As far as I can tell, “duochrome” is a word that the makeup industry made up. Ask anyone outside the makeup world what duochrome is, and it’s highly likely they won’t have a clue what you’re talking about. (The only term that comes remotely close, and should probably be used instead, is “pearlescent“, but usually people are talking about car colours when they’re using that word.)
So what is a duochrome then? In makeup, it refers to a shadow that can display two different colours. Some duochromes are subtle enough that you can only see it on the edges of the product, or when the product is viewed from a certain angle, often out of focus. Some duochrome shadows are stronger and can be manipulated by changing your base colour.
My Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack is a great example for showing off duochromes. In the stack they look mostly white with a hint of colour. However, once you swatch them over different bases….
…they come ALIVE! Used without any base, there’s a faint whisper of colour, but nothing with much substance. But when you put it over a black base, the colour that’s hidden in the powder starts screaming at you.
That right there is the duochrome effect: on one hand the pigment looks like a faint pastel colour, but once used with a base, you can intensify the colour and give it far more dimension.
Here’s how I manipulate duochromes to create an eye look with impact:
- My naked eye without anything on it.
- I applied a black base messily (cream or powder eyeshadow, eyeliner, it really doesn’t matter).
- I blended the black base out with a brush, making sure to keep it intense near the roots of my lashes and faded out towards my brow.
- I applied the green-tinged pigment from the Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack on top of the base, all over my lid.
The close up shot shows you that I really did apply the pigment ALL over my eye lid. It goes from my lash liner to just slightly below my brow bone. The green colour stays intense where the black pigment was darkest, and then fades out where there isn’t any black at all.
There are so many options on how to bring out different colours in duochromes. Try changing your base colour and see how the colour reacts to it. If you’re not sure what colours to try, start with a black and then go from there!
Fun fact: I learned all of this from a makeup artist at The Body Shop about 15 years ago!
Actually I think the term “duochrome” started in the car industry for when describing fancy car paints. I remember looking into making my own duochrome nail polish once and it led me to a car paint manufacturer selling pigment by the pound. I was like.. YAAAASSS!
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I asked David about that and he said they used “pearlescent” as the term… Maybe it just depends on the geographical area? I definitely don’t know enough about cars though.
This is a cool tutorial. I love how the base totally changes the colour. I have a few like that too.They are fun to play with.
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I don’t do it often enough because it’s an extra step that I don’t always have time for, but the results are definitely beautiful.
hahah car colors. maybe in jewelry they use pearlescent?
there was a duochhrome video on youtube that i watched when i was first learning about these. i really ike Vex from mac. probably my fav duochrome
acutally…i have a naked stack that i’ve NEVER used. does it stay on teh lid when you pat it on? loose shadows make me fearful of fallout and difficulty of use…i guess i should just think of them like regular pressed shadows when applying?
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Vex is gorgeous! Although I’ve never used it with a black base before… I’m curious how that one would look.
For loose shadows I tend to either apply them wet, or use a sticky base so it’s got something to adhere to. They’re more work, so in general I don’t use them that often. You could always press the loose shadow into a pan with alcohol… then it’d be a regular easy-to-use eyeshadow!
SooO pretty!! I’ve been obsessed with duochrome shadows lately. I got the Aromaleigh “color traveling” pigment set, as well as the Looxi Beauty Aurora collection. I’m not super experienced with eyeshadows so I guess I’ll have to play with them more once I get over this darn sinus infection! The swatches are very promising though!
About the car paint – here in the Bay Area (California) the duochromes are called candy paints. My brother used to have a beautiful candy painted old school car that was bronze in some angles and emerald green in others, it was stunning! And a VERY expensive paint job. Needless to say he didn’t drive it very often, LoL
CANDY PAINT! I love that! And that sounds like one hell of a gorgeous-coloured car! I have this ideal colour (not that I’d want to pay for it though) that I’d love one of those bright yellows that reflects orange.
Ugh, that sucks about the sinus infection. I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you! I’m getting there, I’m at that stage where I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore but still feel like poo, LoL
I’ve seen some really beautiful fiery orange/yellow candy painted cars! Apparently, they’re expensive not just because of the pigments, but because they’re also more labor intensive than just a regular paint job, requiring a base and layering – funny how it parallels duochromes in makeup huh?
Now I’m off to oooh and ahhh over your Vice 4 looks and then convince myself I don’t need another eyeshadow palette! LoL
Side note: I don’t actually like the Vice 4 all that much. I think it’s their weakest Vice palette to date and they’ve produced far, far better options in the past. I was mostly suckered in by the packaging and hype, but in hind sight, I should not have bought it. That’s my take on it though!
And yeah I know nothing about cars… that sounds like a lot of paint coats!
That is surprisingly easy tutorial and I thought it would be way harder than that! I am really afraid of using black base because I’m under the impression it would be racoon eyes but after reading this post, I might give it a go!
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Yeah it’s really just a base colour! As for black and raccoon eyes, I get them if I apply stuff to my lower lash line. It makes for pretty pictures, but later on in the day I tend to get transfer to my undereyes so I don’t often wear a lot of makeup on the my lower lash line. I think that’s different for everyone though.
Do those ones look different in different light angles?
TKB trading sells some awesome duochrome makeup pigments – their Travel To collection is like the interference colours that are white and look cool over black or dark colours (or whatever) and they also shift colours, so red-bronze or green to rose. They are SO COOL.
Oh WOW! That sounds amazing! I’ve never purchased from TKB before. I’ll have to take a look at them.
The Naked Cosmetics ones only really reflect white and either purple or red or blue, etc.