Navy Blue Eyeliners: Your Guide

I think navy blue might be the color I have the most shades for!

1. Bobbi Brown Black Navy is a deep, dark navy that almost looks purple.
2. Make Up For Ever #8K is a deep navy blue. It is a touch darker than Dolce & Gabbana #8.
3. bareMinerals Noon is a blackened navy blue. (LE)
4. Dolce & Gabbana #8 is a deep navy blue with a sheen. It is a bit lighter than MUFE #8K.
5. Estee Lauder Blackened Sapphire is a rich, blackened navy blue with a matte finish. (LE)
6. MAC Marine Ultra is a lighter, but a darker blue with more brightness than other shades here.
7. MAC Prussian is a navy blue with a purple tinge and a soft sheen.
8. MAC Blooz is a blackened navy blue with a hint of purple. It is very similar to Givenchy #14.
9. Givenchy #14 is a blackened navy blue with a hint of purple. It is very similar to MAC Blooz.
10. NARS Rue Saint-Honore is a dark navy blue with a soft sheen. It is a touch more intense compared to Dolce & Gabbana #8 and MUFE #8K.
11. YSL Oriental Blue #3 is a rich, navy blue with a matte finish. It is a touch lighter than La Prairie Midnight Blue.
12. Korres #9 is a teal-ish blue (looked navy blue in the pencil!). (DC)
13. La Prairie Midnight Blue is a rich, navy blue with a matte finish. It is a bit darker than YSL Oriental Blue.
14. Chanel Marine is a shimmering navy blue.
15. Make Up For Ever #3L is a blackened navy blue with soft sparkle.
16. MAC Fly-By-Blu is a lightened blue over a blackened navy base. (LE)
17. MAC Petrol Blue is a dark navy blue with sparkle over a blackened blue base. This shade is similar to MUFE #8K and D&G #8.
18. MAC Blue Stripe is a blackened navy blue with a subtle sheen. It is darker and less sparkly compared to MAC Petrol Blue, and a touch darker than MUFE #3L.
19. Urban Decay Binge is a lightened navy blue with a hint of purple; it is a bit lighter than the other navy blues here.
20. Tarina Tarantino Cute Robot is a rich navy blue over a blackened navy base. It is comparable to NARS Rue Saint-Honore and MAC Petrol Blue.
21. MAC Sense of Style is a darkened, teal-blue with a black base. (LE)
22. MAC Navy Stain is a navy blue with subtle sheen.
23. MAC Hyacinth is a medium-dark blue with a matte finish. (LE)
24. MAC Industrial is a lightened, medium blue with a brownish-black base. It is similar to MAC Fly-By-Blu, but it has a lighter base.
25. Urban Decay LSD is medium blue sparkle over a blackened navy base. It is a bit like MAC Fly-By-Blu. (LE)
26. Make Up For Ever #15L is a darkened cornflower blue with a barely-there sheen.

TEMPTALIA PICKS:  #5 (pigmentation, texture), #17 (intensity), #20 (pigmentation, longevity), #26 (uniqueness, longevity)

Behind-the-Series:  It was my intention to provide heavy, opaque swatches to provide an accurate color comparison.  Some eyeliners required one pass, some required five, and a few even more.  When possible, the shade name (above) is linked to the original review so you can read more about the quality, wear, etc. of a particular eyeliner.  If we’ve never done a review, there will be no link.  Shades that were limited edition will be marked with “(LE)” and shades that were discontinued will be marked with “(DC)” after the color description.  You can also find all comparisons on The Dupe List.

What’s your favorite navy blue Eyeliner? How do you like to use it?

See more swatches & comparisons!

