How to Wear Blue Eyeshadow Without Looking Like a Clown

 Wearing blue eyeshadow is just one of those things that sounds scarier than it is.  Before I became comfortable trying out different makeup looks, blue shadow just made me think of bad 80s / clown makeup.  But as long as it is applied correctly, blue eyeshadow can make your eyes pop (in a good way).

Here's how to get the look:

Start with a fresh face.  Apply a nice moisturizer, like Yes to Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer.  Having a moisturized face definitely makes it easier to apply makeup, no matter what look you're going for.  Once you've applied the moisturizer, add a thin layer of eyeshadow primer to your eye lids.  I tend to use concealer for this, as it's usually cheaper and works just as well.  My personal pick is L'Oreal's True Blend Concealer.  Once that is applied, make sure to blend it well onto the lid.  Blending is extremely important with makeup in general.


You're going to need one beige and two blue shadows (one light and one dark) to create this semi-smoky look.  For all three shadows, I stuck to L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadow line.  I chose them for this look because the shadows are gorgeous, highly-pigmented, and last all day.  They're also easy to blend, which is super important when it comes to eye makeup.  Shadow that isn't blended well tends to look cheap, and simply doesn't look nearly as pretty.

For the beige tone, I went with Iced Latte, which is a nice, slightly shimmery color.  For the blue hues, I chose Infinite Sky as the lighter color and Midnight Blue as the darker.

Here's a pic of the three:

Now onto the fun part! Apply the beige color over the entire lid.  Make sure to blend all the way up to the browbone.

Next, apply the lighter blue up to the crease.  Blend it up and outwards. Then, using a small brush, apply a bit under the lower lashline.

Add on the darker blue.  This should be applied on the outer half of the lid, and blended in the same way.  You can add a bit to the very most outward part of the lower lashline as well.

Once you've blended the colors, apply a few layers of mascara (you can't go wrong with CoverGirl's LashBlast), and you're done!

See? Not too scary.

When wearing a bolder shadow look like this, I usually avoid dark eyeliner so that the focus is on the shadow.  Everything else should be left fairly simple--nude lips and a light peach blush work well with this look.  Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like a prostitute.

That's not to say you shouldn't experiment.  Definitely play around with the look and give it your own flair.  Enjoy!