Fytuba Makeup

Not long ago, blue eye shadow was considered a bigger faux pas than a muffin top, reserved for vilified television characters and moms in need of makeovers. “We got so much of it from the ’60s to the ’80s that it just became comical,” says Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux. But perhaps we should take a hint from those past perpetrators of excess: “Blue eye shadow is flattering on nearly everyone—every skin tone, eye color, hair shade,” Pecheux says. The hue has a rather magical ability to brighten bloodshot eyes, perk up sallow-looking skin, and neutralize undereye circles, thus performing an impressive age-rewinding hat trick.

The power of blue is no modern revelation. During his British invasion, Julius Caesar wrote about the bizarre, blue-stained Briton warriors, whose body paint was made from the unfortunately named herb woad. After the advent of synthetic dyes in the mid-nineteenth century, cosmetics companies began rolling out mass-produced shades of shadow (no more woad, thank you), and by the 1950s, eye shadows in myriad colors, including pigment-rich blues, were everywhere. Even some of the first Barbie dolls, introduced in 1959, wore a pop of blue eye shadow along with a black-and-white-striped maillot. In the ’60s, Andy Warhol produced prints of a bevy of beauties, including Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy, with exaggerated, acid blue lids. “In the ’70s, we’d take blue eye shadow and sweep it all the way up to the temples. We wanted the shape to be catlike,” says Lancôme makeup artist Sandy Linter. “It was a very wow look!”

So, why—and how—does a hue once more or less shunned make a comeback? “Blue is a very optimistic color, and I think that’s what everyone wants to feel right now,” Linter says. “You put it on, and it instantly changes your mood for the better.” The trend-forecasting firm Pantone Color Institute named a brilliant, blue-green turquoise 2010’s color of the year. And now Pecheux—who can make anything sexy (see the black lips on YSL’s fall 2008 runway)—is predicting blue’s renaissance. Those sapphire-smoked eyes at Derek Lam’s fall 2010 runway show were courtesy of Pecheux’s Blue Dahlia palette, part of his first color collection for Lauder.

Pulling off the look, however, requires some consideration—darker skin tones tend to look best with gold-flecked hues, such as aquamarine; paler complexions make a perfect canvas for cooler colors, such as cobalt and periwinkle. As for placement, anything goes—almost. At Balenciaga’s spring 2010 show, makeup artist Pat McGrath dabbed electric blue in the inner corners of models’ eyes for an alluringly futuristic effect. Another über-hip way to wear it: Ever-stylish actress Kate Bosworth brought her blue crush to life when she sported elongated teal streaks on her lids. Makeup artist Ashunta Sheriff, who keeps Alicia Keys’ eyes popping with a rainbow of shades, recommends that the color-shy start with a hint of liner to “experiment with different blues.” As for Pecheux, he prefers to concentrate the color in the center of the lid for a “flash of brightness” when you blink. “I love a surprise, don’t you?” Yes—but only the ones that make us look better.

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