Something Blue

By Mara Hansen, Makeup Director

Whenever I put on makeup, I can still practically hear the advice from teen magazines ringing in my ears : “Makeup should enhance your natural beauty. Never pair a bold eye with a strong lip. Use only a touch of blush to give you a youthful look”

Wait a second. Why are other people deciding what I should do with my own face? Makeup is all about creativity and expressing yourself. It should be a fun process where you can explore what makes you feel the most confident and beautiful.

What I love most about makeup is getting to be radically feminine and to honor beauty icons of the past. This isn't to say that makeup is inherent ly feminine: makeup is for everyone. But for me personally, makeup helps me connect with my gender expression and with women from history. These ideas are what inspired me to wear blue eyeshadow for the first time.

I had always heard that blue eyeshadow was outdated, trashy, tacky, or clown-ish. But then I thought about it more and realized that blue makeup is truly timeless. Although many people relegate blue eyeshadow to being a relic of the 80’s, the shade has been worn throughout history, even dating back to ancient Egypt! Icons from every decade have worn this shade from the original Mattel Barbie in 1959, Twiggie in the 60’s, drag legend Divine in the 70’s, Princess Diana in the 80’s, to supermodels like Kate Moss in the 90’s. Blue eyeshadow has even been making a comeback recently on runways such as New York Fashion Week and on red carpets with the likes of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa donning the bold hue.

Feeling ready to give blue eyeshadow a try?

1 Blue Eyeliner

If you're just dipping your toe into the waters, try adding blue to your waterline! You can accomplish this look by gently pulling your bottom lashes down and running a blue eyeliner pencil along the space between your lashes and your eyeball. If you don't have a blue eyeliner pencil, mixing a bit of blue eyeshadow with setting spray and applying it with a brush will give the same effect. This look is absolutely gorgeous and makes brown eyes especially pop!

2 Blue Eyeshadow

Feeling a little more bold? Try blending blue eyeshadow onto your lid and crease in a rounded shape. You can choose to blend it out for a more dramatic look or keep it bold and graphic by lining the edges with a darker blue or black. To get the most out of your eyeshadow, make sure to apply an eyeshadow primer or concealer to your eyelid before applying eyeshadow to help it stick. This look is simple but an absolute complement magnet!

Rules are meant to be broken, especially when it comes to makeup. It’s a form of expression: there is no right or wrong. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. So wear that “tacky” blue eyeshadow, put on “too much” blush and walk out into the world feeling confident and beautiful.

3 Blue Alien Drag

There are truely no boundaries to makeup. Consider this Juno Birch inspired blue alien drag look! After shooting this look, I wore this face out to a performance. I If I can wear blue drag out and about and confuse my uber driver, surely you’ll have the confidence to try looks 1 or 2!