Tips and Tricks: Wearing dark berry-brown-plum lipsticks

Swatch flower: Revlon Raisin Rage against different eye shadow alternatives

Someone messaged me to ask about how to wear dark berry/plum/purple-toned lipsticks, specifically NYX Very Berry and NYX Eggplant. NYX Eggplant is quite an odd and unique shade (pearlescent deep purple with grey tones), so I'll break this post into 3 parts.

1. Eyeshadows to wear with a dark creme berry/brown (NYX Very Berry)

2. Eyeshadows to wear with a dusky grey purple (NYX Eggplant)

3. General Application options

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Eyeshadows

Since most people will usually go for a rich prune shade like Very Berry, I did a "swatch flower" using Revlon Raisin Rage, which is very similar to Very Berry which I don't own. (I'm not going to list neutral beige-browns and black because those go with pretty much any lip color, so I'm going to just list alternatives to those.)

Starting from the top, and running clock-wise.

1. A pale duochrome ivory-gold: This looks beautiful contrasted with a dark lip. It brigtens up your eye area without overpowering or taking attention away from the lip. Options: MAC Vanilla pigment (not shadow), Lime CrimeNymph, The Body Shop Eye Shimmer #02 Gold.
2. A soft champagne beige: Slightly less low-key. This is the kind of shade that will allow you to rock that dark lip in more conservative environments. (Well, I would anyway.) You can get this color ANYWHERE, so just run down to the nearest drugstore. If you want to check out alternatives, try: I Nuovi Metallogy in Champagne, NYX Champagne, or MAC Jest
3. Rich copper sparkle: I don't like wearing bright coppers usually because I feel it makes my eyes look swollen, but this is the one product that I DO like. MAC Copper Sparkle pigment is not really an eyeshadow pigment. It comes in tiny flecks like crushed metal foil, so you need to use a base and clean off any fallouts, but once it's on, it's gorgeous.
4. Soft Silver/Ash: A touch more dramatic than a pale yellow gold, because silver contrasts more with the deep prune-brown. Good if you want a more noticeable look, but don't want to go overboard with the eyes. MAC Cyber from the Metal X Collection is a true silver, while Palladium (swatched here) will look good if silver is too stark on you and you want more warmth.
5. True Purple: If you really want more drama, I personally prefer purple in combination with a dark brown/plum-toned lip. This in no way means you can't wear other bright colors, but it might feel like a bit too much for some people. Try Urban Decay Ecstasy (shimmery rich purple-plum), MAC Vibrant Grape (deeper low-sheen purple) or for max drama, Lime Crime Empress(strong, incandescent royal-purple)

Read the rest of the post here!