Best Colors for Brown Hair And Brown Eyes: Your Best Shades (with Hex Codes)

Brown is the most common eye color in the world, and brown is one of the most common hair colors, so this combination covers a very large number of people with very different skin. That is why lists of "best colors for brown hair and brown eyes" can seem to contradict each other: one says cream, another says avoid cream; one says pastels, another says never.

The colors below suit most of this range. The sections after them help you narrow the list to your version, by undertone, by how dark your hair is, and by how much contrast there is between your hair and your skin.

Why brown hair and brown eyes can look flat

Brown hair and brown eyes usually sit in the same color family, often with the same warm amber or chestnut in both. That gives a harmonious face, but not much built-in contrast between hair and eyes. Clothing then does one of two jobs.

It can contrast: greens, blues and purples sit opposite warm brown on the color wheel, so they make the eyes look brighter and the hair look richer. Or it can echo: rust, terracotta and copper repeat the warmth in the eyes and hair, which makes them look deeper and more golden. Both approaches work. The colors that fail are the ones that do neither, mostly mid-tone tans and beiges close to your hair color worn right at the face, and cold, pale colors that pull warmth out of the skin.

Check these three things first

Your undertone

Warm undertones look best in the rust, mustard and terracotta end of the palette; cool undertones carry plum, petrol blue and a clear emerald more easily; neutral undertones can wear most of it. Gold versus silver jewelry and cream versus pure white near your face are quick tests, and the undertone guide walks through them.

How dark your hair is

Light and caramel brown hair suits medium-depth colors and the lighter end of this palette (coral, terracotta, mustard). Dark brown and espresso hair can carry the deepest colors (forest, plum, chocolate, navy) without being overpowered.

Your contrast

Compare your hair with your skin. Dark hair with fair or deep skin is high contrast and can take saturated colors and sharper combinations, including black. Hair and skin that are close in depth are lower contrast and look better in softer, blended outfits.

The best colors for brown hair and brown eyes

These ten cover jewel tones, warm earth tones and two deep blues.

Colors that make brown eyes stand out

Greens

Green is the color most often recommended for brown eyes, from emerald and forest to olive and moss. Clearer greens like emerald give the most contrast; olive and moss are softer and suit muted, warm coloring.

Blues

Petrol, teal and navy suit almost every version of this coloring. Sapphire and cobalt suit cooler skin and dark hair. Pale blue divides opinion: some stylists include the whole blue range for brown eyes, others find icy baby blue washes out warm skin. If you like it, try a slightly warmer or deeper pale blue first.

Purples and plums

Plum, aubergine and wine sit opposite the gold in many brown eyes, so they make the eyes look warmer and lighter. Warm plum and burgundy suit warm undertones; a cooler amethyst suits cool ones.

Warm earth tones

Rust, copper, cognac and terracotta do the opposite job: they match the warm flecks, so the eyes look amber and the hair looks more chestnut. These suit warm undertones best.

For eyes alone, without the hair, see best colors for brown eyes.

Best neutrals for brown hair and brown eyes

Warm Cream #EFE5CF (softer than bright white), Camel #C19A5B (keeps an outfit tonal), Chocolate Brown #4A352A (a dark in place of black that repeats your hair color), Warm Taupe #9C8A78 (a gray-beige that does not look cold) and Navy #27364F (a softer dark than black).

Sources disagree about cream and camel at the neckline. Some guides warn that on medium brown hair with light skin they blend into the hair and make the face look flat; others recommend them for exactly this coloring. Both can be right. If your skin is light and your hair is mid-brown, wear camel or cream with a deeper or brighter color closer to the face (a teal scarf, a rust top under a camel coat). If your skin is deeper or your hair is dark, cream and camel near the face usually work on their own.

Best colors by hair shade

Light or caramel brown hair

Medium-depth warm colors: coral, terracotta, mustard, warm teal, and soft greens like sage or moss. Very dark colors such as black or deep forest can look heavy next to light hair, so keep them below the waist or break them with a lighter color at the neck.

Medium brown hair

The full palette on this page. This is the shade where the tonal problem shows most, so lean on contrast colors (teal, emerald, plum, petrol) near the face and keep beige and tan for trousers and shoes.

Dark brown or espresso hair

Deep and saturated colors: forest green, emerald, plum, wine, navy, petrol blue and chocolate. Dark hair usually adds contrast, so this shade can often wear black and crisp white more easily than lighter browns, especially with fair or deep skin. If you dye your hair, the chocolate brown hair guide covers which brown shades suit which skin.

Colors to avoid with brown hair and brown eyes

• Icy pastels: baby blue, mint, ice pink and pale lavender are cool and light, the opposite of warm, mid-depth coloring, and can leave the skin looking tired. Warmer, dustier versions (peach, sage, butter yellow) are easier.
• Mid-tone tans and beiges that match your hair, at the face: hair, eyes and top read as one color. Keep these lower down or add contrast near the face.
• Brilliant white and flat black on softer coloring: pure white can make warm skin look dull, and black can overpower light or caramel hair. Cream, chocolate and navy do the same jobs more gently. High-contrast coloring is the exception.
• Cool blue-gray: next to warm brown features it takes the warmth out. Warm taupe or camel fills the same role.
• Neon brights: very bright, electric colors can overpower softer brown coloring and draw attention away from the face.

None of these are forbidden. Treat them as colors to test in daylight before you buy.

Brown hair and brown eyes across the color seasons

Brown hair and brown eyes appear in more seasons than almost any other combination, so the season depends on undertone, depth and contrast rather than on the hair and eyes themselves.

Warm, golden coloring (warm skin, chestnut or caramel hair, amber eyes) often falls in True Autumn or Deep Autumn, where rust, mustard, terracotta and forest green belong. Lighter, brighter warm coloring may be a Spring, such as True Spring, with warm coral, clear teal and golden green. Cool skin with dark espresso hair and strong contrast often points to Deep Winter, with emerald, plum, petrol blue and crisper darks. Muted coloring of any warmth often falls in Soft Autumn or Soft Summer, which use grayed versions of the same colors.

The color analysis guides explain how each season is decided and what it wears.

Makeup and jewelry for brown hair and brown eyes

Bronze, copper, warm brown and plum eyeshadows make brown eyes look brighter; a touch of gold on the inner corner lightens them. Cool gray and silver shadows tend to flatten them. For lips and cheeks, terracotta, brick, warm rose and coral suit warm coloring, while berry and plum suit cooler skin. The makeup for brown eyes guide covers shades and techniques in more detail.

Gold is the usual metal for this coloring because it repeats the warmth in the hair and eyes. Silver and white gold suit cooler undertones, and rose gold sits between the two.

Outfit ideas for brown hair and brown eyes

• Everyday: a teal or emerald sweater, dark jeans, tan boots, gold hoops.
• Work: a navy blazer over a rust or terracotta top, camel trousers, brown loafers.
• Fall: a forest green knit with a mustard scarf and chocolate brown trousers.
• Evening: a plum or wine dress with gold earrings and a cognac or bronze shoe.
• Summer: a warm coral top with cream linen trousers and tan sandals.

Where to start

Look at what you already wear most. If it is black, gray and navy, keep the navy and try replacing one black or gray top with teal, emerald or plum, the colors that suit the widest range of brown-and-brown coloring. If your wardrobe is mostly beige and tan, add one contrast color to wear near your face.

Then choose a direction. If gold jewelry and cream suit you better than silver and white, build on rust, terracotta, mustard and camel. If silver and white suit you better, build on plum, petrol blue, emerald and navy. A small set of three colors plus one light and one dark neutral will mix easily. For the exact versions of each color, find your color season.