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When I was a kid, there was one particular makeup look that, to me, represented the height of opulence and elegance.

There was no other look that measured quite as eye-catching or, frankly, bold, and I was obsessed.

Watch: Exactly how to find the right eyeshadow for your eye colour. Post continues below.

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Here's the best eyeshadow for your eye colour | You Beauty

The look in question? A bright blue eyeshadow accompanied by red lippy.

Then I grew up. My frontal lobe developed, and blue eyeshadow was nothing but a distant memory of dance concerts' past, much like the smell of ultra-hold hairspray.

So imagine my surprise when, in the year of 2026, I start to notice it again. And on some of my favourite celebrities, no less.

What started as a glimmer of a subtle, blue winged eyeliner on the bravest of fashion girlies, snowballed into some of the most iconic looks of the year.

For example, this scroll-stopping Zendaya look by her make-up artist, Ernesto Casillas, for The Odyssey press tour.

Image: Instagram/ @ernestocasillas

Image: Instagram/ @ernestocasillas

Naturally, I have learnt that just because Zendaya pulls something off does NOT mean I can get away with wearing it down at my local pub, so I simply admired and went about my day.

But then JLo rocked up to Paris Fashion Week with a very similar frosty blue look.

Image: Getty.

Okay, I'll bite!! The two queens have spoken. Was the blue lid officially back?

We know by now that trends circle back faster than you can say "side part", so it's no surprise that almost three decades later, we're revisiting the blue eyeshadow. What's next? Skinny brows and bandage dresses? Oh yeah, we're doing those already.

Makeup girlies on TikTok hopped on to the trend fast and shared their own reimagined, 2026 versions of the look.

Image: TikTok/ @smiska01, @lilachilds, @kaitybvids.

I decided to test it out myself and see how it felt to slowly ease into the world of more colour and experimentation with my makeup.

To put together my look, I used this perfectly blue Charlotte Tilbury palette in the shade 'Denim Dimension' and their blue pencil liner in 'Rock 'N' Kohl'.

Image: Supplied.

The daytime look.

Image: Supplied.

I decided to ease myself in, because naturally wearing bright blue shadow on your eyeballs can feel pretty intimidating, especially during the day.

To create this look, I took a light blue shade from the base of my lid, brushed on a light blue shimmer on top of that and popped the white shimmer in my inner corner.

And OMG I LOVE IT!!!

Image: Supplied.

It was completely subtle and just added something a little more interesting to my everyday makeup. I even wore it to the office and my colleagues very much approved of my Euphoria-inspired look.

The blue wasn't as bold as Zendaya's (or how I would apply it as a kid) and I think that's what made it a perfect jumping-off point.

The nighttime look.

Okay, this one scared me, I'm not going to lie.

I wanted to experiment with some darker shades which is something I never normally do when it comes to my eyes. I always try to keep it safe with a bronze lid and maybe, just maybe, a smearing of sparkles.

I find it tricky with my lids as they're quite hooded, so eyeliner and eyeshadow can often disappear underneath and I risk under doing it or overdoing it completely.

Image: Supplied.

For this look, I used the same light blue shade on the base and buffed it out slightly with a darker blue. I then used the Charlotte Tilbury eyeliner to draw on a small wing, which I buffed out with the end of the pencil.

Once it was on, it didn't feel too different from a regular smokey eye, especially because I was going out to somewhere I knew would be dark.

Did I slightly feel like the barmaid from Shrek? Yes, yes I did. But overall, not bad!

Image: Pixar/Supplied.

I'm someone that can so easily slip into autopilot when it comes to doing my makeup and can forget there are other options that aren't just bronzy and glowy.

Makeup should be fun! It can be art, it can be self-expression. While I probably won't be rocking blue eyeshadow every day, it was a nice reminder to not take it so seriously. You may even love what you create.

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Feature image: Instagram/ @ernestocasillas / Supplied.