(Beauty)
A look back at makeup from the '70s through the early aughts reveals one recurring trend: bold eyeshadow. It wasn't until recently — when the likes of Gigi Hadid, Lucy Boynton, and Rihanna started churning out lessons on how to wear colorful eyeliner — that the stick unseated the long-reigning palette on the proverbial eye makeup throne.
The increasing popularity of non-black eyeliner correlates with an emerging graphic liner obsession, which has, of course, been perpetuated by pandemic experimentation and the subsequent visual loss of all facial features below the eye (R.I.P. lip products). Now a rainbow of pencils akin to Crayola's is a standard feature in any modern cosmetic lineup.
In addition to lining the eye — its intended purpose since roughly around Cleopatra's time — eyeliner, as it turns out, comes in handy for creative lid doodling, too. Just look at Lucy Boynton's fashion-forward graphics, Gigi Hadid's repeated floating lines, or Ariana Grande's instantly iconic eye makeup from the 2020 "Rain on Me" video.
There are at least a trillion ways to wear it (and these days, it doesn't even have to be symmetric), but ahead are seven colorful eyeliner ideas from the very celebrities leading the trend.
Chopra's Pop Of Aqua
"Never afraid of a splash of color," according to makeup artist Pati Dubroff, Priyanka Chopra set an example with this aqua iteration circa 2019. Paired with a lavender dress, this characteristic mixing of vibrant hues perhaps hails from the actor's Bollywood past.
Yellow Lines
Rebelling against the innate curve of the eye, Hadid debuted a set of abstract yellow lines with the most '70s outfit last fall. The nostalgic leather jacket over floral paired with a futuristic take on graphic liner (complete with a dot centered under the waterline) made for a covetable clash of eras. Makeup artist Patrick Ta later repeated the look in white.
Layered Floating Flick
This Shay Mitchell moment — also courtesy of the apparent colorful eyeliner god, Patrick Ta — made an already-trendy negative-space cat-eye even more à la mode by giving it a royal-blue and white shadow.
Boyton's Neon "Flamingo Wings"
Perhaps the most inventive lid work has come from none other than Lucy Boynton (by way of Jo Baker, The Great Eye Makeup Sorceress, of course). This neon moment from September — dubbed "flamingo wings" or "screaming wings" by its creator — is one of the actor's brightest looks yet.
Orange Minimalism
A simple swipe of orange eyeliner was the key to Chrissy Teigen's recent vacation aesthetic. Makeup artist Kristine Studden kept the noteworthy eye looks coming throughout the trip: all colorful, all blissfully minimalistic.
All Around The Eye
The old '00s trick of lining all around the eye in Sharpie-like thickness has made a timely resurgence, except now, it's not so much categorized as "emo." Quite the opposite, actually. Rihanna demonstrates in a monochromatic true blue ensemble.
Shade-Shifting 'Rain On Me' Eyes
And as for the most viral eye makeup trend of the year, the floating white cat-eye debuted by Ariana Grande in her "Rain on Me" music video has promptly become about as recognizable as her iconic ponytail.
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