The ’90s are calling and they want their eyeshadow palette back. That’s right, frosted blue eyeshadow, made popular by every It-girl in the 1990s, is having a serious moment. Earlier this year, coloured eye makeup landed on our radar in an array of painterly hues but now blue is leading the charge—and we’re here for it.

“I think with everything that has been going on in the world, and having to stay indoors and wear masks, people are wanting to have fun with their makeup again. Eyes are a big part of the new trends we’re seeing, as often the lower half of our face is now covered with a mask,” explains makeup artist Molly Warkentin. “The ’90s are having a big comeback moment right now, with everything, from bike shorts to blue eyeliner and shadow looks. Bring it on I say!”

Sales of blue eye makeup are on the rise—as per British Vogue, sales of the frosty blue MAC Tilt Eyeshadow increased by two and a half times what they had been between March and May this year, according to sales statistics from John Lewis.

Original muses of the trend include Cameron Diaz, Christina Aguilera, Christina Ricci, and our very own September cover star, Drew Barrymore. Even Princess Diana loved blue hues—her trademark blue eyeliner, applied to her waterline, was her biggest beauty secret and made her blue eyes pop. 

So how do we wear it in 2021? Don’t worry, you can put down the lip liner and the eyebrow tweezers because Warkentin insists there’s a modern way to wear it. She suggests opting for different textures to put a new spin on the look. “That is the “spin”, like a high gloss vibrant cyan blue eye, or a shimmering holographic blue eye,” she explains. If you’re all for Princess Diana’s iconic blue eyeliner but want to modernise it, try a floating liner look instead. “This is where there is negative space, so the liner can float above the lash line, or the eye crease, or even below the lower lash line.” 

The good news is that blue looks good on a variety of skin tones, so this is a trend everyone can try. “Blue can be such a complimentary colour to all eye colours and complexions. It’s fun to wear and can brighten up eyes in an instant. The skin tone may designate the depth of colour you choose, for example; with fair skin, you might only need a light layer of blue shadow to achieve a vivid pop. Whereas on a darker skin tone, you may want to layer the blue shadow several times to achieve the level of vividness you want from the product.” 

“One of my favourite things about makeup is that there are no hard and fast rules. If you put it on and feel good in it, then that’s all that matters!”

Channelling your favourite ’90s teen rom-com is just a bonus.