Traditionally, mascara has been thought of to come in just a few colors: colors like "Very Black," "Blackest Black" or "Brownish Black." Whatever the shade, mascara has usually only come in neutrals as such. Though in recent years, the beauty industry has spiced things up. Mascara comes in just about every shade of the rainbow if you search the Ulta or Sephora shelves diligently enough.
So, where did mascara even come from?
In 1872, Eugène Rimmel, a French entrepreneur invented the world's first available mascara. So, mascara has been around for quite some time. When mascara first became available to the world, it was primarily marketed to darken and lengthen one's lashes. There were no colors like blue and purple, only black. But in recent years, the beauty industry has stepped up to cater to creatives who would rather rock cobalt blue lashes instead of black.
You can find colored mascara just about anywhere that sells makeup products. Your best bets would be stores like Ulta Beauty and Sephora. Drugstores like CVS and Walgreens may also have what you're looking for.
The best colored mascaras
With four out of five stars on Sephora's website, Benefit Cosmetic's BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara in "Brightening Blue" would be your best bet if you are looking to rock some cobalt blue lashes. Need to spend less than $30 on mascara? Fear not as L'Oreal Paris has quite the color selection in their Voluminous Original Mascara line. They have colors like "Deep Burgundy," "Cobalt Blue," "Deep Green" and "Deep Violet." The mascaras in this line run a little cheaper at around $11.
Want to step it up a notch? Put a coat of white mascara or lash primer on your lashes before coating them in your colored mascara of choice to really make the color pop. Essence sells a white lash primer for under five dollars.
Colored mascara adds a creative touch to your makeup routine and will surely leave people taking a double take at your batting blue lashes. It's something more fun than the traditional "Black" or "Brownish-Black."
Junior sociology major Jo Aquino wears Maybelline's Great Lash Washable Mascara in the shade "Royal Blue," which runs for around five dollars at Walmart.
"I read somewhere that blue mascara makes brown eyes pop, so I bought some to try it and it really does!" Aquino said.
Think of a color wheel and think about which colors complement each other. The opposite of blue on the color wheel is orange, so if you have blue eyes, a warmer-colored mascara like orange or red would make them pop.
If you have darker eyes, consider using a cooler-toned mascara like blue or green to make your eyes' hues stand out.
Colored mascara has become quite the beauty statement. And the best part? There are no rules with makeup, so the world is your oyster when it comes to experimenting with different colors to coat your lashes in.
