How to Effectively Match Your Makeup with Your Favorite Items of Jewelry

Matching your makeup with your jewelry can hugely enhance your look, making both you and your accessories sparkle! It can be tricky knowing where to start, especially if you’re worried about ‘over-doing’ your look or if you have a special event coming up and want to look your very best.

When it comes to matching, there are many different routes you can go down, from picking out little pops of color to completely coordinating hues to using contrasting shades to create a bold and vibrant effect. Keep reading to find out how!

Complementary Contrasts

To help you figure out how best to match your jewelry with your makeup, grab a color wheel: these are easily available online, where you’ll find printable copies, too, which are extremely handy. 

For a cohesive, clean look, match shades that are next to each other on the wheel. For example, yellow gold jewelry, like here, will work fabulously with peach or nude lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush, while earrings and jewelry with purple gemstones look sensational with a pop of bright red lipstick.

You can also use the color wheel to find contrasting colors that will bring out the vibrancy and subtleties of both your accessories and your makeup. In this case, choose deep blue or rich purple eyeshadow to wear with your yellow gold jewelry, and match those purple gemstones with yellow-orange or golden-hued eye makeup and bronze-colored blush. As you can see, you can get two totally different effects with the same pieces of jewelry using this method, so switch up your style depending on your mood or the type of event you’ll be attending, and have fun finding out the contrasting colors that you like the best!

Create a Two-Tone Effect

Take matching your jewelry and makeup to the next level by creating a doubled-up two-tone effect for a unique and stunning look. For example, you could use blue eyeshadow on the outer part of your top eyelid, blending into a sparkling golden shade in the inner section. To make the magic happen, look for jewelry that echoes these two tones; think a gold and sapphire necklace or a bracelet featuring crystal chips in these shades.

This is a look that can be as subtle or as bold as you like, so take some time to experiment to find the styles that work perfectly for you!

Diamonds and Nude Makeup

A well-known way to complement and show off diamond jewelry is by pairing it with nude lipstick, barely-there foundation, and a subtle sweep of light blue eyeshadow. This makes for a classic, ‘natural beauty’ look that also means there’s no risk of your cosmetics overshadowing your spectacular bling.

You could also use foundation or blush with a subtle, icy glitter to pick up on the sparkly of your special accessories.

Think About Your Skin Tone

It’s important to consider your skin tone when choosing both your makeup and your accessories, too. Those with cool skin tones will usually look fabulous wearing silver and white gold jewelry, while yellow gold, copper, and bronze are beautiful against warmer skin tones. Those with a neutral skin tone are usually able to wear all colors well.

So, a cool-skinned person would look amazing wearing a sky blue, white, light green, or rose-pink ensemble with a matching set of silver jewelry, while someone with a warm skin tone will look gorgeous in a black, earth-toned, or gold-hued dress, paired with a large statement copper necklace, or a pair of gold drop earrings. Keeping your skin tone in mind when putting together your ensemble can work wonders for your look.

Don’t Forget the Finishes

And now for a pro-tip: when selecting which makeup and jewelry you’ll wear, pay attention to the finishes of each. If your jewelry has a matte surface, wear matte make-up too, and avoid glossy lipstick and glittering highlighter. Similarly, if you want to wear a high-shine necklace, earrings, or bracelet set, then also choose makeup products that shimmer, too. You’ll be surprised at the difference that this simple little hack makes!

If your jewelry features patterns or is bold and/or intricate, then you’ll probably be better going subtle with your makeup to prevent it from overshadowing your accessories or overloading your look. Discreet jewelry, such as simple stud earrings or an unembellished bracelet or chain necklace, however, gives you free rein to be as flamboyant as you like with the cosmetics you choose!

Other Ways to Match

It’s not just about color when it comes to perfect pairings! You could also match by, for example, showcasing the sparkle of jewelry by using shimmery face powder or iridescent eyeshadow. Another option, if you’re wearing a jewelry set that features a theme or motif – for example, stars and moon – is to subtly pick up on this by choosing white, pearl, or golden-hued cosmetics.

You could also think about wearing colors to match the season or event: red lipstick and emerald jewelry for a Christmas party or pastel-hued makeup with light blue jewelry for a springtime wedding.