It has cemented itself as an indispensable article of clothing through fashion’s multiple eras. It has accompanied the power-packed strides of Naomi Campbell across runways. It has played muse to entire songs—cue Little Black Dress by One Direction. It’s safe to say that we’re proponents of the ensemble—but how do you decide which shade of pink pairs with the dress? And do rose-tinted cheeks complement the aesthetic as much? How do you go about makeup for a black dress?
Table of Contents
We’ve spoken about makeup for darker skin-tones as well as makeup looks for yellow outfits; but how about a round-up of looks that flatter your go-to little black dress the most? We’ve put together a carousel of 30 aesthetics you can draw inspiration from for makeup for black dresses—from natural makeup for black dress to classy makeup for black dress to party makeup for black dress, this mood-board has it all.
Natural Makeup Looks For Black Dresses
Here are 10 looks that thrive on simplicity—very simple makeup for black dresses.
Blue Eyeliner
It’s no surprise that black and blue complement one another flawlessly. A streak of blue along the waterline pumps a little bit of colour into the look—but not in a way that it downplays the rest of your aesthetic, and commands your attention instantly. Add a flush of pink on the lips and cheeks to soften your appearance, and you’re nodding to the perfection of minimalism in no time.
Glossy Lips
Gloss reigns supreme—and married with black, it serves sultry as much as it advocates for minimalism. Just sweep a light-pink formula over your lips, and embellish your cheeks with a rose-tinted blusher.
Kohl-Rimmed Eyes
Run a jet-black liner along your waterline, and smudge it out a little. Pair it up with gloss on the lips.
Brown Lips
Instead of smearing your lips with a shade of pink—not that we’ll ever tire of it—try a hue of brown instead. Dab a similar shade on your lids to play into the aesthetic, and contour your cheeks like Kendall has.
Pink Cheeks
Hailey is an advocate for minimalism, and this look testifies to that. She has concentrated a shade of pink on the apples of her cheeks (right up to the under-eyes) as well as the lips, and left it at that. If you’re more of a less-is-less person, look no further.
Pink Eyeshadow
Instead of drawing swirls of all kinds onto your lids, just drench them in coats of pink, and layer your lashes with a little bit of mascara.
No Makeup-Makeup Look
Looking for something subtle? This look thrives on nothing but a little bit of gloss on the lips. To play into the dewiness of the aesthetic, ensure you’re moisturising your skin, and applying highlighter on the high-points of your face.
Green Eyeshadow
It’s time to work a glitter-packed shade of green onto the lids. This colour is perplexingly underused in makeup; but notice how a wash of green lends an element of vibrance to the look.
White Under-Eyes
A white under-eye lifts and brightens your eyes instantly. You can pair it up with traditional flicks on the eyes like Megan—or choose not to, and limit your aesthetic to glossy-pink lips and rose-flushed cheeks.
Supermodel Lips
How do you feel about the 90s supermodel lips? This trend is witnessing an iconic comeback, and we’re here for it. A Cindy Crawford, Angeline Jolie, and Naomi Campbell-favourite, this look thrived on a shade of nude on the lips, an unblended outline of liner around the borders, and a puckered pout. A new iteration of the look is more wearable in the way that it diffuses the outline into the lighter shade of lipstick sitting atop the lips.
Classy Makeup Looks For Black Dresses
Here are 10 looks that are perfect for you if you’re looking for something classy and chic.
Double Wings
Nothing sings to the praises of black more than two pairs of wings—and this look, punctuated by a thicker-than-ever flick of jet-black levitating up toward the brow, is dramatised with a barely-there streak of the colour sprouting out from the waterline. Marry the aesthetic with dabs of contour on the cheeks, smatterings of highlighter on high-points of the face, and brushed-out brows.
Rose-Flushed Cheeks
Bella Hadid’s all-black aesthetic pays homage to the miracle of blush—stamps of rose come into colour all over the apples of her cheeks, and dustings of highlighter play into the look along with gloss-laden lips and jet-black flicks.
Blue Under-Eyes
A dusting of blue bedecking the under-eye is another look you can experiment with. Blend the colour upward into a cat-eye, and dramatise the look further like Hailey; and pack a pop of colour into the inner-corners to tie the aesthetic together. You can channel your inner Euphoria-enthusiast with glitter-studded lids too.
