(clockwise from top:Elégance Purity Eyes 11
Dior 5-Color Eyeshadow 250 Seascape
Lavshuca Eye Color BG-1
Lavshuca Eye Color Select BU-1)
Blue eyeshasows divide views. People either embrace them or stay away from them…
The shades of human complexion, from pale beige to dark brown, are all warm tones. Blue is perhaps the furtherest away from human skin-tones. So what can blue eyeshadows do for us?
By definition, they create contrast. They add depth, create dimension, and enhance definition. Blue eyeshadows make eyes pop.
A dust of light blue eyeshadow wakes up the eyes and makes them look brighter and more energetic. It seems to me that there are many more beautiful choices of easily wearable light-blue eyeshadows in Japanese cosmetics. Could it be that consumers in Japan understand the essence of blue more than the rest of the world?
Play It Safe
If you haven’t tried blue, want to give it a go (please do!), but don’t really know which “safe” shade to go for, I think a good starting point is to look at your own skin-tone. The darker your skin-tone is, the darker shade of blue for you. (When in doubt between two shades, try the lighter one.)
To make the best of blue, layer different shades of blue to maximize blue’s potential to create dimension for your eyes. For a glamorous or edgy look, try teaming blue with neighboring shades like green and lilac (as in Dior’s 5-Color Eyeshadow palette in 250 Seascape, seen above).
Take It Forward
The trendy way to wear blue for fall 2007 is to wear it with a coordinating grey, which is the color of the season and acts as a great accent color. Pair pastel blue with silvery grey and dark blue with charcoal grey. Below, we see a subtle, modern and almost effortless way to wear blue, which really brightens the eyes:
(cover, Biteki August 2007)
Some people think blue is back because the 80’s is back (and some people stay away from it exactly because of this). But I think blue is ever so wearable today because there is a great variety of textures (powder, cream, mousse,…), finishes (from velvety matte to ultra-shimmery), and shades.
This is what I think about blue, one of my favorite colors. What’s your view and observation?
(A big thank-you goes to Tammy, who started a mini discussion on blue eyeshadows under my post on Kanebo’s Kate and inspired me to write a post about them.)
More for the fans of blue:
Lavshuca Eye Color Select in BU-1
(a closer look at the Lavshuca palette seen in the photo above)
Blue-Tinted Lip Gloss?
(Well, I am not giving up until everyone has tried it…)
Sofina Raycious Foundation
(with fine blue-based particles to liven up your complexion)
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi girl,that’s a really great entry on blue colored eyeshadow,I’m gonna try that!I bought a ZA lipgloss which is blue in color but never got around to try it till I read your blue gloss entry.I really think it makes my lips look fuller without making me look alienish.And I love it that you review Biteki stuff too =) I am an avid fan of Japanese beauty products and magazines too.Keep updating!!
know which are the exact bobbi brown products that are paraben-free? thanks
Hello Rini,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog!
Glad that you are happy with your ZA blue lip gloss. (One of my favorite foundations is from ZA actually, but I was not aware that they have/had a blue lip gloss. Thanks for telling me this!)
(By the way, I see that you are in Singapore. It seems that ZA is a Shiseido brand that is not even available in Japan…)
I have been a subscriber of Biteki for years and really enjoy browsing through each issue. I am always tempted to take shots of the pages and share them on the blog, but I am not entirely sure of the copyright situation in Japan. Right now I am mainly planning to take occasional shots of the covers and the ads inside.
Do give blue eyeshadows a try. I don’t think it would be too hard to find a shade that would work for you, no matter what your skin-tone is. Give it a go and let me know what you think! :)
Hello there,
Thank you for your question.
I am afraid I don’t have an immediate answer. But I will try to find out and I will get back to you later!
Thanks again!
Another great article PJ! And thanks again for the shout-out (and the email!). :) I would love to try out a blue-based face powder; unfortunately I haven’t seen any here in America (I already left Japan, darn it…). I like the idea of pairing blue e/s with grey as well. I actually have those two colors! Yes! Will definitely try it out. I wonder if anyone has a good example of blue eyeshadow worn well in the daytime? So many magazines show blue, in all its loveliness, as a more glamorous night time look. But I’m sure daytime can be achieved!
i bought a blue eyeshadow because it was the colour of my fav sports team and used it as a sort of face paint during the cup season a couple of years back. by the end of the day, it had turned green, and people thought that i was a freak instead of supporting the team. ya that’s my little story =P.
great blog by the way, i just found it a few days ago
Hello Tammy again!
Thank you for your comment and the inspiration for this post.
I see…so you are back in the US. A pale pastel-blue loose powder can be hard to find. Apart from Shu Uemura, Givenchy’s Prisme Libre looe powder has a pastel blue section.
MAKE UP FOR EVER has a blue-tinted primer. Do have a look at the more professional makeup lines where you are, which might carry non-skin-tone loose powders…
Yes, I guess blue has been perceived as a more glamorous eyeshadow color for the evening. But I do think a nice pale blue eyeshadow (with just a little bit of shimmer and with no glitter) can be good for daytime as well.
I have a Maybelline Dream Mousse Eyecolor in lilac and I think the finish is ideal for daytime. (It does have shimmer, but it is not too prominent under sunlight.) They have a light blue one. It might be something you can experiment with…:)
A great daytime look with blue can definitely be achieved! I agree with you!
Hello there,
Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing your story!
Any plan to turn your blue (or green…) eyeshadow into a trendy addition to your makeup looks this fall?
Green (especially olive green) is very in for fall…:)
Thank you again for leaving a comment! Do please stop by again.
I think blue is a great color especiallly the aqua tones, they tend to look good on everyone.
Hello Jaymi,
Thanks for stopping by my blog again!
I agree with you! Aqua blue is probably my favorite shade of blue and is a great color for an eyeshadow. I really enjoy wearing this color!
I LOVE blue eye-shadow!!! Thanx for the ideas. Here is my favorite look:
http://whosemommyisthat.wordpress.com/2007/07/15/more-pics/
Hello Mommanista,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog and sharing your blue eyeshadow look!
It is a very good look! It is more or less the kind of light blue eyeshadow I was talking about. But, like you said, yours has more of a denim-like tone to it. It is slightly more muted than an aqua blue and is also very wearable and flattering!
Thanks again for sharing your blue eyeshadow experience!