ROYGBIV – it’s not that simple. There are many colors available out there, and the makeup industry has spun out probably 5 products per shade of every color known to man. So how on earth do you know what to wear and what would look good on you? It’s the color wheel to the rescue!

So let’s step back into art class for a second. The color wheel is made up of primary, secondary and tertiary colors.  Primary colors include red, blue and yellow. Mixing the primaries creates secondary colors. Blue + red = violet, blue + yellow = green, and red + yellow = orange. Tertiary colors are those with names such as “blue-violet” and “red-orange.” Adding black to a color creates a shade, and adding white makes a tint.

So how do you use the color wheel while doing makeup? Complementary colors, or those across from each other on the color wheel, don’t tend to blend well together as eye shadows. However, if you are going for a bold statement, try out putting opposite colors on different areas of your face. For example, you could wear turquoise eyeliner with a gold shimmer lipgloss.

Colors next to each other on the color wheel are called analogous colors. They tend to go well together in eye shadows. You can often run across an eye palette with blue and purple or green and gold tones together. Blending these tones can create light and depth on your lids, and it’s typical to do a sort of “ombre” – start with a light shade on the inner corner and slowly get darker as you get to the outer corner.

Warm tones and cool tones also play a big factor in makeup. Warm tones are shades such as yellow, red and brown. Cool tones have undertones of black, blue and gray. These colors can either complement or clash with your natural tones. For example, if you have yellow undertones in your skin, deep brown eyes and your hair is a dark brunette or golden blonde, warm makeup colors will look great on you! But if you have a pale, pink skin tone, your eyes are a sparkling blue, and your hair is an ashy brown or gray-blonde, you’ll look fantastic in blues, blacks, silvers, and pinks.

Makeup shades also go along with your eye color. Blue eyes pop with warm brown eye shadow, brown eyes look amazing with purple and blue shades, and green eyes shimmer next to coppers and golds.

So grab the wheel, play around with your makeup shades, and test out these color tricks!