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Comments
· April 25, 2008 10:05 AM by
Carol
· April 25, 2008 10:08 AM by
Dain
· April 25, 2008 10:14 AM by
Carol
· April 26, 2008 3:47 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· April 26, 2008 5:02 PM by
Dain
· April 26, 2008 8:45 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· April 26, 2008 8:45 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
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TBF Project:Blog
Posted by Dain, Friday, April 25, 2008 1:51 AM (Eastern)
Blues can be tricky to navigate; they're not makeup-as-enhancement, but decoration-as-identity. All the same, it can hit the right note under the right conditions. First there is the axiom of dramatic makeup: a bold statement only works if you have an equivalent attitude. It should empower, not intimidate, you—even better if you are so comfortable you forget about it. If you find yourself worrying, you're missing the point. Of all the colors in the wheel, blue is the uttermost contrast to human skin tones, though some iterations are more accommodating than others. Paradoxically, this makes blue a safer choice than you might imagine. A perfect contrast works better than a near mismatch. You think blue is hard to wear? Try orange. Much, much worse, is it not? Even though orange is closely related to the color of flesh (peach/brown) than blue could ever hope to be. Just as colors opposite each other on the color wheel complement each other, you can use the natural contrast blue provides to your own advantage. The trick is to find just the right blue for your coloring—a deliberate clash.
I'll break it down as far as I'm able...
- (1) NEUTRAL NAVY Everyone can wear navy, it's almost a neutral, and makes an excellent liner. It pairs well with taupe, grey, and silvery white, while soft pink makes a lovely counterpoint, but I would warn against using any shade that's too warm. The beauty of navy is its subtle color, and golds and peaches would provide too much contrast. It can also be adapted into the classic smoky eye (remember, you don't have to use neutrals), as seen above.
Now, the techniques...
- (2) BLUE AS EYELINER You'll notice that the skin has been deliberately blanched to whiteness, which the vibrancy of cobalt balances nicely. By restraining the color into a rim of color (smudgy black kohl layered thickly with shadow for a moody, romantic feel), its intensity stops short of overwhelming.
(3) MUDDLED BLUES Here, the blues are spread with a wider brush (literally), so they've taken on the subdued forms of steel blue, periwinkle, and maybe even touches of green—an entire palette of blues. You'll notice how the colors have been deliberately blended so that no one color seems to overpower her eye.
(4) COLD BLUE WASH The model here is slightly tanned, so a powdery sky blue makes a wonderfully vivid wash. I particularly like how it is completely matte: the color seems so pure that way. Pure pigment is a simple but very dramatic statement, especially with some black liquid liner.
(5) PLUS BOLD LIPS So far, these looks have acknowledged the dominance of the bold blue eye by pairing it with creamy lips in pink, peach, or mauve, colors that complement but don't compete. There is little to no blush. But our final look has gone for maximum impact: pale skin, made even paler, a single sapphire hue spread like velvet, over the lid, and... glossy cherry lips. Yikes. Only one thing keeps this look from disintegrating outright: her face is otherwise absolutely black and white.
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April 25, 2008 10:05 AM,
Interesting. I've never done alot of blue. I do find orange in any of its manifestations much more wearable (on me at least) than blue.
Although one summer I did wear a really light, really sparkly blue e/s alot and got alot of compliments on it.
10-15 years ago, I used to do an eye with peach and light blue, lined in brown. THAT combo worked really well, but they were really,really light and soft colors (except for the liner).
I have alot of green in my eyes, I think thats why oranges work so well.
Interesting food for thought, I may have to pick up a navy liner and try that for a change.
April 25, 2008 10:08 AM,
I tried to focus on strong, rather than soft blues. Of course you can wear them sheer, but I figure most people know how to do that, and it's a lot more difficult to pull off the bold looks.
L'Oreal HIP in Sassy, try that one. Most wearable blue I've found, and it's cheap. The brown is fantastic too, though I can't actually wear browns myself.
April 25, 2008 10:14 AM,
I'll take a look at the HIP next time I'm at the store.
Hmmmm. I think I still have an orange HIP e/s kicking around somewhere. I'm wondering what orange e/s with navy liner would look like. Sounds like a hot mess, but I'm in a mood to try anything these days.
April 26, 2008 3:47 PM,
The one blue I can wear is the one in Nars Island Fever. I think because it contains green...it's a sea blue shade. It occurred to me it's similar in color to the veins in my wrist...blue, but with green. Wondering if you can use your veins as a guide?
April 26, 2008 5:02 PM,
I did toy with the idea, sort of a blue with skin-color blend not unlike the red with skin-color blend of certain blushes, but I figured that would be more difficult with darker skin tones.
April 26, 2008 8:45 PM,
It's a good point.
Some of my veins look purple right now, like a blueprint color. Only a makeup junkie would start to think blueprint-colored eyeliner just might work...
April 26, 2008 8:45 PM,
Carol: hey! :) How are you doing?
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