eye KEEP AN ON BLUE
Bright colour trend has been huge on the runways in 2016
For a long time, blue eye makeup seemed like a relic of the 1980s, an enduring fashion faux pas. But in 2016, you can’t open a glossy magazine or walk through a drugstore without seeing shades of azure, sapphire, navy and teal. Blue is having its major moment.
“Trends recycle through the years,” says makeup artist Amber Victoria Prepchuk. “The blue trend has been huge on all of the runways.”
Prepchuk is particularly fond of the mermaid-inspired look that Pat McGrath created for Diane von Furstenberg’s Spring 2016 runway show at New York Fashion Week last September.
After the catwalk comes luxury makeup labels. “It starts with brands like YSL and NARS, and you’ll see them coming out with amazing bright hues, especially for spring and summer,” says makeup artist Nickol Walkemeyer, who’s worked with Vogue India, Condé Nast Traveller and Flare magazine.
“This summer I’d say it’s full-blown. You’re really seeing it penetrate the mass market and, more importantly, major beauty influencers. If you were to look at YouTube right now, you’d see the Jaclyn Hills — these massive YouTube vloggers — doing tutorials, and almost all of them are using graphic blue eyeliner.”
But how to achieve the new, modern look without going full ’80s music video? Prepchuk and Walkemeyer give us their best tips on wearing the trend.
1. Start out simple
“Using a blue liner is perfect,” says Prepchuk. “Just doing your normal nude lid with a soft, warm contour and locking down a blue eyeliner. I really like M.A.C Fluidline gel liner in Waveline. You can put an eyeshadow over top of it and it’s still creamy, and you get a really intense blue.”
Prepchuk also suggests adding blue into the waterline. “Instead of doing black or brown inside, I’ll do a navy or indigo colour that’s safe for the waterline. Green-brown eyes will look yellow-green in an instant. It’s a hint of colour without wearing the colour.”
2. Mix it up
“If you’re going to use shimmery blue, you need to think about depth and levels, and mix it up with some navies and shades that will give you shape to your eye, rather than taking a baby-blue shimmer and washing it all over,” says Prepchuk. “Anything with one tone and no depth is dated ... One of my favourite smoky eyes is all blue tones. But you have to put something warm in the crease so that it isn’t too harsh.”
3. Pick a shade that works with your skin tone
“Everyone can pull off the look. But the easiest way to find out if a colour is going to look good on you, is if you’re in a store: Hold up two shades of blue to your face. Your eye will naturally gravitate toward the one that looks complementary to your skin,” says Walkemeyer.
“I love seeing navies on deeper skin tones. It seems to pop out the cinnamon, honey and deeper-toned skin and makes flecks of brown and hazel in the eyes pop out. It’s sultry and different than black or brown. And I love using a cerulean or aquamarine as a really nice pop of colour on literally anyone. Blue makes the whites of the eyes look so white.”
And what about blonds? “Sometimes blue-eyed girls with blond hair get a little petrified of blue,” says Prepchuk. “But I would show them the Diane von Furstenberg look. If they’re into the mermaid look in any way, this is something they should play with. With blue-eyed, blond women, you want to stay a little lighter.”
4. Balance it out
“There’s a lot of makeup that’s blue-based,” says Walkemeyer. For example, black eye makeup can be blue- or green-based.
A red lipstick can be blue- or orange-based.
“Wearing blue makeup makes everything cooler. So I say, when people are using blue in one spot, use a warmer tone somewhere else to complement it.”
5. enjoy it while it lasts!
Beauty movements don’t last forever — especially bold ones. Walkemeyer says that the next big wave is “almost translucent” makeup. “We’re going to be seeing a lot of dewy, beautiful, glossy skin and a lot of sheer, transparent finishes.”