FEELING BLUE

Blue is on everyone’s make-up moodboard, be it for movies, runways, pop culture, or social media. We unpack what makes this shade such an enduring force in the beauty world

- KONIKA DATTA

Alexa Demie in Euphoria season 3 had a defining beauty moment with her smokey blue eyeshadow, so did Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt in Devil Wears Prada 2.

The shade has dominated the S/S 26 runways, and Chanel Beauty even created a denim-inspired makeup range for the season. It’s safe to say that blue is having a moment in the beauty space, so much so that it’s making an appearance everywhere. Social media is packed with inspiration for blue makeup.

On the surface, this can be perceived as just another fleeting trend. However, the truth is that this hue has an enduring history with beauty in ways that no other colour ever had.

“A blue wash of colour has been popular since pretty much the 40s, especially in the Eurocentric world of beauty. It was a widely used shade, be it in disco, in fashion, or even if you go as far back as the time of Cleopatra,” shares Sandhya Shekar, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Mokae Beauty.

This raises the question: What is it about this colour that sets it apart from the other vibrant shades? How has it modernised in today’s makeup world, and how to incorporate the shade in our everyday look?

THE CHIC FACTOR