Colorful, Youthful Eyes: Bright, Colorful Eyeshadow is Back from 80s Makeup

Makeup Blog

4 min read

It’s amazing how history repeats itself and trends that fall out of fashion one year always seem to return a decade or two later with reinvigorated energy. This is the case with colorful eye makeup. Back in the 80s, many women walked the planet looking like tropical fish. The entire spectrum of bright eye makeupoften showed up for one eye makeup application alongside thick bushy brows, bright fuchsia blush and a flawless matte complexion; all crowned by a glorious tower of teased out hair frozen with a half a can of hairspray. When the 80s ended, many of us swore we were saying goodbye to thebright 80s makeup once and for all. Of course, women from the 60s raised their over-tweezed brows in skepticism. They had made the same proclamation 20 years earlier.

Today, we’re seeing a very interesting rebirth of the colorful eyeshadowthat evokes an unexpected fresh and youthful energy. The colors aren’t packed on like they were in the eyeshadow looks of the80s and the finishes are more refined than ever before. Let’s take a look at this exciting revival of colorful 80seye makeup.

Blue Eyeshadow & Eye Makeup

Blues have made a comeback recently in jewel tones like our Sapphire in our Mystikol® Powdered Eyeliners. These beautiful babies come in variety of colors offering the precision of a liquid but with the ability to be smudged like a pencil. Like a hybrid between shadow and liner, they are excellent to lay down as a shadow base and then enhance with powdered shadows on top.

Another fun blue exists in our Blue Hour PurePressed® Eyeshadow Trio. This rich, intense deep blue eyeshadow has a lovely shimmer that makes it perfect for the center of the eyelid or as a liner smudged along the lashes. It also includes a shimmery light silver that can be used to lighten the blue for more brilliance!

Green Eyeshadow

Green evokes a sweet spring-like feeling in our Harmony PurePressed® Eyeshadow Trio which contains three well-chosen greenshades that are perfect for shaping, enhancing and highlighting the eyes. The soft sea foam green eyeshadow is perfect for giving the eyes a touch of luminous color without looking over the top.

Pink Eyeshadow

Don’t forget pinks and berries are very hot this season and our Twilight PurePressed® Eyeshadow Trio is a fabulous option. It includes a shimmery berry tone that pops against its two softer platinum and pink tones. This trio is a favorite for mixing with our Onyx Mystikol for soft smoky eyes.

Try Out Colorful Eyeshadow

Finally, for those of us who aren’t afraid to try something fun, our Let’s Party Eye Shadow Kit offers a whole palette of bright, intense colors from rich green and blue to bright berry pink for a colorful eye makeup look. Included in this kit is also a generous pan of luminous highlighter that can be used to soften or contrast with the other colors. This kit is a must have for our makeup junkies and runway artists.

Tips for Bright, Colorful Eye Makeup Across the Rainbow

Here are a few tips for using bright eye colors:

Don’t be afraid to use opposing colors on the same eye. For example, a copper and gold eye looks beautiful with a pop of bright green or blue eyeshadow in the center of it, directly above the iris of the eye.

When placing your colors, it is OK for them to mingle where they touch but don’t overlap so much that you neutralize one color with another. Remember that green neutralizes red, blue neutralizes orange, purple neutralizes gold and vice versa. Place colors next to each other and just blend where they meet to soften lines of demarcation.

When doing your application, don’t place all the colors at once and then try to blend them at the end. Sometimes that can make you lose control and it ends up looking muddy. Instead, apply each color as if it is the only color you’re going to use. Blend it completely and then apply the next color for a perfect colorful eyeshadow look.

Start at your outer corners of the eyes and work gradually inward towards the nose. Your darkest colors typically look better on the outer eye while light colors like highlighters look better on the inner eye. Your most shimmery or more saturated bright eyeshadows look best in the center of the lid directly above the iris of the eye.

Finally, don’t forget to tap the brush off to get rid of any excess before touching your eyes. This will help prevent fallout from ending up under your eyes.

Have fun with your eye colors and remember that its only makeup. Try a few looks and wash them off for practice. And tag us on Instagram. We’re so pleased that you love our colorful eyeshadows and we look forward to seeing your fresh take on eye color this year!