12 Essential Makeup Tips for Olive Skin Tone

Adriana Lima, Nicole Scherzinger, Jessica Alba. What do they all have in common? Absolutely stunning olive skin tone that is nothing short of perfect. And if you’ve been blessed with this magnificent skin, consider yourself lucky- naturally tanned skin is unfathomably sexy and glows from day to night. However, even girls with this luxurious skin coloring need to pay close attention to their makeup. You want to amplify that natural beauty, not destroy it! Here’s our essential top 12 makeup tips for olive skin tones. 

1. Choose the Right Foundation

Whether you have olive skin or not, one of the biggest makeup mistakes every girl makes at one point in her life is choosing the wrong foundation. Either it’s way too light for her obviously naturally tanned skin, or it’s too dark and she ends up looking like a burnt orange peel. When it comes to foundation, take extra precaution to ensure you’re choosing a product that matches your skin tone perfectly. Also make sure you’re choosing a foundation for your skin type, example: don’t buy a product for oily skin if you have incredibly dry skin. Recipe for disaster!

2. And the Right Concealer

Concealer is an essential product to have in your makeup bag. Got a few blemishes that need some covering up? Concealer! Stayed out too late the night before and ended up with horrendous dark circles this morning? Concealer! This magic tool is obviously the quick fix for rough skin, but just like foundation, you need to make sure you’re choosing the correct color for your skin color. I mean, can you think of anything more embarrassing than walking around with obvious makeup dots all over your face? No thanks! 

3. Ditch the Bronzer

Since you already have beautifully tanned skin naturally, there’s basically no need for a bronzer. In fact, using a bronzer could make you look a little too charred, and that’s definitely a makeup no-no.

4. Utilize the Highlighters

On the other hand, that doesn’t mean you should ditch your highlighter. In fact, women with olive skin should utilize their highlighters as much as possible. Use it around the eyes, give your jaw line a bit of glow, lighten up the cheeks- whatever you feel necessary. The end result? Fabulous makeup that makes your natural skin tone burst with perfection!

5. Black Eyeliner

Ladies, I can’t tell you enough: unless it’s Halloween night, please stay away from colored eyeliners. I’m talking bright blues, greens, purples- just, don’t do it. Since women with olive skin tones tend to have brown eyes the majority of the time (and sometimes a lovely emerald green), it’s best to stick with dark eyeliners to make your eyes (and skin) really pop. If you absolutely despise black eyeliner (for whatever reason), choose the darkest shades of brown possible.

6. Black Mascara

Just like we stated above, you want to stay away from colored eyeliners as well as mascaras. Remember: we’re going for gorgeous, alluring, and sexy, not Jimbo the Clown. That being said, find mascaras that are the darkest shade of brown possible- or just plain out black. The rich texture and color of black mascara will make your eyes appear enticing and beautiful!

7. Lip Colors

When it comes to lipstick colors, olive skin tones have tons of options. They can easily sport a ravishing red pout with ease for dinner dates with their lovers, or they can wear nothing at all and sport a gorgeous nude, all natural look that kills. However, it is suggested to stay away from bright pinks and hot pinks- it just simply doesn’t blend well with the darker skin. If you want to sport pink lipstick, try a subtle, pale pink that doesn’t cast off too much color, or a lip gloss with a hint of pink coloring.

8. Brown Blush

Really, women with olive skin tones are incredibly lucky because they don’t really need to wear blush. Their natural tanned skin is beautiful enough without it, and they don’t need that extra boost of color. However, if you decide to amp up your already gorgeous skin color, we highly suggest sticking with brown blushes or darker shades of pink/red. You absolutely want to stay away from bright pinks and crazy reds- this looks silly and odd, which is the total opposite of sexy!

9. Smoky Eyes

There’s really only one way to break this down: olive skin tone + smoky eyes = drop dead gorgeous. There’s just no other way to put it. If you haven’t already tried the smoky eye style, try it on and watch heads turn.

10. Eyeshadow Colors

Smoky eye not your style? No problem, that’s fine. But there are a few other eyeshadow rules you should abide by. For starters, stay away from pinks. Unless it’s a really light or subtle shade of pink, don’t do it. You’re much better off wearing brown, beige, nude, or dark green to complement your stunning shade of skin as well as your eyes. 

11. Embrace Your Natural Beauty

One thing is definitely important to keep in mind when you’ve been blessed with olive skin: it’s a blessing, seriously. Most women would kill for this awesome skin coloring. One of the biggest benefits of having this shade of skin is that you don’t need to pile on makeup to achieve a beautiful glow and gorgeous appearance. That being said, one of the most important makeup tips is to keep it as simple as possible. Try and not go overboard with crazy colors or plaster on tons of foundation- all that does is hide your natural beauty.

12. Don’t Forget the Brows

Do. Not. Forget. The. Eyebrows. The eyebrows, in the end, will shape your face. Leaving then untamed and unmanageable will certainly drag down your appearance, so don’t leave them hanging. When it comes to brows and brow coloring, always choose a shade that’s one step lighter than your natural coloring. If you’re not sure how to pluck your brows, consider getting help from a professional!

Do you have olive skin tone? What’s your best makeup tip for girls with olive skin?