Brown Undertones
If you’re more for browns than pinks, this one’s an example of how you can incorporate the former into your look—from heavily-contoured cheekbones to glossy-brown lips, it’s easy to recreate, and goes well with black (as proven by Kourtney).
A Long, Sharp Cat-Eye
Pair your ensemble with razor-thin cat-eye flicks on your lids. Don’t forget to line your waterline with kohl, and extend it up into the cat-eye. Layer your eyes with mascara, and you’re good to go.
Thick Wings
If you’ve noticed, the previous cat-eye was more subtle in the way that the flicks descended upon the lids; but if you like your wings to be conspicuous, try drawing them on thicker than ever to bring out your eyes.
Tints of Red
Apart from drenching your lips in a shade of cherry-red, you can pack a punch by dabbing a little bit of the colour on the brow-bone too.
Purple Eyeshadow
Brush some shimmer-laden purple over the lids—don’t cover the whole of the lid, or the inner-corners of the eye. Though striking, keep in mind this one’s supposed to be subtle.
Pink Lids
Don’t restrict your eyeshadow to the upper-lids. You can embellish your under-eyes with the product too—just like Halsey has done with a shade of pink.
Dark Blue Under-Eyes
This one’s just like Ananya’s blue under-eye, but it plays with a darker shade of the colour.
Party Makeup Looks For Black Dresses
Rhinestone-Encrusted Brows
Leave it to Sydney Sweeney to bring an element of Euphoria to the table. The actress has bordered the under-brows with rhinestones, and climaxed the look with the subtlest flicks on the lids complemented by mascara-laden lashes. If you’re looking to go all-out but in a different way, this is it for you.
Golden-Hued Eyelids
Looking to make a statement without experimenting too much? This one’s a lesson in playing it safe while serving a head-swiveling look—what with lids dripping in gold, and ricocheting off your eyes in waves of iridescence. Complemented by a berry-red lip, this one’s one of the most conventional pair-ups—you can never go wrong with it.
Smokey Eyes
A smoked-out eye, drenched in hues of black and bronze, is enough to underscore your look. You can adhere to the less-is-less philosophy, and paint your lips and cheeks the lightest shade of pink.
Gem-Bordered Eyes
How do you feel about a smattering of gems clustered around the eyes? This one’s extra, and in all the right ways.
Gold-Black Waterline
Once you have rimmed your waterline with a touch of gold, frame it with jet-black eyeliner like Doja has. You can skip the wings if you don’t want to dramatise the look any more than you have—but if that’s your thing, you have all the inspiration at your disposal.
Black Eye-Gems
Sweep a little bit of silver eyeshadow on the lids, and run a black liner along the lower waterline. Line your upper-lid as well as the crease of the eye with black gemstones (don’t forget the inner-corners), and conclude with pink on the lips and cheeks.
Abstract Art
This one looks intimidating to replicate, but it’s pretty abstract in the way that the colour white sprawls out across the lids in varying shapes and sizes—and let’s not overlook the play of black on the eyes either.
Rose-Coloured Lids
Halsey’s iteration of a cat-eye is unique; and coupled with rose-tinted lips as well as a cherry-red press-on stone planted toward the inner-corners of the eyes, this look is equal amounts of dramatic and soft.
Orange Liner
Looking for unconventional eye makeup for black dresses? Line the top of your lid with an orange-tinted eyeliner, and dot the centre with the same to pump colour into the look. Tie it together with an orange-ish flush on the cheeks, and a hue of pink on the lips.
Green Graphic Liner
If you thought Priyanka’s cat-eye was bold, this one reigns supreme. Doja has drowned her lids in a Julia Fox-like eye, and concluded with flicks of green framing the wings as well as the under-brow. If drama had a picture, this would be it.
Which one was your favourite?
Also Read
- Eye Makeup For Every Budget: Looking to wing your look? You know what you need—a little bit of everything for the eyes. We’ve put together a line-up of the best eye-makeup products for every budget, and we’re sure you’re going to love it.
Featured Image: Instagram
