Today’s #CanCantDont saw us moving into some seriously scary beauty territory, as we were brave enough to attempt blue eyeshadow. Whilst blue often looks fantastic in dramatic editorial shoots, can it work in real life, or would we end up looking like 80s throwbacks? Here’s how we got on…
Elaine: I’m all up for a bit of beauty experimenting and have sported some pretty outlandish looks in my time, but blue eye shadow? No. Just no. It screams 80s tack to me, and not in a kitsch retro way. In fact I hate it. I tried to gather some shreds of optimism before embarking on this beauty journey of doom by watching Lisa Eldridge’s Tippi Hedren tutorial (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZUBXuJfXh4). As Lisa Eldridge is a wonderful makeup wizard she manages to make pale blue shadow look absolutely stunning and totally wearable. So borrowing one of Amrita’s blue shades from her Beauty UK palette I set about recreating the look. It looked alright with tons of eyeliner and mascara but I would never go out in public with it.
Verdict: Don’t
Amrita: Blue eyeshadow. Two words that can instil fear into even the makeup savvy woman who knows her MAC 217 from her MAC 224.
For me, I’ve always thought blue eyeshadow was that hazy area where it could look okay with the right outfit but still go very wrong at the same time and today was one of those days. I don’t know whether it was because the blue I chose was just too pearly and vibrant but this looked so wrong on me that I couldn’t wait to get it off. I used pretty much all of the blue shades from the Accessorize Beauty ‘Lovely Day’ palette and then it went wrong. I tried to copy a tutorial I’d seen on the internet but failed miserably and learnt that I should trust my own instincts and freestyle my way through eye makeup.
I would try this blue eyeshadow look again albeit with a navy eyeshadow but until then, I’ll admire it from afar.
Verdict: Can’t
Lizzy: I must be a glutton for punishment as I came up with this week’s CanCantDont. I saw this 90’s trend being resuscitated in a glossy mag and thought, ‘yes, I could definitely pull this off’. Then I remembered I was not a top model. However, I do enjoy a challenge, so I pulled out my Colour Unlimited Eye Shadow Pallette and opted for a royal blue shade. I applied this to the outer lids, then using the ice blue I opened my eyes by applying to the inner corners. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t look like a Bananarama extra, but I still don’t think this colour is for me. I also think this trend depends on your style overall, so blue hues would definitely look amazing on the younger, Rihanna/Cara D’s of the world, but in a pencil skirt and shirt, it just looks slightly…odd.
Verdict: Can’t
Katie: I’m ashamed to admit it, but I used to be a massive fan of blue eyeshadow when I was at school and – shock horror – do still attempt it occasionally (feel free to judge), so this trend was slightly less scary for me. I used the L’Oreal Color Riche Les Ombres quad in Bleu Mariniere, and applied the lightest, almost icy-toned blue as a base, then built up the colour in the inner corner with a darker shade. I finished off by adding a tiny amount of the white shadow in the inner and outer corners, and using the navy blue shadow as an eyeliner. The result? It’s waaay too much for day time, but unlike the rest of the team, I’m not averse to blue eyeshadow in moderation!
Verdict: Can (maybe)
