SLIGHTED and smeared into make-up expulsion throughout the years, the blue eye shadow, in recent months, has seemingly emerged from out of the blue. The shade once reserved for the cruel charlatan troupe, or the bleached blonde in awkward ‘80s coming-of-age films, has lately adorned the eyes of Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid.
And MAC, the continual purveyor of makeup mastery, have devised an eclectic collection of blues to indulge in, from Tilt, an iridescent iris-hued eyeshadow, to the Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Clearwater, a velvety teal hybrid.
Tilt Eyeshadow is £16 at MAC.
One of the most distinctive eyeshadows in the cosmetics’ catalogue, Mac has reported sales of Tilt eye shadow have grown two and a half times between March and May. A soft indigo shade, Tilt is infused with flashes of iridescent, turquoise shimmer, which blends seamlessly over the eyelid for a pearly profusion of peacock blues.
While sweeping this colour across the eye, I discovered this shade naturally morphs into a rich violet shadow, deliciously drawing out the warm, golden hues simmering in brown eyes.
Tilt is a breath of cool, verging on cold. To add a wash of warmth, I gently blended the edges with a caramel-hued brown, which melted into Tilt to form flecks of olive shimmer. To soften the sharp iciness of Tilt against my cool-toned skin, I framed the eyes with a slice of winged black eyeliner and lashings of thick mascara.
Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Moss Definitely is £17.50 at MAC.
With a butter-soft consistency, infused with rays of rich, glistening colour, the Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pots have long been a reigning monarch of the make-up realm. With a kaleidoscope of colours to select from, Moss Definitely is a glittering emerald green with cool flickers of silver pearl, hovering between the warm and cool spectrum. The formula of this shade was perfectly pliable, allowing the product to spread evenly across the eye and blend seamlessly into the socket.
A versatile shade, I preferred to apply this shade with a dense brush underneath olive and forest-hued eye shadows, or alone for a glossy veil of green that resisted creasing throughout the day. I also discovered the shade performs effectively as a winged eyeliner, adding a subtle glimmer of green between the lashes, which, when coupled with Tilt, resembled the luminous shading of a peacock’s plume.
Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Clearwater is £17.50 at MAC.
Similarly, Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Clearwater is malleable in texture, effortlessly spreading a charming robins egg blue across the eye with a semi-opaque coverage. A misty pale aqua shade, Clearwater mirrors the subtle blues and greens swirling in the sea on a murky day. The Paint Pot glides onto the eyelid like a second skin, coating the area in a delicious gust of creamy blue, a similar polished appearance to the acid blue Andy Warhol painted across the eyes of his screen-printed starlets.
Occupying opposite ends of the colour spectrum, Clearwater’s purity of colour is conspicuous when applied along the waterline and coupled with sumptuous copper and bronze eye shadows, a stunning spectacle for blue eyes.
Whether it’s a slash of cerulean blue along the lash line or a dash of indigo on the lid, this more understated, chic translation of blue eyeshadow signifies a more artistic approach to post-pandemic glamour, out of the blacks and into the blues.
by Sophia Ford-Palmer