When I watch beauty vloggers and their endless tips on contouring, making your nose look smaller and your eyes look bigger, I remember that dreadful playground “joke”: why do women wear make-up and perfume? Because they’re ugly and they smell. Make-up, at its most basic, will indeed make you look and probably feel a bit prettier, but what a sorry-ass world it would be if this were all that slap was for. Like wearing clothes just to keep you warm. Or having sex only for procreation.
Make-up, like fashion, can be a statement, an expression of who you are or how you are feeling. It’s an accessory for your face – to highlight and accent bits of it, not hide it or attempt to look perfect. So I welcome this spring’s coolest make-up trend: blue eyeliner. Just draw a big, graphic, azure line on your top lid. As Terry Barber, MAC director of make-up artistry, puts it: “Think of this flash of colour as a piece of jewellery.”
You may find it hard to believe that this is an age-agnostic trend, but it is, I promise. Even with an entry-level skinny line of navy – try Charlotte Tilbury’s Rock ’n’ Kohl in Marlene Midnight (£19; charlottetilbury.com) – you’ll see it’s softer and easier to wear than black eyeliner. I urge you to play with some of spring’s aquatic shades. New York is going mad for the Highliner Gel Eye Crayons in Marc Jacobs’ wonderful new make-up line. Try Top Seacret, a true aqua, or Blue Me Away, which is more of a baby blue (£19; harrods.com). These are waterproof and brilliant for a dancey/clubby night out; they will not budge, no matter how much you laugh or sweat.
Chanel has a waterproof Stylo Yeux Long-Lasting Eyeliner in Fervent Blue (£19; houseoffraser.co.uk), a metallic, electric blue. It sounds a bit club kidz, but is somehow grown-up enough for daywear. It’s one of those you can apply lightly or build up, depending on the intensity you are after. I’ve worn this daily for the past month without scaring any horses. MAC, always at the cutting edge, has loads of blues for spring. There’s a matt navy Chromagraphic Pencil (£14) in Marine Ultra. Or you could be very bold with a pot of Chromaline cream liner in high-definition Cyan (£16; maccosmetics.co.uk).
If you prefer liquid eyeliner, the cheapish and excellent-quality Italian brand Kiko has some water-resistant Super Colour liners (£6.90; kikocosmetics.com). The intense Electric Blue and paler Blue Majorelle both have the longevity of far pricier products. And if you can’t let go of the smoky-eye look (fair enough), Topshop Smoke Stick in Dark Crystal (£6.50; topshop.com) is a good one to try.
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A warning: it is difficult to wear coloured lipstick with blue eyeliner without looking like you’re going to an Abba convention. Avoid red or bright lippie and stick to nudes or nothing at all. Cast all retro inspiration from your mind and think of your future.