The Eternal Allure of Blue Eyeshadow

I was obsessed with makeup as a little girl and my mom often caught me snooping through her makeup drawer, coating my lids in layer upon layer of Victoria Jackson eyeshadow with one of those teeny sponge applicators. While I wasn’t exactly discerning in my color palette, there was one shade I loved more than all others, a color that to my young mind epitomized all things glamorous and grown up: blue.

It’s been well over 30 years since my youthful explorations, but I still find myself fascinated by blue eyeshadow. Do I wear it every day? Absolutely not. Do I always have a few shades available in my grown-up makeup stash just in case the craving arises? Definitely.

Blue eyeshadow has a bit of a reputation; it is often cited as dated, given its popularity in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. So why, then, does blue eyeshadow pop up every few years as the hot shade? We spotted blue shadow on the runway at Marc Jacobs, Eckhaus Latta and a few other major fashion brands during NYFW; the shade made a splash in Fara Homidi’s new Essential Eye Compact shadow trio; and Chanel loves denim blue so much they designed an entire line around it, including blue shadows beautifully worn by Lily-Rose Depp.

Blue eyeshadow may be scoffed at as a relic from the past, but the color really exists out of time—and that may explain why it’s so, well, eye-catching. “Blue eyeshadow has a nostalgic bent to it,” explains makeup artist Kasey Spickard. “We’ve seen it popularized and trend throughout various decades, and whenever it comes back, it has a retro, almost referential feel to it and doesn’t feel ‘everyday.’” In a sea of neutral tones, blue stands out: cool and calm, but with something potent bubbling underneath. Barbie wore blue eyeshadow. So has Beyoncé. Blue eyeshadow has played an important role in some of the most iconic, cinematic looks of all time, like Elizabeth Taylor with bright turquoise blue across her lids in Cleopatra, the saturated pastel in The Love Witch, or Isabella Rossellini singing in sapphire blue shadow in Blue Velvet. If you want to make your movie heroine extra memorable—pinned up on the wall or saved in your Instagram archive—you paint her eyes with blue.

Makeup artist Mollie Gloss adds that blue eyeshadow can also feel like “forbidden fruit,” because in the past, it was seen as “very low class or cheap,” she explains. (Blue shadow does have an early-career Lana del Rey feel to it.) “Ironically, blue is one of the most vibrant and calming reoccurring colors in nature.” And just as I think back to my childhood eyeshadow experimentation, blue shadow also holds very specific beauty-related memories; for example, Gloss fondly recalls a unique blue shadow worn by members of her school dance team. “They specifically had to wear a CoverGirl single shadow that was a very vibrant turquoise… I wanted to join just for that. I never did, but started wearing blue eyeshadow to all of my tennis matches anyway.”

Blue also plays a very important role in the color wheel, notes makeup artist Jonet Williamson, who attributes blue’s popularity in part to its status as a primary color. “It’s naturally one of the first colors we think of when considering branching out from neutrals,” she explains. “Just like in clothing where navy has arguably been viewed as a ‘non-neutral neutral,’ blue eyeshadow is an initial step into trying more color on the eyes, just as is red on the lips.” 

Blue also looks good on everyone, Williamson adds. “No matter your eye color or complexion, you can find a tone of blue that works for you.” Gloss agrees. “I reach for blue so often, as I think it always feels fresh.” Icy blue, denim blue, baby blue, sapphire blue, Yves Klein ultra-cobalt blue, aqua blue… there really is a blue for every mood, and you may just be wearing them on your lids this spring.

How to Wear Blue Eyeshadow

You don’t have to slather your eyelids in powder like I did as a kid, but you can—just in a more mature way. There’s something so lovely about a light wash of pale blue shadow all over the lid, ice-queen style, and it can be supremely wearable too. “I think a painterly, almost watercolor wash all over the lid is nice and easy with a sandy brown shadow in the crease and lower lash line to soften the look,” says Spickard. He recommends creating a grippy base with product like Danessa Myricks ColorFix in Nude 3, which also helps light blue shades pop, and says Charlotte Tilbury Denim Dimension Palette is “perfect” for an everyday blue look.

Williamson also loves a monochromatic blue wash, and cites Violette_Fr’s Yeux Paint in Dieu Bleu and MAC Frost Single Eyeshadow in In the Shadows as two standout cobalt-blue formulas. (Gloss is also a fan of the Violette_FR formula, which she says is the closest one can get to Yves Klein blue itself.) If icy, baby blue (or is it Bridgerton blue?) is more your speed, Half Magic’s Glitterpuck pressed glitter in Princess Ghost would be a mainstay for Queen Elsa, and Byredo’s Vesuvio Eyeshadow Palette is home to a few pale, delicate frosty blue tones.

Experiment with texture and formula: cream one day, liquid another, classic shadow or sparkles. Try a baby blue one day and a deep blue the next. “Pastel blues are great for color saturation that isn’t too bold; they add a softness to a look,” says Gloss. “Make it frosty or metallic, suddenly it’s a futuristic feeling. Blue can take on so many forms and feelings.”

Get creative with your blue eyeshadow placements! Baby step your way to blue shadow with liner first, or use it as an accent color versus an all-over shade. For a modern, almost-futuristic way to wear blue, Spickard advises applying a white shadow to the inner corner of your eye, then packing a pastel blue on top. “It feels very current and creates brightness and intensity in the face,” he says. Use blue in place of your favorite smoky eye shades for a fun twist on the night-out makeup.

And don’t be afraid of blue eyeshadow, as mythical as it may feel at first—the color may just become part of your lore too. “I hope going forward that makeup is more like an accessory or an adornment that acts as art more than simply as a tool to look prettier,” says Gloss. “Be bold, have fun, try something new—it wipes off.”