Dark Golden Olive

For most women, green shadow is something they love or hate. It's not always the easiest color to wear, but those who love it swear by its ability to be both brightening and sultry in turns.

Of the scores of greens out there, the one that is possibly the easiest for women of all skin tones to wear is a golden pistachio/olive tone that is part green, part gold, part bronze. If you want to buy just one single green shadow that you can throw on in the sheerest wash and get a beautiful, bright effect with minimal technique and skill, my suggestion would be MAC's Golden Olive pigment. If you're still a bit shy of green, then something a little more brown (e.g. MAC Sumptuous Olive would be better as a starter shade).

Of course, these 2 are just shade suggestions. I actually own neither. There are plenty of green shadows but as MAC is readily available in most countries I use it as a point of reference if you want to check out the kinds of colors I'm talking about.

Step 1: I began by using an olive green base spread very sheer over the lid (MAC Moss Scape Paint Pot). A neutral or translucent shade would work just as well, but layering green over green intensifies the color a bit.

Step 2: On the outer corners, I applied a smoky brown (literally any smoky deep brown will do) and then lightly blended the color up along the socket line for definition.

Step 3: On the rest of the lids, apply a deep, metallic olive (Coastal Scents Hot Pot in Dark Golden Olive), blending up just above the socket line.

Step 4: This is where I intensify the color. I used a very sheer, pale lemony-olive shadow (Too Faced Eye Shadow Duo in Rich Bitch blended together) in a wash all over the eye to bring out the golden sheen of the look. (MAC Gorgeous Gold or Golden Olive pigment would work just as well.) Without this step, the look would still work, but be a little less dimensional.

Step 5: To add definition back to the lash line, I applied matte black shadow to the lash line, concentrating on the outer halves.

Step 6: Run the first smoky brown shade along the lower lash line, and the  finish the look with black mascara.

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Other products used:

• Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation #52
• Concealer: Amazing Cosmetics Concealer in Fair
• Setting Powder: Silica
• Brows: Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Pencil
• Mascara: Bourjois Volume Glamour Max in Black
• Cheeks: NYX Dusty Rose blush (applied very sheer)
• Lips: Bourjois Effet 3D Max Gloss #63 Rose Eclat