As you’ve probably noticed, the –maxxing suffix has been whacked on to everything, from fibre to sleep and even nonnas, and now it’s coming for our eyes.
Enter: ‘eyemaxxing’, or using makeup to enhance, or maximise, the natural appearance of your eyes through colour theory. Sound familiar? That’s because it isn’t new; back in the day (…all of a year ago) we simply called it ‘making your eyes pop’.
Eyemaxxing is the buzzword taking over BeautyTok. TikTok/@mimzi_, @elenasbeautyfavs, @olivia.volpe, @ferchugimenez
Is this legit, or just another social media craze?
Whatever you think of its new TikTokified nickname, professional makeup artist Ellen Malone, aka @AskEllenBeauty, confirms this is a time-honoured technique that holds water.
“As with many trends on social media, eyemaxxing is a repackaging and a relabelling of something the pro artist community has been doing for an awfully long time,” Malone tells nine.com.au.
Ellen Malone (@AskEllenBeauty) demonstrating the power of a pop of yellow gold on blue eyes. Supplied
The idea is to give your natural eye colour a main character moment by using the shade on the opposite side of the colour wheel to bring it forward.
“Think about putting a red decoration on a green Christmas tree, it makes the tree look greener. That’s what eyemaxxing is, but for your eyes,” Malone says.
“[The trend] is a great opportunity for people to really lean in and learn a little bit more about their eyes, and to embrace and enjoy them.”
OK, I’m sold. Let’s ‘maxx’ my eyes
The easiest way to figure out your ‘maxxing’ shades is to get your hands on a colour wheel, or look one up online.
Find your eye colour and then look straight across the wheel at the colours sitting directly opposite it – these are known as the complementary colours, and it’s the area you want to play in with your makeup.
“In some cases, it’s about having a colour with that undertone,” Malone explains.
“I have blue eyes … that doesn’t mean I necessarily need to wear bright orange eyeshadow, but I might want a brown [with] an orange tone so the blue of my eyes comes forward.”
Here are the shades Malone suggests for each eye colour:
Brown
Congratulations: you’re spoiled for choice, as brown has almost every other colour in it. That said, Malone’s top pick for brown eyes is purple.
Malone’s favourite shade for brown eyes is purple, but there are plenty of options. Instagram/@vincentoquendo
“Brown is never just brown … depending on what eyeshadow you choose, it will bring out the equal opposite tone in the brown of your eyes,” she explains.
“Some people’s eyes are closer to almost a purple tone, in which case gold shadow looks amazing. Some people’s eyes have almost a gold tone to the brown, and if you use a purple eyeshadow, it will bring the gold undertones out.”
Blue
Hey, Blue Eyes – you’re going to want to seek out shades of orange. Keep in mind this is a combination of yellow and red, so you might opt for a yellow gold or a “reddy” burgundy.
Using orange tones on blue eyes will make them stand out. TikTok/@AskEllenBeauty
“But if you can carry off a true orange tone, even if it’s just a touch in the crease, your blue eyes will be so piercing you’ll look like a husky,” Malone says.
Green
As green is a mix of yellow and blue, you can choose which shade you want to optimise through your eye makeup.
Your “number one first stop” is purple, but Malone says red, even just in your lash line, can work wonders – scary as it might sound.
“People think, ‘I don’t want to look like I’ve been crying’, but if you have otherwise neutral eye makeup, you just put a little tiny touch of a red in and it can really make your eyes pop.”
Hazel
Burgundy makeup on hazel eyes is a heavenly match, but Malone says it’s not your only option.
“Hazel eyes have a really broad spectrum of colours they can play with that will make them come forward and play beautifully,” she says.
“If your eyes have flecks of gold, you could choose a purpley tone [to] bring out the gold … if you want to bring out the green, go closer to the red end of the spectrum.”
For green and hazel-eyed people, burgundy makeup shades look incredible. Getty
Grey
Malone suggests looking to the skies for inspiration, embracing sunset shades of muted orange and muted purple.
“If you look at a sunset … the sky has a grey section, and then you look down at how the light changes through the spectrum, there will be a smoky orange and a smoky purple, and it bounces off beautifully against the grey,” she says.
Blue-green
“If you put a proper ’80s purple, like a violet, on [blue-green eyes] … oh my gosh, it looks amazing. It brings out the aqua,” Malone says.
This purple and orange look plays into the blue and green shades in Cara Delevingne’s eyes. Getty
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Got it. What tools do I need?
You don’t need a whole stack of products – chances are some of your eyeshadow palettes already have shades that will work.
Malone says coloured liners are a great way to add a pop of complementary colour in your waterline (ie the inner rim of your eyelid).
She suggests Maybelline’s Tattoo Gel Pencil Eyeliners – “They have a beautiful range, there really is something for every eye colour” – and M.A.C.’s Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liners.
Despite how it looks on social media, eyemaxxing doesn’t have to be intimidating or result in a bold dramatic look to be effective.
“Your eyes already are gorgeous. You only need a tiny little lick here and there just to draw attention and show off what you have naturally,” Malone says.
“My go-to is a good neutral eyeshadow that flatters the eye. Whatever blush you’ve got on, pop that in the crease. A little jewel-tone liner, curl the lashes, and about half a tube of mascara.”