Navy Blue Eyeliners: BB Black Navy, MUFE #8K, bareMinerals Noon,
D&G 8, EL Blackened Sapphire, MAC Marine Ultra, MAC Prussian, MAC Blooz,
Givenchy #14, NARS Rue Saint-Honore, YSL #3, Korres #9, La Prairie Midnight
Blue, Chanel Marine, MUFE #3L, MAC Fly-By-Blue, MAC Petrol Blue,
MAC Blue Stripe, UD Binge, TT Cute Robot, MAC Sense of Style,
MAC Navy Stain, MAC Hyacinth, MAC Industrial, UD LSD, MUFE #15L

Navy Blue Eyeliners: BB Black Navy, MUFE #8K, bareMinerals Noon,
D&G 8, EL Blackened Sapphire, MAC Marine Ultra, MAC Prussian, MAC Blooz,
Givenchy #14, NARS Rue Saint-Honore, YSL #3

Navy Blue Eyeliners: MAC Marine Ultra, MAC Prussian, MAC Blooz,
Givenchy #14, NARS Rue Saint-Honore, YSL #3, Korres #9, La Prairie Midnight
Blue, Chanel Marine, MUFE #3L, MAC Fly-By-Blue, MAC Petrol Blue,
MAC Blue Stripe, UD Binge

Navy Blue Eyeliners: MAC Fly-By-Blue, MAC Petrol Blue, MAC Blue Stripe,
UD Binge, TT Cute Robot, MAC Sense of Style, MAC Navy Stain, MAC Hyacinth,
MAC Industrial, UD LSD, MUFE #15L

Navy Blue Eyeliners: BB Black Navy, MUFE #8K, bareMinerals Noon,
D&G 8, EL Blackened Sapphire, MAC Marine Ultra, MAC Prussian, MAC Blooz

Navy Blue Eyeliners: MAC Prussian, MAC Blooz, Givenchy #14,
NARS Rue Saint-Honore, YSL #3, Korres #9, La Prairie Midnight Blue

Navy Blue Eyeliners: YSL #3, Korres #9, La Prairie Midnight Blue, Chanel
Marine, MUFE #3L, MAC Fly-By-Blue, MAC Petrol Blue, MAC Blue Stripe

Navy Blue Eyeliners: MAC Blue Stripe, UD Binge, TT Cute Robot,
MAC Sense of Style, MAC Navy Stain, MAC Hyacinth, MAC Industrial,
UD LSD, MUFE #15L

Makeup Tutorial: Birthday Makeup in Ice Cream Swirl Cake

Here’s the video tutorial for yesterday’s look!   As always, hope you like it!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Juxt Eyeshadow (pastel green), MAC Aquadisiac Eyeshadow (teal), MAC Stars ‘n Rockets Eyeshadow (fuchsia-purple), MAC Orb Eyeshadow (highlighter), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes (blue-purple), MAC Opulash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Le Metier de Beaute Romeo & Juliet Blushing Bronze Duet (pale pink)
• Lips: MAC Capricious Lipstick (red-plum purple), MAC Cultured Lipglass (pinky-lilac)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)

Birthday Makeup:  Ice Cream Swirl Cake

It’s probably just me, but the colors in this look remind me of birthdays and ice cream.  I gotta tell you – I miss all those birthday parties I had (and went to) when I was really young (like 3-10!), those were always fun.  My favorite kind of birthday cake is ICE CREAM CAKE!  I also die for my boyfriend’s mom’s carrot cake, which she makes for everyone’s birthday.  DELISH!  What’s your favorite kind of cake?

I wore this look to my final exam yesterday, and can I just say how freaking excited I am that I am done with school until August?  I can’t remember the last time I took a summer off.  I feel like I’ve been perpetually in school forever.  I’m just SO excited to be able to concentrate more on the blog and hope I can realize some of my big plans for it!  But seriously, the word freedom never meant so much to me until last night at 10pm when I walked out of my final.  (By the by, I hate finals that start so late–my brain just wants to go zzz!)

Oh, and I totally got eyeshadow base on my BROW, which I didn’t notice was so apparent until after photos – blah blah, I fixed it after, you know the drill!

P.S. — Big happy birthday to the lovely Karen @ Makeup and Beauty Blog!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Juxt Eyeshadow (pastel green), MAC Aquadisiac Eyeshadow (teal), MAC Stars ‘n Rockets Eyeshadow (fuchsia-purple), MAC Orb Eyeshadow (highlighter), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes (blue-purple), MAC Opulash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Le Metier de Beaute Romeo & Juliet Blushing Bronze Duet (pale pink)
• Lips: MAC Capricious Lipstick (red-plum purple), MAC Cultured Lipglass (pinky-lilac)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes:

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Juxt eyeshadow on the lower two-thirds of the lid. Lightly place Aquadisiac eyeshadow on the crease 239. Next, apply Stars ‘n Rockets eyeshadow above the crease with the 239, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Orb eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying #15 aqua eyes on the lower lash line. Finish by sweeping lashes with Opulash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Romeo & Juliet blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Capricious lipstick first, and then layer Cultured lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

Video Makeup Tutorial: MAC Dare to Wear Blues

Here’s a video tutorial of this blue look I did yesterday!   I hope you enjoy it!

