3 Makeup Color Combinations To Try This Summer

I have noticed a lot of you are like me — neutral girls at heart but love to add a pop of color here and there to a makeup look, especially during the summer months. But a question I get a lot is “how do you know what colors look good together?” That’s what we’re tackling today, 3 makeup color combinations you can try out for the rest of summer!

There’s a lot that goes into mixing and matching colors, figuring out what complements what, and how it all works together to create a look. The color wheels helps decipher colors that are easily paired, by navigating you through the various color schemes and devices — monochromatic, complementary, hues, etc. But in this post, I’m just going to give you three of my go-to color combos for summer.

powder blue / orange

I’ve been on a blue and orange kick recently–with my clothes, in my home, and in makeup. There’s something about summertime that makes me want to reach for all of the blues and pop on a orange lip!

Why it works? Blue and orange are complementary colors, meaning they appear opposite each other on the color wheel. And complementary colors play nicely with each other because our eye naturally wants to see them appear together.

Wearing the dynamic duo isn’t hard! The easiest, and most wearable way is keeping blue on your eye and adding pops of orange on the cheeks, lips, or additionally on your eye.

My favorite way to wear blue and orange makeup is by smudging a powder blue yet vibrant shadow along the top lash line, popping on a orange toned blush like Glossier’s Cloud Paint in Dawn, and topping off the look with a vibrant orange pout with something like Milani’s Orange-Gina or YSL’s Glossy Lip Stain in Orange de Chine.

green / pink

Greens and pink paired together are a sophisticated color combination, in my opinion. The pairing is so fresh and youthful. In makeup, I feel this makeup combo gives your face a radiant, playful look without being too outlandish and difficult.

It works because, like orange and blue, various tones of green and pink are complementary. They’re secondary colors, so your selected green and pink shades may not be directly across from each other on the color wheel, but they are variations of complementary colors and shades.

My favorite ways to wear green and pink is by using green as a one shadow eye look, brightening the cheeks with a pretty pink flush, and adding a statement berry pink to the lip. But you could easily substitute any of the shades with something more subtle.

My fave product combo: Colourpop Telepathy blended over the lid, not blending above the crease; Nars liquid blush in Orgasm–a small amount, just enough to pep up the cheeks; and Bite Beauty’s Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Sangria.

yellow / red

I know, I know…you don’t want to look like you’re getting your makeup inspo from common BBQ condiments. You won’t. I promise!

Red and yellow are pretty close to each other on the color wheel, with various orange shades in between, making the duo a kind of analogous color combination. Why it works? These colors work together to create a harmonious, near monochromatic effect. They aren’t the same color, so the combination of red and yellow won’t look fully monochromatic, but are still tints and shades of the same primary colors. They’re also both warm shades, and like likes like.

When wearing reds and yellows together, remember there are numerous versions of these two colors. You don’t have to wear a crayon red and crayon yellow look. We have golds, red based oranges, mustard yellows, etc. Basically you have options.

My favorite way to wear reds and yellows for summer is by sporting a succulent red lip, bronzey toned blush, and a seamlessly blended yellow eye (maybe topped with some glitter).

What are your favorite color combinations to wear for summer?

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