There’s been a plethora of minimalist beauty trends over the last few years: ‘latte girl’ makeup, ‘clean girl’ aesthetic, ‘vanilla girl’ makeup… One by one, they cycle through social media and take their place in the discourse, just in time for the next ‘no makeup’ makeup trend to come around. Despite the sheer volume of these trends in today’s beauty landscape, if you take a good look around, you may have noticed that everything’s a bit, well, boring—perhaps because they’re all repacked versions of the same look.
It’s no wonder Pat McGrath’s porcelain doll-inspired makeup look for Maison Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2024 couture show created such a buzz. To quote the great André Leon Talley, “It’s a famine of beauty, honey! My eyes are starving for beauty.” And McGrath’s creation fed us. Complete with reflective glass skin, sharp skinny brows, and bold eyeshadow, the look was experimental and creative, placing art and fantasy at the forefront.
You don’t need a couture show in Paris to have some fun with your eye makeup, though. Colored mascara is a low-effort, high-impact way to create a striking look. Maybe it’s how the pigmented lashes look when the light hits them just right. Or maybe it’s the way they instantly add glamour to even the simplest makeup look, sending oohs and ahhs your way. Regardless of the reason, colored mascara is one of the most impactful makeup products you can have in your arsenal. And when it comes to the looks you can create, the options are endless. With the help of makeup artist Kuma, we’ve created four makeup looks featuring colored mascara to jumpstart your imagination. There’s something for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. Go ahead and choose your own adventure. It’s time to have fun with makeup again.
Emerald Green
I think of green as a neutral, making it a perfect starter shade for those interested yet slightly hesitant to venture into the world of colored mascara. The saturated forest green lashes anchor the look—make them the focus and opt for a neutral-toned lip.
On her eyes, Riahn is wearing The Eyeshadow Matte in Avocado and The Mascara Color Nuance WP in Pine Tree; on her skin, she is wearing The Blush Matte in Naked Veil; and on her lips, she is wearing The Lipstick Extreme Shine in Share Silence. All Addiction Tokyo Beauty.
Raspberry
Treat your eye makeup like a watercolor canvas, blending a wash of emerald green and pale shadow atop your lid before applying a deep raspberry or burgundy mascara onto your lashes. (The contrast in shades makes the mascara pop.) And you know that “rule” about how you can’t do both an eye and a lip? Forget that—swipe on a glossy, mirrored pout to finish off the look.
On her eyes, Riahn is wearing The Eyeshadow in Deep Emerald, The Blush Nuancer in Golden Eden, and The Mascara Intense Lashes in Guilty Raspberry; on her skin, she’s wearing The Blush Matte in Posh Plum and The Blush Nuancer in Aurora Veil; and on her lips, she’s wearing Extreme Shine in Jazzy Song and The Matte Lip Liquid in Red Red. All Addiction Tokyo Beauty.
Rose Pink
Transform your bare lids into a bright field of color—pack them with a matte yellow eyeshadow, lightly blending the shadow all the way to the brow bone with an eyeshadow brush. Then, take a cream yellow shadow with a hint of shimmer, and press it into the center of your lid for a gilded finish. Once the eyeshadow is set, swipe on a bold pink mascara for an eye-opening effect.
On her eyes, Riahn is wearing The Eyeshadow in Citrine and Vimana Gold, and The Mascara WP in Ashy Rose; on her skin, she’s wearing The Blush Matte in Sahara Sun; and on her lips, she’s wearing Extreme Shine Wise with Age. All Addiction Tokyo Beauty.
Apricot
Retire the classic black smoky eye, at least for an evening. Start by applying black eyeshadow along the lash line before smudging it out with a blending brush. Next, take an iridescent lilac shadow and concentrate the color on the lid. Then, blend the edges out toward the brow, diffusing the color in the skin. Finally, add on apricot-hued mascara to amp up the bold look.
On her eyes, Riahn is wearing The Eyeshadow in Black Beach and Hour of Magic, and The Mascara WP in Rusty Apricot; and on her skin, she’s wearing The Blush Matte in Naked Veil and The Blush Nuancer in Aurora Veil. All Addiction Tokyo Beauty.