Green sits opposite red-purple on the colour wheel, which makes purple the single most effective shade for green eyes — and the one people are most reluctant to try.

The shades that work

Purple, plum, aubergine, mauve. The strongest contrast available. You do not need a bold purple: even a muted mauve in the crease makes green noticeably greener.

Warm browns, bronze, copper. The everyday option. Warm tones flatter the golden flecks most green eyes have.

Terracotta and rust. Sitting between red and brown, they give strong contrast in a shade that reads as neutral.

Gold, particularly for hazel-leaning green eyes.

The shades to be careful with

Green shadow. Matching your eye colour flattens the contrast, and the eye stops being the focus. If you want green, put it on the lower lash line rather than the lid.

Cool silvers and icy blues. Not wrong, but they compete with green rather than supporting it, and the result is often colder than intended.

Adjusting for your shade of green

  • Light or grey-green — muted mauves and soft taupes. Strong purple can overwhelm
  • True green — the full purple range, plus bronze
  • Hazel-green — golds and warm browns pull out the green; purple pulls out the brown, so pick based on which you want emphasised

Liner and mascara

Plum or deep brown liner rather than black for daytime — softer and it reinforces the contrast. Black works for evening.

Brown mascara suits fair colouring; black gives more definition.

A wearable everyday look

Champagne on the lid, warm taupe in the crease, a touch of plum in the outer corner, brown liner along the upper lashes. The plum is subtle enough for daytime and does most of the work.

For evening

Deepen with aubergine in the outer corner and along the lower outer lash line, keep the inner corner bright, and add black mascara.

What matters more

As with every eye colour: blending, and lifting the outer corner upward rather than dragging it down. Colour choice is the smaller half of the result.

For placement by eye shape, see the eyeshadow guide in the makeup section.