Blue eyeshadow is getting a revival on the Spring Summer 2016 runway. There were sparkly jewel tones at Diane von Furstenberg; a smudgey eye at Marc Jacobs; a light blue sheen over models’ eye areas at Chanel; and countless other variations seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Vionnet, Jonathan Saunders and Mary Katrantzou.
But how suitable is the colour for Asian skin, which generally has yellowish undertones? Makeup artist Ros Chan says the first thing to do is to know the exact undertone your skin has: warm, cool or neutral. “From there, you would be able to pick the right shade of blue for your skin,” she adds. And for people who can’t decipher what skin tone they have, the safest way to pull off blue eyeshadow is, according to Chan, to “only apply it within the double eyelid area, or from the lid to slightly above the crease for those with single eyelids; spreading it too high up (close to the eyebrow) may be too overwhelming for daily usage.”
Fellow makeup artist Benedict Choo agrees that blue eyeshadow should never be used around the entire eye area (unless you’re a model at Chanel of course). “I personally prefer to use dark blue to create a smokey look as it goes well with Asian skin (tones),’ he says. “Desirable alternatives would be strong blue hues like ocean blue or sky blue, which you can blend with beige colours.”
Chan also warns that using the wrong shade of blue can make complexions look dull and grey – which is why she recommends that you only pick “shades that make you look more radiant”. Her own go-to colours: Midnight blue and navy blue.
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