Your Best Makeup Colors: Kerry Washington

Your Best Makeup Colors is a new series here on The Style and Beauty Doctor aimed to help at taking some of the guess work out of choosing makeup colors for your skin tone. I’ll use pictures of celebs to help illustrate the series so when a celeb most closely matches your skin tone you can grab some ideas.

Note: The makeup I mention are colors that will go great with a certain skin tone, but aren’t the only ones you should try. They’ll give you a good idea of what colors will look best on you. Also I’ll be mentioning a lot of brands that are “internet popular” meaning that you’ll be able to check Google Images for swatches easily. This way you can still have an idea of colors and still shop within your own fave brands (drugstore, indie, department store).

Cool!

If you’re itching to see other complexions, check out: Best Makeup Colors for Every Skin Tone.

Up next is Kerry Washington as requested by The Style and Beauty Doctor reader Mel.

I’d say Kerry’s skin tone can be described as dark tan with cool undertones or about a MAC NW 40. This means she looks best in silver and colors with cool or blue undertones. Skin like Kerry’s looks great in mid-tone brighter colors as well as colors close to her skin color (for neutral looks it’s great to have 3 eyeshadows: one close to the skin complexion, one 2-3 shades darker (contour), and one 2-3 shades lighter (highlight). When creating a beautiful makeup look, even if you love neutrals, add in at least one “bright” (usually blush) to really make your look pop.

Eyeshadows (MAC–if MAC isn’t your fave brand still use this as a guide to figure out which similar colors look best in other brands):

P.S. I tried to only picked colors from the permanent line so you don’t get stuck on a color only to realize it’s sold out.

Neutrals: Folie, Samoa Silk, Patina, Orb, Bamboo, Grain, Saddle, Charcoal Brown, Soft Brown, Kid, Era, Cork, Texture, Mulch, Swiss Chocolate, Handwritten, Espresso, Brown Down, Twinks,

For fun: Expensive Pink, Gleam, Knight Devine, Purple Haze, Star Violet, Humid, Nocturnelle, Contrast, Beauty Marked, Passionate, Chrome Yellow, Bitter, Lucky Green, Swimming, Freshwater, Electric Eel, Print, Carbon, Deep Truth, Contrast, Nehru, Plumage, Atlantic Blue, Vibrant Grape, Stars N’ Rockets, Hepcat, Creme de Violet, Knight Devine

Blush: mid-tone brighter colors look best. Don’t be scared of brighter blush colors, it looks gorgeous on Kerry Washington skin.

Illamasqua: Tweak (I mention this blush so often because it’s GORGEOUS), Beg, Excite, Panic, Sin, Thrust
NARS: Angelika, Amour, Desire, Dolce Vita, Exhibit A, Mata Hari, Taos, Torrid, Lovejoy, Sin
MAC: Frankly Scarlet, Breezy, Fever, Raizin, Loverush, Dollymix, Ambering Rose
MAC Pro: (go to maccosmetics.com for locations or call 1-800-866-6464. You don’t have to be a MAC Pro member to order) Flame Red, Azalea, Full Fuchsia, Rhubarb, Devil, Salsarose

Lips: mid-tone colors (not too light and not too bright) look best

Reds: MAC Ruby Woo Lipstick, Stila Long Wear Lip Color in Fiery, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté in #18, MAC Red Lipstick, MAC Dubonnet Lipstick, MAC Russian Red Lipstick

Berries: MAC Darkside Lipstick, MAC Film Noir Lipstick, MAC Desire Lipstick, MAC Rebel Lipstick, MAC Cyber Lipstick, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture in #8 Belle de Rose, MAC Desire Lipglass, MAC Pop Mode Lipglass, Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss in #9 Golden Plum

Nudes: MAC Spite Lipglass, MAC Half N’ Half Lipstick, MAC High Tea Lipstick, BECCA Glossy Lip Tint in Caipirinha, MAC Viva Glam V

Pinks: MAC Up the Amp Lipstick, MAC Pink Plaid Lipstick, MAC Please Me Lipstick, MAC Bombshell Lipstick, MAC Speak Louder Lipstick, MAC Show Orchid, MAC Chatterbox Lipstick

Looking for other skintones in this topic? Bookmark this category: Your Best Makeup Colors.

Feel free to add your favorites in the comments! If you have questions, leave me a comment or contact me.

Images via Getty Images