Bold Celebrity Eye Makeup to Try Now!

Bold Celebrity Eye Makeup to Try Now! Experts Show You How

Blue eye shadow isn't just for '80s-themed parties anymore. Lately celebrities are lining their lids in bold shadows, and the Spring 2013 runways had no shortage of bright-eyed inspiration this year. While looks like Dior's bejeweled eye ( pictured, above) may not translate into everyday wear, you can make vivid eye shadows work in real life-here, celebrity makeup artists show you how.

Ready to brighten things up a bit?

Kerry Washington's Jewel-Toned Eye

To create this smoky eye at the 2013 Golden Globes, Kerry Washington's makeup artist Carola Gonzalez blended a tawny neutral hue and added another vibrant pop of color. "In order to achieve the depth of her eye shadow, I wet the brush before picking up the color," Gonzalez said. "Then, I applied it to Kerry's eyelid and blended. It makes the pigment of the shadow more dense, and it appears darker."

Concentrating the bold hue in just one place is a non-intimidating way for color novices to try out the trend, and we love how the purple emphasizes the deep brown tone of Washington's eyes.

Get the Look

Gonzalez applied Lancome's Color Design Eye Shadow in Mochacchino ($19; lancome-usa.com) all over Washington's lids, and blended the hue into her crease to add extra definition. Thanks to the deep base color, Lancome's Color Design Shadow in Evermore Lilac ($25; lancome-usa.com) transformed from a pale purple to a rich violet.

Emmy Rossum's Blue Cat-Eye

To complement Emmy Rossum's deep blue dress at the New York City screening of Beautiful Creatures earlier this year, her makeup artist Gita Bass opted for a dramatic sweep of blue eyeliner. A graphic cat-eye makes a statement in itself, but swapping the tried-and-true noir hue for blue gives the look new life.

Get the Look

Bass used the Dior Waterproof Pencil in Captivating Blue ($29; sephora.com) to create Rossum's graphic liner. When trying your own hand at the look, sketch out a cat-eyed shape on your lid, then use the sponge-tipped end of the pencil to taper it to a point. The precise form looks best when framed by a groomed brow, so use a pencil similar to your natural hair color to fill in sparse areas. We love Dior's Pencil in Intense Brown ($29; sephora.com).

(Pro tip: Deep cobalt and cornflower tones bring out the dimension in blue eyes, so use a touch of the shade any time you want to emphasize your baby blues.)

Nicole Richie's Powder Blue Shadow

The lesson to be learned with Nicole Richie's pale blue eye shadow? If you're making a bold move like matching your makeup to your dress, do it with confidence! "Nicole has the personality and look to never let the makeup wear her," said her makeup artist Beau Nelson. He kept the look from appearing dated by choosing a slightly metallic shadow instead of an old-school matte finish, and swapped the traditional black eyeliner for a deep navy blue.

Get the Look

Using a flat shadow brush, Nelson picked up the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Single in Sky ($19; elizabetharden.com) and pressed the product onto Richie's lids to ensure maximum color payoff with even coverage. He continued the overall blue feeling by using the Elizabeth Arden Smoky Eyes Pencil in Midnight ($18; elizabetharden.com) along the star's upper and lower lashes, smudging the line to impart a delicate graduation in tone.

Alessandra Ambrosio's Navy Smoky Eye

As a Victoria's Secret Angel, Alessandra Ambrosio knows a thing or two about rocking a sexy smoky eye! Her makeup artist, Karan Mitchell, gave the look a twist with a touch of navy. She told us: "Alessandra felt it would be fun to keep a rock-and-roll vibe for her look." The deep azure replicates that coveted smoldering effect, but is different enough to give the look a modern edge.

Alessandra Ambrosio's Navy Smoky Eye: Get the Look

"I started with the sapphire blue color from the Urban Decay Smoked Palette ($49; urbandecay.com) on Alessandra's lids, and mixed it with a touch of the green just on the center," said Mitchell. She used a shadow brush to blend the color up to Ambrosio's crease, then used the noir hue to define the outer corners. "To finish the look, I used the Victoria's Secret Eye Liner in Extreme Black ($12; victoriassecret.com) to line the upper lashes and the inside lower lid," she added. "Abbey Road by NARS ($24; narscosmetics.com), an electric blue eye pencil, was added along the top line and softly blended into the black."

Mila Kunis's Lavender-Steel Hue

Mila Kunis

' metallic shadow at the London premiere of Oz: The Great and Powerful appears silver at first glance, but given a second look the color tips to purple. "I chose a grayish-lavender color that works beautifully with her green eyes," said makeup artist Tracey Levy, who layered two eye shadows to create the duo-chrome effect. "It has a bit of silver, but the warmth from the lavender makes it appear different."

Get the Look

"I think the key tip for this look is a good eye shadow primer," said Levy, who layered on a base of Laura Mercier's Eye Canvas ($26; lauramercier.com) to start. "It was great with the silver color, and helped the cream shadow in holding the color." The trick to recreating the duo-chrome finish lies in layering the products, so once the foundation was set, Levy applied the Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Amethyst ($24; lauramercier.com). She then pressed the Baked Eye Color in Silver ($23; lauramercier.com) on top, and finished with an ample coating of mascara.

Elle Fanning's Hot Pink Liner

Pink eye shadow can be tricky-because of the skin's own natural flushed tones, a too-sheer pink can give the eyes a tired appearance. A thick sweep of liner usually grounds the color, but because the contrast in Elle Fanning's neon liner and her own complexion is so different, extra definition around the eyes isn't needed. "We were inspired by the makeup from Chanel's 2013 resort show-which Elle loved, too!" said her makeup artist Erin Ayaian Monroe.

Get the Look

Monroe swept Chanel's Soft Touch Eye Shadow in Lotus ($29; chanel.com) all over Fanning's eyes to lay down a base color, then repurposed the Powder Blush in Rose Initiale ($43; chanel.com)as liner. "I applied it with a wet brush for an intense wash of color at the lash line," she said. A few coats of Chanel's Inimitable Waterproof Mascara ($30; chanel.com) finished the look.

Ellie Kemper's Seafoam Shadow

The Office

's Ellie Kemper was pretty in pastel at the 2013 SAG Awards, matching the seafoam tone of her Reem Acra gown to her eye shadow. "We felt a soft focus of color from the luminous shade of her dress would be ideal," said makeup artist Karan Mitchell. The soft sparkle gives Kemper's look dimension, and prevents the effect from being too matchy-matchy.

Get the Look

Picking up the lighter shade from NARS' Portobello palette (top, $34; narscosmetics.com), Mitchell created a soft contour along Kemper's crease, then applied the light blue from the South Pacific Duo (middle, $34; narscosmetics.com) to the star's lids using a damp brush. She kept the airy feeling going by using a brown liner in lieu of the traditional inky tones, then added the pale pink shade from NARS' Silk Road Palette ($34; narscosmetics.com) to emphasize the brow bone. As a finishing touch, Mitchell ran Stila's Kajal eye pencil in Topaz ($18; stilacosmetics.com) along Kemper's waterline.