Color Story: Rihanna’s Hottest Red Eyeshadow Looks

With crimson ruling as the calling card of the fearless (or freaky, depending on who you ask) on the runways, it’s no wonder why we’re not owning “Little Red Riding Eyes” this season. Sure, we’ll rock the hell out of a crisp, matte Ruby Woo’d pout, but sporting hot flashes as eyeshadow or eyeliner? Leave that task to Chanel Iman or Jasmine Tookes.

Enter Barbados bombshell Rihanna. The “Talk that Talk” performer, who consistently collaborated with her makeup artists Mylah Morales and Karin Darnell, took a garish, high fashion trend and demystified it by wearing it in ways that cemented her as a beauty icon.

A coveted trend for Spring 2012, red eyeshadow requires you to be flexible by experimenting with different variations and techniques to own the look. What we love about Rihanna is she didn’t just wear it once in just one way—-she wore it four times in four, fierce ways. Better still, you can too:

1. the DAREDEVIL. This brave berry look, complete with Ja’Maal Buster Lashes in Disturbia and Wicked, is the perfect way to experiment with the fiery hue. Morales first lined the eyes with black eyeliner. Next, she smudged a custom-blended red hue on the entire lower lash line and half of the upper lash line. Giorgio Armani High Voltage 24-Hour Eyes to Kil Shadow, a luxurious blend of burgundy and black with violet flecks, is a prime pick.

2. the RED CLOUD. The pale wash of cerise eyeshadow Rihanna modeled on the September 2011 issue of Glamour Magazine looked surprisingly sweet. The shadow is concentrated near the base of the lash line and blended out from the crease. Black eyeliner and multiple coats of mascara finished the look. Try reddish-brown eyes (as seen at Alexander Wang and Cushnie et Ochs) with MAC Eyeshadow in Brown Script.

3. the ROSE GOLD GAZE. Rihanna attended the 2011 BRIT Awards with a shimmering, smoky eye with a light metallic sheen. Crafted out of pomegranate shadow and a shimmering gold highlight, the focus of Rihanna’s look was smoky black liner on the bottom lash line and blended out towards the temples. The lid and crease was packed with matte sable eyeshadow. Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadow sin Pomegranate Punk and Bold Gold, respectively, are both great choices to build the base.

4. the FIREBOMB. For Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” video, Karin Darnell revealed she used the same technique to create the smoldering metallic eyes Rihanna wore to the BRIT Awards. She said this particular style “enlarges the eyes.” Instead of extending the explosive blast of color towards the temple and into the hairline, slightly extend the wing just past your eyebrows.

Whip out various eyeshadow pigments in tangerine, fuchsia, plum, violet, burgundy and cherry. First, prime your lids with a sheer gold base like MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque. Next, apply the violet and plum all over the lid, sweeping past the outer corners of the eyes and extending into the hairline. Blend the fuchsia and tangerine in the crease. Lastly, apply gold and vanilla highlights on the brow bone. Blend everything together and extend into the hairline.

I really love this tutorial by Youtube guru BeatFaceHoney:

Do you think you’ll be wearing red eyeshadow this spring? If so, which looks will you try?