The Best Makeup for Redheads

Whether you got your colour from bottle or birth, having red hair can make makeup shopping miserable. If you’ve spent hours trying to track down an eyebrow pencil that is actually your colour, or a bronzer that doesn’t look like dirt on your pale skin, don’t worry – hope is not lost. As beautyheaven’s resident redhead I have tried my fair share of products, and through a lot of trial, error and frustration I’ve managed to find plenty of diamonds in the rough…

CC Cream

Love it or hate it, having red hair usually comes hand in hand with pale and pigmentation-prone skin. Instead of trying to cover your freckles with heavy foundation, opt for a breathable, sheer coverage CC cream. A CC cream will allow your freckles to peek through while still covering any redness, acne scarring or discoloration you’d prefer to camouflage. Most redheads have cool skin tones, which can make it harder to find the perfect shade. This is another reason why CC creams are ideal, because they are easier to blend with your skin tone than regular foundation. My personal favourite is the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, for medium coverage that gives your skin a glow and keeps your freckles visible.

bh loves:Lancome City Miracle CC Cream, IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, Estee Lauder Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging CC Creme

Bronzer

If you’re anything like me and wake up with a pallor similar to Edward Cullen, a good bronzer can be the secret to looking refreshed and ready to take on the day. Bronzer can be tricky for redheads, because so many of them are made for warm skin tones. The secret here is to seek out brands that offer more than one shade so you can opt for something from the lighter end of the spectrum.

bh loves:CLINIQUE True Bronze Pressed Powder, M.A.C Bronzing Powder, Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder

bh tip: Don’t just stop at your cheekbones! Bronze the top of your forehead and decolletage too, for a more realistic sun kissed glow. This also stops the bronzer looking too stark or unnatural.

Eyeliner

Black liner on pale skin can look stunning, but it can also be a bit too bold for day-to-day wear. If you’ve been looking for something more low-key that still makes your eyes pop, it’s time to try a brown liner. The chestnut tones of a deep brown liner will complement the auburn shade many redheads have in their hair, while looking far more natural than a standard black liner.

bh loves:DB Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliner, Nude by Nature Definition Eyeliner, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Bold Defining 24HR Liquid Eye Liner

bh tip: Keep the liner as close to the waterline as possible and follow the natural direction of your eye for a small wing. This will look polished, but natural, while making your eyes look bigger.

Eyebrow pencil

Just as the shade range for foundations has expanded and become more inclusive, brow pencils have started to do the same. In the past, redheads have had to put up with brow products that aren’t quite their colour – but that era is coming to an end. Light browns and taupes look perfect on some red heads, but those who sport a deeper shade need a pencil that matches. Benefit’s Precisely, My Brow Pencil comes in the shade ‘Auburn’ which is a great match for those looking for a deeper red.

bh loves: Benefit Gimme Brow+, M.A.C Veluxe Brow Liner, Natio Brow Kit, CLINIQUE Superfine Liner For Brows, Maybelline New York Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara, Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil

bh tip: Many redheads eyebrows are so fair they blend into their skin, so getting a light tint will make them stand out and provide an easier guideline as to where gaps might need filling in.

Lipstick

In my humble opinion, one of the biggest beauty mistakes red heads make is playing it too safe with their lipstick choices. If you’ve ever heard that bold lipstick doesn’t suit redheads, think again. Isla Fisher, Christina Hendricks and Amy Adams are three of Hollywood’s hottest redheads and they’re all partial to a statement lip. While there’s nothing wrong with a nude lip, the pale skin of most redheads makes a deep, bright lip look striking. Deep lip colours can also make your eyes and teeth look brighter, while also having the effect of making it look like you’ve put far more effort into your makeup than you actually have.

bh loves:MUD Lipstick, DB Cosmetics Moisturising Lipstick, Nutrimetics nc Hydra Brilliance Lipstick, Estée Lauder X Victoria Beckham Matte Lipstick, Karen Murrell Natural Lipstick, Australis Velourlips

Do you find you have to switch up your makeup products to suit your hair colour?

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