Blue Mascara Is Back, From Diorshow Overblue to YSL Electric Blue

Blue Mascara Is Back, From Diorshow Overblue to YSL Electric Blue

Blue mascara was a signature of the 80s that the runway keeps bringing back, and it reads as bright color from across a room. Here are the blue mascaras, the navy liners to pair with them and the primers, curlers and removers that keep the look clean.

Blue mascara was a hallmark of the 80s and 90s, and ELLE UK traces how it carried on into the 2000s through names like Reese Witherspoon and Christina Aguilera. What kept bringing it back was the runway. At Stella McCartney's AW12 show, makeup artist Pat McGrath coated models' lashes in a vibrant cerulean, and the shade kept popping up on catwalks after that, most recently at Matty Bovan and AZ Factory for SS24. A blue lash reads as color from across a room and as a dark, bright lash up close, which is why I think it suits more people than they expect.

Dior's Diorshow is the formula with the most backstage history. When it launched in 2002 it was such a hit that stores could not keep it in stock, and it was created to be used backstage at runway shows. Peter Philips, Dior Makeup's creative director, has said that before it launched you could not find a brush that big, so he would clean off the wand from a Dior hair mascara and use it on lashes. Diorshow Overvolume in Overblue is an electric blue.

Yves Saint Laurent released Lash Clash Extreme Volume in 2022, and Electric Blue is a cobalt shade on an oversized conical brush. Benefit's BADgal BANG, launched in 2018, comes in Power Blue, and Marc Jacobs Beauty Flashes in Indigo is an electric blue for lash-by-lash definition. Kosas Soulgazer in Enigma is the subtle one, a blackened blue with a peptide serum, made for sensitive eyes. Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High in Blue Mist and L'Oréal Paris Voluminous Original in Cobalt Blue are the classic tubes, and a vegan Size Up formula in vibrant cobalt rounds out the row.

For a softer version, apply black at the root and blue on the tips.

Big numbers collage titled BLUE MASCARA, six products numbered one to six with each product set beside its number: Benefit, Dior, YSL, Maybelline, Victoria Beckham Beauty and CHANEL
Blue Mascara

Blue mascaras

Navy and blue liners to pair with it

A navy liner is the easiest way to make blue lashes look intentional. Victoria Beckham Beauty launched on 14 September 2019 with an 11-piece smoky eye collection, designed with co-founder Sarah Creal, who had been head of global makeup development and marketing at Estée Lauder. The Satin Kajal Liner comes from that eye-first point of view, creamy and waterproof but easy to smudge. Navy Noir is the one to pair with bright blue mascara, and I picked Jeans as the second shade.

ILIA Thru-Line Waterproof Eyeliner in Dash is a matte indigo blue made for sensitive eyes, with avocado-oil-coated pigments so it glides without tugging. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil comes here in two shades, Sabbath, a deep matte navy, and Chaos, a vibrant cobalt with a slight pearl. Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Denim Shimmer Ink is a true navy with shimmer. MAKEUP BY MARIO Master Pigment Pro Eyeliner Pencil in Midnight Blue is a metallic midtone blue, and Valentino Colorgraph in Magnet Blue is a dual-ended gel pencil with a blending brush on the other end.

A pairing tip: match the liner to the depth of the mascara, navy with deep blue lashes and cobalt with bright ones.

What I would skip: blue on the top liner, the waterline and both lash lines at once. Keep one area neutral so the blue reads as a choice.

Navy and blue eyeliners to echo the lashes

Primers, curlers and gentle removers

Colored mascara shows every clump, so the tools around it matter more than they do with black. A primer gives the color something to grip. Chanel La Base Mascara is a conditioning base that hydrates and enhances volume, length and curl, and tarte opening act lash primer adds volume before mascara goes on.

Curl first. Utowa Eyelash Curler II is a Japanese curler handmade by craftsmen, with angles and a curve tailored to the eyelid. Tweezerman ProCurl Lash Curler has a 60-degree angle that suits round eyes, and DIOR BACKSTAGE Lash Curler adapts to all eyelid shapes without pinching the lid.

Removal is where blue lashes can go wrong, because the pigment smudges into a bruise-like shadow if you rub. Dr. Barbara Sturm Make-Up Remover is a biphase formula you shake to activate, and Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover is an oil-based remover for waterproof makeup. Sisley-Paris Eau Efficace Gentle Make-Up Remover combines a remover, cleanser and toner in one step with micellar technology.

A removal tip: hold a soaked pad on closed eyes for ten seconds, then sweep down and out.

What I would skip: curling after the mascara. Curling coated lashes can pull at them and smear color onto the pad, so curl bare lashes and let the primer dry before the blue.

Primers, curlers and removers for colored mascara

Wearing blue in daylight

Blue mascara looks most modern when the rest of the face is quiet. Keep skin fresh, brush brows up with a clear gel, and pair the lashes with a neutral lip. For an office version, sweep one coat of deep navy over black on the tips only. If you wear contact lenses or have sensitive eyes, start with the Kosas or L'Oréal Paris formula. For evenings, wear a bright cobalt on the top and bottom lashes and leave liner off completely. Take it off gently at night with an oil or biphase remover, and replace the tube every few months, as you would any mascara.