Eyemaxxing: How to Make Your Eye Color Pop With Shadow, Liner and Mascara

Eyemaxxing is the social media name for a simple idea: instead of piling on dramatic shadow or graphic liner, you pick colors and placement that make your own eyes look brighter and more defined. CHANEL makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown told ELLE that the goal is “maximum eye impact by using the correct colors and tools while keeping application light and minimal.”

If that sounds familiar, it should. Malaysian makeup artists Azmier Hisyamuqris and Kenzooi both told The Star that the techniques behind it have been around for a long time. What is new is the name, and the fact that a lot more people are now learning how to work with the features they already have.

Colors that sit opposite each other on the color wheel make each other look more intense. Blue sits opposite orange, green sits opposite red, and purple sits opposite yellow. Put a warm, orange-leaning shade next to a blue iris and the blue reads as bluer.

Brown explains that this contrast is what pulls focus to the eyes without heavy makeup: “Using color theory means a little product goes a long way to bring out the eyes as a focal point.” You are not trying to match your eye color. You are trying to frame it.

These pairings come from Brown’s recommendations to ELLE, with extra dark-brown-eye options from Kenzooi. Treat them as a makeup artist’s starting point, not a rule. Your own taste, skin tone and the light you’re in all matter.

Blue eyes

Swap cool grays and icy blues for warm peach, a soft terracotta or a rusty copper. A wash of peach across the lid is the gentlest version; a rust liner along the upper lash line is the most noticeable. For more ideas, see our makeup tricks for gorgeous blue eyes.

Green eyes

Mauve and maroon are the classic pairings. A dusty mauve all over the lid with a deeper maroon smudged at the outer corner makes green look almost jewel-toned. Purples and plums in the same family work too.

Hazel eyes

Hazel eyes shift between green, gold and brown, and burgundy or berry shades bring all of those flecks forward. A berry liner is an easy way to see which color your hazel leans toward on a given day.

Brown and dark brown eyes

Brown eyes can wear almost anything, which makes it easy to overlook how much a shade change helps. Brown recommends plum and emerald for dimension, or gold to bring out the natural warmth.

For very dark brown eyes, Kenzooi suggests warm brown, bronze and champagne shadows, in a matte or shimmery finish depending on how much glow you want. Green or teal liner also makes a pretty contrast on brown eyes. For more shade ideas, browse our eye shadows for brown eyes.

You don’t need a full eye look to eyemaxx. Pick one of these and use the shade from your row of the table:

If you want a liner shade guide, our breakdown of the best eyeliner shade for your eye color goes deeper.

Color is only half of it. “Every eye shape is unique, including almond, hooded, monolid, round, downturned, and upturned eyes. Different eye shapes require different makeup techniques,” Kenzooi told The Star. A few tips from both artists:

Eyemaxxing has two siblings, and they follow the same “enhance what you have” idea.

Lipmaxxing is about definition and the look of fullness, not changing the shape of your lips. Azmier lines the lips with a liner one shade darker than your natural lip color, blends it softly, then adds tint and a dab of gloss in the center for a naturally plumped effect. Kenzooi suggests slight, soft overlining. If your lips are on the thinner side, try our makeup tips for thin lips or these ways to make your lips look bigger.

Nailmaxxing skips elaborate nail art in favor of healthy, neat natural nails: careful shaping, cuticle care, buffing and natural-looking colors. Nail spa founder Ivy Chong advises regular trimming, moisturizing hands and cuticles, and not using your nails as tools. Her biggest warning: don’t peel off gel polish. Forcing it off can strip away layers of the nail plate and leave nails thinner, weaker and more likely to split. Have it removed properly instead.

What is eyemaxxing?

Eyemaxxing is a makeup approach that uses complementary colors and light, strategic placement to make your natural eye color and shape stand out, without heavy or dramatic makeup.

What eyeshadow color makes my eyes pop?

According to makeup artist Tasha Reiko Brown: peach, terracotta or rust for blue eyes; mauve or maroon for green; burgundy or berry for hazel; and plum, emerald or gold for brown. For dark brown eyes, Kenzooi recommends warm brown, bronze and champagne.

Can I eyemaxx with just liner or mascara?

Yes. A colored liner on the upper lash line or waterline, or two coats of colored mascara on curled lashes, is enough to bring out your eye color.

Does eyemaxxing work on dark brown eyes?

Yes. Plum, emerald and gold create contrast, and warm brown, bronze and champagne shadows complement very dark eyes in a softer way. Teal or green liner is another option.

What are lipmaxxing and nailmaxxing?

Lipmaxxing uses lip liner, soft overlining and center gloss to define lips and make them look fuller. Nailmaxxing focuses on healthy, well-groomed natural nails rather than elaborate nail art.

Is eyemaxxing new?

The name is. The techniques, from complementary shadow to tightlining and brow shaping, have been part of makeup artistry for a long time; social media just gave them a catchy label.