I Tried the "Clean Color" Makeup Trend — and It Was Surprisingly Easy

"Color" and "subtle" might seem like complete opposites, but for my first look, I was determined to find a balance between the two. After weighing some placement and color options — and considering the shape of my eyes — I decided on a bright blue cat eye. Normally this might seem like a bold decision, but my narrow eyelids fold almost completely into themselves when my eyes are open. This meant the color would only be visible at certain angles, or when I blinked. Perfect.

With that out of the way, I rummaged through my makeup drawers to find a metallic cerulean version of Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencil ($22) in Roxy — one of my all-time favorite liner formulas. (If you like something lighter, I suggest trying the periwinkle-hued Beauty by POPSUGAR Be Relentless Stay Put Eyeliner in Up Up and Away, $18.) Gliding the smooth and intensely pigmented pencil across my eyelid, I covered the entire area between my crease and lash line. Then I added a small wing. At first, I was extremely self-conscious of the liner, but as the day went on, I completely forgot it was there.

Now that I was nice and warmed up to clean color, I let my look follow suit and selected orange as my second hue. Because the trend is not limited to eyes — and, in general, has no real rules — I attempted a monochrome look, using orange on both my eyes and cheeks.

I've always been a blush girl, experimenting with hot pinks, corals, and even shades of brown, so the idea of putting orange pigment on my cheeks wasn't too intimidating. It was all about the application. Using the ColourPop Pressed Powder Shadow ($5) in Bratty, I feathered the color onto my cheeks with a fluffy brush. A light layer of coral cream blush on top helped tone down the intensity a bit. Then I applied the same shade to my eyelids (focusing on the outer half), and added a foiled pale yellow to the inner corners. I skipped mascara and let the color speak for itself. The look felt surprisingly easy — almost normal, in fact — to wear out and about.

This is where things start getting a little weird — and undoubtedly more bold. To round out my clean color experiment, I created a pastel lime-green look. I'd already crossed winged liner and diffused shadows off my list, so this time, it was all about my inner corners.

With a crisp black cat eye already in place, I haphazardly applied another one of Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils ($22), this time in the shade Freak, and blended it out with a small fluffy brush. After a few layers, I reached for Nyx's Vivid Brights Eyeliner ($7) in Vivid Escape. With no real plan, I let the tiny brush go where it wanted. This left me with a thin line on the inner third of my top lash line (above my existing black liner) and a small line below the outer wing, extending slightly beyond what was already there. Then I finished things off with a thick layer of clear lipgloss. Did this all feel (and even look) a little wild? Maybe. Was I high-key into it? Absolutely.