Blue Eye Makeup Is My Forever Go-To Shade for Stunning Party Glam
Minimal effort, high impact.


New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and although I am thoroughly exhausted, I couldn’t be happier about it. After a fairly restful summer, I am itching to get back to the glitz and glamour of a night out in New York City, preferably dancing the night away with my nearest and dearest. I can’t say that Fashion Week parties are necessarily where I’ll be spending my time for the rest of the fall season, but it’s a nice way to kick off the back-to-school, back-to-partying vibe. What better way to dust off my beauty editor makeup skills (especially when I’ve been little more than a lip stain and cream blush all summer)? The secret, however, is to not just fall back on the tried-and-true classic smokey eye when I want to make a serious statement with my glam. Instead, I reach for a few unexpected blue eye makeup options to help my hazel eyes pop—and make a dazzling first impression.
Not sure where to start with your first foray into blue liners and eyeshadows? Keep scrolling for my favorite tried-and-tested options in both formats.
Navy Baby
Navy blue is my favorite color, period, full stop, and lucky for me, it looks just as stunning in makeup form as it does for fashion and homewares.
I’ve had a long-term relationship with this flawless eyeliner and it never fails to win me compliments. I apply a messy line to my upper lid, smudge it with a dense shadow brush, add a diffused wing, and swipe it along my top and bottom waterlines. Perfection.
A chubby shadow stick is the most foolproof way to create an all-over color look on the lid. This deep navy shadow has plenty of grunge vibes to tap into fall’s hottest makeup trend.
Cobalt Cutie
Don’t shy away from this vivid blue shade! I promise it’s more wearable than you think, as long as you commit, and the pop of pigment will instantly help you feel more awake and undeniably chic.
A swipe of liquid liner is one the quickest ways to add a bit of vivid color to your eyes without needing to buff or blend. This formula is so beginner friendly, has incredible color payoff, and will not budge, even on hooded eyes. ways to add a dash of vivid color to your eyes without the need to blend
Nobody does a colorful eyeliner like Urban Decay. This formula has been in my collection for years and it never lets me down when I want a bold, colorful beauty look. The Chaos shade is pure cobalt deliciousness.
Powder Power
Soft, dreamy shades of light blue are so beautiful on the eyes, especially with a barely-there wash of color. It’s a dreamy ethereal effect that enhances your eyes with minimal effort. Who doesn’t love that?
The key to creating a diffused tint of color across the lid is to tap in the pigment quickly, before it dries, and then add a layer of lightweight concealer over the top to tone down the shade if needed. This formula has so much value and quality for the price.
Every beauty editor is obsessed with Danessa Myricks’s multi-use pigment and for good reason—it feels like you’re playing with watercolors on your face to create an incredible and professional makeup artist-worthy eye.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion, and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Don't gatekeep our newsletters from your friends. Subscribe to Face Forward here.
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

Hannah Baxter is the Beauty Director at Marie Claire. She has previously held roles at The Zoe Report, Coveteur, and Bust Magazine, covering beauty, wellness, fashion, and lifestyle. Her writing has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, Allure, The Cut, Elle, InStyle, Glamour, Air Mail, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Byrdie, Nylon and more. She is also the founder of Anxiety Beer, a weekly newsletter about the intersection of culture and mental health. In her spare time you can catch her reading too many overdue library books, thrifting, or hanging with her hairless cat, Norman. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @hannahbaxward.