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By Chantelle Bester

Journalist


How to rock monochrome makeup

If you want to try an edgy and dramatic look, monochrome makeup may just be your vibe.


Just as we’ve finally taught our mothers and aunts to stop matching their fingernail and toenail polish, monochrome makeup becomes a thing!

Fear not, for it’s not the scary kind of matching – it’s more of a complementary vibe.

The monochrome makeup trend is most flattering in shades of red, orange, brown, copper, bronze, plum and deep pinks like fuchsia.

Preparing the canvas

Your skin preparation would depend on which colour family you choose to go with. The deeper and more intense the shades, the more flawless your complexion should be.

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Choosing your shades

You should absolutely not attempt to match the exact same shade of the same colour everywhere on your face unless your goal is to look like an anime character.

The goal is to stay in the same colour family, but to play with the shades and intensities on different areas of your face.

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Time for textures

Definitely play with textures when doing a monochrome makeup look. If you choose plum, for example, good textures would be metallic eyeshadow, a sheer blush with a dewy finish and opaque lipstick with a flat matte finish.

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Line work

Whether you line your eyes or not plays a great role in how monochrome makeup turns out. If you don’t line your eyes and only use eyeshadow to define your lower lash line as well, the end result is a fragile, haunting look.

Lips and tips

If you’re not ready to go full monochrome (eyeshadow, liner, blush, and lips), go for low-key monochrome by matching your lipstick and nail polish. This looks immediately elegant and polished, and it will give you a feel for monochrome matching.

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Don’t forget your hair

How you wear your hair makes a great difference, especially with the darker and deeper shades.

If you’re going for dark and dramatic, definitely wear your hair down and straight – in a centre parting if that suits you. If you want to make the look somewhat less severe, tie your hair into a high ponytail.

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Brought to you by All4Women

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