I keep forgetting to mention in a video as a fun fact, so I’m at least going to write it here since I am remembering…

FUN FACT: I don’t plan the look!  I usually have an idea of what I want (e.g. I want to do a blue look, or use X product, or do green and blue or brown and gold), but I don’t have anything picked out yet.  What you see in the video is me doing the look for the first time – I don’t even do one eye before the other. I do them both simultaneously (but we edit out when I do the other eye, since I’m out of the frame anyway). This is why you’ll often see me give suggestions or modifications, based on how it turns out

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

MAC Dare to Wear Look:  Aqua, Winkle, & Atlantic Blue

MAC Dare to Wear may be eons away (okay, a couple of months), but given the amount of repromotes/permanent shades in the collection, I got a little inspired to create a look out of the ones I do already own. I went with a shimmery highlighter, rather than a matte one, because matte highlighters have a tendency to photograph poorly (they always look chalky, even if you can barely see them in real life). Well, it’s probably I just haven’t mastered the art of photographing matte brow highlighters… Anyway!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Aqua Eyeshadow (pale aqua-green), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (deep blue with violet), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow, MAC Royal Wink Fluidline (royal blue), Make Up For Ever #15L Aqua Eyes Liner (periwinkle), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Estee Lauder Peach Nuance Blush (peachy pink)
• Lips: MAC Beachbound Lipstick (peachy-melon), Le Metier de Beaute Manhattan Lip Gloss (sheer beige), MAC Lychee Luxe Lipglass (coral)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: Beachbound = Melon pigment

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Aqua eyeshadow on the inner third of the lid and pull upwards along the inner crease. Lightly blend Winkle eyeshadow on the outer two-thirds of the lid with the 239. Next, apply Atlantic Blue eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Blend Shroom eyeshadow with the crease shade and highlight the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying #15L aqua eyes dipped in Royal Wink fluidline on the lower lash line, and then lightly dust Aqua eyeshadow underneath with the 219. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach Nuance blush very lightly on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116.

For lips, apply Beachbound lipstick first, and then layer Manhattan lipgloss to lighten, and the finally add just a touch of Lychee Luxe lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

5L, 17L, 20L, 12L, 7L, 15L, 10L

Aqua Eyes Eye Liner

Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Eyes line is probably one of the top eyeliner formulas on the market to-date.  It’s extremely budge-proof, smudge-proof, and water-resistant.  It actually holds up quite well to all three claims.  Add to that a diverse range of color choices (Sephora sells 25), and you have a winning combination.   They’re smooth, well-pigmented, and deliver long-lasting color.

• #5L is a khaki-bronze with a hint of green in it. It’s like a deep, slightly green-toned antique gold. I love wearing this with golds, browns, and greens.
• #17L is a soft, yellowed spring green with soft shimmer sheen. I was hoping for a little more chartreuse in it, but it’s still a nice, subtle liner color.
• #20L is a forest-green with teal in it. I adore this one — a definite must-have. I pair it with blues, teals, and greens.
• #12L is a dark blue with a subtle shimmer-sheen. It’s not super unique, but it’s a nice blue shade.
• #7L is a nice pop of blue-based turquoise. It’s the brightest color that I own.
• #15L is an violet-blue shade. I liked this one, because I felt like it was fairly unique. I don’t have anything like this in my collection of eye liners.
• #10L is a bronzy-copper. It’s very “me” in a sense, because I love these kinds of warm-toned bronzes. It’s great with warm-toned looks, particularly neutral looks, for an extra kick.

See more swatches…

5L, 17L, 20L, 12L

20L, 12L, 7L, 15L

15L, 10L, 18C (Lip Liner)