Any redheads on here? What colours work for you?

[doodlebug113]

Ahoy there fellow ginger ladies :)

Make up has been a bit of a nightmare for me most of my life, I think I'm only just starting to get the hang of what colours suit me. And even now it still take a lot of courage to experiement!

What colours/ looks have you found work for you and your complexion? Have you stumbled upon any surprising finds? For example, I never dreamed bright red lipstick would suit me, but tried a bourjois one after a friend suggested it and turns out it looks great.

I'm still on the hunt for a smokey-eyed look that I don't feel washes me out, though :(

Also, has anyone tried Nicola Roberts's dainty doll range? Is it worth the money?

I'm a redhead (hate the word ginger sorry!) though I'm not huge on make up as I tend to go for quite an understated look.
I usually go for browns and greens, silver sometimes, don't think a smokey-eyed look would work on me but I'll see if someone else says different!

This and this might help :)

at ginger!

I am of the auburn haired persuasion, I find greens - not bright or lime, silvers, muted golds and coppers, cinnamon esque colours, blues in either navy's or the turquoise spectrum - not sky blue.
Heather shades of purple and gray or a dusky aubergine work well on me. Any colour really as long as it has an earthy undertone.
By earthy I mean natural as in would this colour exist in nature somewhere or does it look manufactured.

I never wear harsh or glaringly bright tones and I never wear mud brown as it makes me look like a corpse.

Make up - I always wear Clinique as I find their colourways really suit me, I get a light tan in summer but am quite pale in winter and find their foundations lovely.
Their green, brown or purple palette eye shadows are divine and give a subtle smoky eye without making me look like Ive got Halloween face paint on.
I always wear blusher as got sick of people always asking if I was alright as I look so pale! Ever since I have never been asked.
Go to a counter and ask for a make up demo.

And yes surprisingly red lipstick is not a no no.

always gone for natural tones - soft brown/beige/taupe on lower lid with slightly-warmer-than-skin colour up towards the brows. brown eyeliner and mascara. in the evenings I do a bit of deep brown at the edges (exciting aren't I?)

have always wanted to do the smokey eye thing - and have tried but I just end up looking like a kid who's got hold of her mum's make up.

lipstick I tend to keep pretty neutral. or perhaps, yep, brown.

I find Body Shop do the best colours for me.

Haha, after years of hating the word ginger after being called it by nasty playground bullies I now use it all the time. Figure it loses all power as an insult if I'm comfortable with it myself!

I might try the clinique palets - I have the benefit big beautiful eyes kit which is in shades of brown, I always get compliments when I wear that.

Do you guys ever wear black mascara/ eyeliner? I was always under the impression that brown was best but I read on US Elle's website recently that redheads should apparently stick to black mascara!

Teal,turquoise,purples-the jewel colours.

Not all redheads have the same colouring.
Have a look here.
But a brown eyeshadow palette will suit everyone, try Rimmel's one in Orion if budget an issue.

I'm blonde not red haired but Julianne Moore looks stunning in Boogie Nights.

Think she wears emerald and pale colours, even red.

Oh and Bree on Desperate Housewives. They both look stunning as they wear good colours.

Dark brown mascara for everyday and black for nights out. I use a damp angled brush and a dark brown eyeshadow for eyeliner and to define brows as I am not a light red head, have very dark brows and dark greeny eyes.

I think red hair is a red herring with makeup...
for example
I have dark blue eyes and pale sallow skin, not many freckles, lightish ginger (strawberry blonde if you're sensitive) hair though I dye it a richer auburn. My friend has proper RED hair, pale pinky skin, freckles, grey eyes. We don't suit the same stuff, though both suit black liner/mascara, definitely not brown. Neither of us can find a foundation that suits us - they are all too dark or look like a mask, I think very pale skin just can't take it and look anything like natural. I dye my eyebrows but friend looks weird if she darkens hers. I can wear red lipstick, she definitely can't, but she can wear some brownish shades that look vile on me.
We have another friend, colouring like the actress Isla Fisher, brown eyes, darker skin than us, she can wear foundation, bronzer, and looks great in brown eye makeup/mascara, so it's more to do with your skin and then working with your hair iyswim?

I was no help :( try a Bobbi Brown counter for some ideas, they are usually pretty good with the pale/redhaired among us!

Meant to say how dark your eyes are makes a big difference, if you have paler eyes plums, greens, bronzes, greys worth trying, but if you have darker eyes you can afford to try black, purple, chocolate, depending on skintone.

the right shade of gold eyeshadow is usually v v flattering - try Urban Decay in Sin (lovely goldish shade), suits most people, with a smudgey eye pencil (their 24/7 ones are fab) and lots of mascara, black or brown depending on your colouring, that's a good "light" smokey eye for most people whatever their colouring.

Too Faced blush in Papa Don't Peach is really quite flattering on paler skins whether sallow or rosy too. No 7 do a nice neutral powder blush but can't remember the shade.

Try www.justforredheads.com/ its an American web site devoted to us redheads! its separated into the different shades of red even has ginger mascara!!!!! Ive used their products and they usually arrive quite quickly

mooncup - it's so true about going on skin/eye colour, rather than hair colour. Bobbi Brown makeovers are the best i've had, because the make-up artist worked on the colours that were already there, rather than adding even more. I think that's why Nicola Roberts redheads can end up looking a bit 'dolly': you've already got quite strong contrasts going on, just with your pale skin/red hair/blue-green eyes/freckles.

Since I've discovered the joy of red lipsticks, I've pared my basic make-up down to a bit of concealer to even things out, then black eyeliner (Mac)/mascara, and a sweep of blusher. Tres Joan Holloway-Harris.

I'm dyed but my colouring is very close to a natural redhead. I'm very pale, freckled, dark blue (tiny) eyes.

I used to love No 7 highlighting powder - it was just right as it wasn't very strong colour on my cheeks. Think they've discontinued it, though. I also go for greens a lot, but I really like bold eyeshadow. I'd recommend getting something like Urban Decay's palettes (the Naked one and one brighter coloured) and having a play.

For clothing, I like yellow, greens and blues. Joan Holloway is another good inspiration - I'd never wear purple myself but she looks awesome in it.

Oh - I never use bronzer, because I don't tan naturally. Interested to know if other pale redheads do?

I think if you're very freckly, a pale bronzer can look nice as a blush, but I generally think bronzer is the work of the devil :)

Whenever I've tried bronzer, either on my own or slapped on by professionals, I look like a Dickensian street urchin in a school play, ie, dirty. And not in a good way.

exactly! It seems to be essential for posh teenagers round here, they all look mucky especially wih the matching unbrushed hair. God I'm old :(