The Colors of Garnet: 15 Eyeshadow Color Combos for January

Here are some color stories inspired by January’s birthstone: garnet! You are likely familiar with garnet being some shade of red, but garnet actually comes in a variety of colors. GIA calls out “greens, oranges, pinkish oranges, deeply saturated purplish reds, and even some blues.” I’m using the color varieties of garnets to inspire the stories below, but I did lean in to the more common types of garnets, which tend to be brighter red to blackened red and used the rarer varieties as ways to expand the color stories and offer a few unexpected takes, too!

About This Series

Each look idea is centered around a “quad” of four shades with the expectation that one might bring in the appropriate brow bone or additional transitional shade based on skin tone. I know that I tend to use more like five or six shades in a typical look, but I think that four is a happy medium to give a good idea of the “core” color scheme of a look while giving you the ability to lighten/darken as desired. I have listed the colors in this order: inner lid, middle of lid, outer lid/crease, and crease/above lid.

You might see combinations that seem slightly repeated but placement will vary (e.g. a halo placement where the lightest and more shimmery shade is placed on the center) as placement can also create a different effect/look! You might also want to consider incorporating your favorite matte/shimmer shades (as applicable) to increase the versatility of certain palettes. Consider these ideas a jumping off point!