommend a liquid liner with a felt tip to easily reach between lashes, or a jojoba oil eyeliner pencil for smooth, flawless application.
• Use short strokes on your upper lash line, taking care not to stray from your waterline. Tightline your eyes from the inner corner (slightly after your tear duct) all the way to the outer corner. Holding your eyeliner vertically will help too!

5. Apply eye shadow (optional)

We prefer to go without eyeshadow for a natural makeup look, but feel free to contour your eyes with a thin layer of eyeshadow. That means applying nude eyeshadows on the outer corner of your eyes, and blending thoroughly into the rest of your skin. Try an eye tint that goes on sheer and is easily blendable.

You can also follow with a white eyeliner or eyeshadow to highlight your eyes. Dab it gently near your lower tear duct to instantly define your eyes.

5. Apply mascara

Apply just one coat of black or brown mascara to your upper lashes for the most natural look.

• Wiggle the mascara wand slowly from roots to ends to prevent clumping and flaking. Regardless of which mascara color you go for, make sure to choose a natural mascara formula that won’t irritate your sensitive eyes and carefully separates lashes for a defined look.

6. Apply lip and cheek tint

For a natural makeup look, you’ll want to stay away from matte lipsticks or lip gloss. A lip tint provides just a sheer wash of color to give healthy color to your lips. You can also use a lip tint on your cheeks for a natural flush.

• Use a finger to pick up a thin layer of product. Dab your finger lightly onto your lips.
• Next, apply a sheer layer of the tint to the apple of your cheeks. Remember to blend it thoroughly onto your cheeks!

Everyone is different, so feel free to just use this makeup tutorial as a general guideline to crafting the perfect look for you. Just be sure to prep with skin care for flawless and lasting application. Focus on applying just a little bit of makeup at a time, blend it out thoroughly, and you’ll achieve a natural look that will show off your brown eyes in all their beauty.

Stay up to date with more makeup tips and tricks to elevate your look:

Best Eyeliner Color for Brown Eyes: Create a standout look just by switching up the color of your eyeliner.
6 Best Primers for Large Pores and a Flawless Complexion: Featuring lightweight, nourishing ingredients that blur imperfections and prep for makeup.
9 Natural Concealers for a Picture-Perfect Complexion: High quality ingredients, luxurious texture, and a flawless finish to reveal your natural beauty.