Summer is a season that just calls out for colour — and we’re not just talking about citrus-coloured skinny jeans or watermelon-hued wedges. The spring/summer runways were filled to the brim with maxed out colour — neons, vibrant blues, corals, orange, greens and reds all made an appearance next to summer’s classic white’s and neutrals. Beauty wise, makeup artists didn’t shy away from hot hues either. Bright, bold, look-at-me colours are a hot makeup trend and one that’s perfect to add into your summer makeup routine.

But we all know that without the right technique, applying bold coloured makeup can go disastrously wrong (we so don’t want to leave the house looking like we got into an early morning rumble with a face blending brush … and the brush won.) So we marched straight to the experts to get their no-fail tips for creating one of the summer’s white-hot summer eye makeup looks.

COLOURED EYELINER

This look comes from Marni, Monique Lhuillier and boasts a juicy tangerine shade on top. A dramatic swipe of white underneath the eye completes the look. “The key to this look is finding two colours that contrast each other, like white and black, yellow and blue or orange and blue,” says Lora Spiga, Lancôme’s official makeup artist.

Get the look

Ready to sharpen your eyeliner pencils and get going? Spiga offers these step-by-step tips to help you get this look:

1. Prep the eye contour with concealer and lid primer.

2. Apply concealer with fingertips to inner corner of the eye or wherever concealer is a needed. Set concealer with power so that it looks fresh longer.

3. Apply lid base to keep the liner in place.

4. Apply a bronze eyeliner pencil as close to the upper lashline as possible. Make sure that the liner is sharp so that the line appears sharper and so that you can create a wing tip.

5. Start at the inside corner and continue outward extending outward.

6. Apply white kohl to the entire lower lashline, slightly into the lashline, giving it a messier, unintentional look.

View summer’s hottest eyeliner looks, from graphic to girlie (and get the how-tos!) here.

Now that you have your eyeliner set, complete your summer makeup look on the next page …

Make the liner the showstopper

Once you’ve applied your eyeliner, consider packing up your makeup bag and heading out the door without a thing else on your face. “Since the liner is the star of the show, don’t over do it with mascara or don’t use mascara at all,” suggests Spiga. “Just make sure to conceal the eye contour so that the eyeliner colour makes more of a statement.” And if you want to take this look from day to night, Spiga recommends using two colours that are more intense or deeper, like black on the top and purple on the bottom or vice versa. For nighttime, go with a swipe of mascara and a natural lipstick or gloss to let your eyes take centre stage.

What eyeliner colours work best for your eye colour?

“When you decide to wear a runway look this bold, colour theory goes out the window. No rules apply,” says Spiga. “If you are bold enough to wear a look like this then you shouldn’t be afraid of wearing any colours regardless of your eye colour.”

But if you really want to make a statement, Spiga recommends:
Blue eyes: orange eyeliner

Hazel eyes: pink and purple eyeliners

Brown eyes: blue eyeliner

Three tips for wearing this look

Before you get started, here are Spiga’s top three tips for really rocking this look:

1. Keep the rest of your makeup discreet; let your eyeliner be the star of the show.

2. Don’t be afraid of experimenting with different colours.

3. Don’t over apply mascara; keep it more on the natural side.

Read more:

Summer’s craziest eye makeup trends

The best eyeliner looks of the season

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