In case you haven’t noticed, blue eyeshadow is back.
Not a shade for the faint-hearted, a blue eye has been the beauty shorthand for many a cult film siren throughout history: From Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet (worn with a red lip) to Christina Ricci in Buffalo 66, Tarantino’s Jackie Brown in her boss-blue smokey eye, to Suzie Bishop in Moonrise Kingdom (a French New Wave primary hue), the list goes on. If you need more convincing of its cool-factor, see Rihanna's recent Interview magazine cover.
Like a classic red lip, there’s a reason it has stood the test of time. Blue can be soft, 60s-style in a Sharon Tate cut-crease. It can be loud, worn up to the brow-bone, 80s-style, with hot-pink blush. It can be edgy, see: that 90s Kate Moss reference all over Pinterest. Blue suits everyone, and just like blue denim, it goes with everything.
Lately, the blues I’ve seen return to fashion range from Y2K Britney shimmers to the vibrant cobalt in makeup artist Violette Fr's Yeux Paint collection. While the colour is not new, the way we are applying it is. Liquid formulas, like the aforementioned Yeux Paint, are packaged like a tube of lip gloss, with doe-foot applicators making it much easier to achieve a smooth, even colour without any of the “fall-out” that comes with regular powder eyeshadow.
To show you how easy it is, I’ve demonstrated a baby blue daytime look on model Mahalia, followed by a shimmery midnight blue party look, straight over the top.
Products used:
Aleph Concealer/Foundation in shades 4+5, $62, mixed with Aleph Serum/Primer, $72
Aleph Buffer Brush, $59
Rose Inc Cream Blush in Wisteria, $60
Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, $50
Mecca Max Zoom Flex Liquid Eyeshadow in Cornflower Blue, $25, blended with Aleph Eye Blender Brush, $46
Violette Fr Yeux Eye Paint in Ciel de Nuit, $60, applied with Aleph Liner/Brow brush, $40
Aleph Lift/Lengthen Mascara, $62, applied with Fan Brush, $40
Violette Fr Yeux Eye Paint in Bleu de Minuit, $60
Maryse Lip Shine in Lychee, $59, applied with Aleph Lip Brush, $40
