The shade ‘Sapphire’ in the You’re a Gem palette has got me in a navy flurry of smoky, midnight-blue eye looks. The shimmery, deep navy is a welcome change from the go-to deep brown I’ve been slapping on for months now.
Blue eyeshadow has had so many moments in the fashion spotlight, from Cleopatra to Twiggy to the far more recent Dua Lipa and Kerry Washington. Dark navy shadow offers a sexy, mysterious, and feature-worthy look without veering into the bright territory.
However, unless you’re pretty seasoned, dark navy can be slightly tricky to work with. It has a tendency to skip, become muddy, or end up looking like an unfortunate bruise. The bright side is that with a few easy tips, you can nail that navy!
Here are some beginner-friendly tips for wearing a navy eye!
- Start with the eyes first. Blue-based pigments (especially dark ones) can really mess up your base if shadow falls down onto your face. To avoid smudging deep blue all over your under-eyes and cheeks, do your eyes first and your base second. No need to worry about fall-out as you can simply swipe it away with makeup remover. Voila, gorgeous navy eyes and a clean canvas for your base makeup.
- Pick the right brush. A flat, stubby brush is going to place product exactly where you want it to go without flicking it everywhere like a fluffier brush might. Lay down your color with a dense, flat brush or even your finger, then use a clean, fluffy brush to blend.
- Create a cream! Use a mixing medium (like MAC Fix Plus) to turn your navy shadow into a cream on the back of your hand. Then, use a pencil brush to draw the mixture along your lash lines for a mess-free, wet-look blue line. You could also use a finger to dab the color over the lid before using a clean fluffy brush to blend.
- A bronzer, taupe shadow, or chocolate shadow can go a long way to soften a navy look and give your eyes a little more depth. Try smudging navy into the upper and lower lash lines, then buff bronze/taupe shadow into the crease and just along the edges of the navy shadow.
- Experiment at night, right before taking off your makeup for bed. You’re just about to wash it off anyway, so it’s the perfect time to practice! You can practice using different brushes, placement, and blending techniques to find the best navy look for you.
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