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

YSL Dessin du Regard Eye Pencil ($28.00) are gorgeous, deeply pigmented eyeliners that apply evenly and smoothly.  I spent the past week testing between three shades — Turquoise (09), Oriental Blue (03), and Black Velvet (01).

• Turquoise is a lightened aqua with a slight golden sheen to it.  It had the frostiest finish of the three I tried–definitely more of a shimmer sheen here, which works, since it’s light and bright enough to make your eyes pop but not over the top.
• Oriental Blue is a brightened-up navy blue with silver sparkle.  It’s not quite a true navy blue, since it’s brighter — almost like a midnight sky blue lit up by the moon — it’s very pretty.
• Black Velvet is an intense, deep dark black with an inky feel and look.

Recently, YSL reformulated their eye pencils “with highly pigmented color for a deep impact and long-lasting finish.”  They’ve included jojoba oil to “mak[e] the finish on the skin smooth and conformtable” along with “a wax adhesive [that] acts as a fixing agent to reinforce the intensity of the pigment for hours.”  The eye pencils are definitely easy to use and give you a smooth, creamy line with little effort.  The color is also highly pigmented, as advertised, but I didn’t quite get the long-lasting finish I expected (and would have loved!).  These are nowhere near as bad as NARS Eye Pencils were on me, though, thankfully!

I get about four hours of wear before these shades start to disappear on my lower lash line (maybe an hour or so on the lower water line).  The good news–at least as far as it can go–is that these fade away rather than migrate and smudge and otherwise give you raccoon eyes.  The first time I tried these, I wore Oriental Blue by itself on my lower lash line, and after five hours, when I went to inspect it, it was nearly all gone.  All that remained was a smidgen of faded, dark blue between my lashes.  I repeated testing with the other two shades as well, just to be sure, but they all performed the same on me–faded and nearly invisible by hour five.

Each pencil comes with a sharpener, and the pencil itself is dual-ended with an angled sponge-tip for smudging on one end and the pencil on the other.

It’s available in twelve shades: Black Velvet (black), Leather Brown (dark brown), Oriental Blue (navy blue), Smokey Purple (grayed purple), Deepest Green (forest green), Hazelnut Brown (reddish brown), Charcoal Grey (gray), Amber Brown (medium brown), Turquoise (teal), Purple Silk (purple), Stellar Green (green), and Silky Pink (pink).

If you want to know more about how products are evaluated, read out Rating System FAQ!

• Product: 21/30
• Value: 7/10
• Ease of Use: 4/5
• Packaging: 4/5

Recommendation:  If you don’t find yourself having trouble with your eyeliner smudging or like to wear pencil on your upper lash line, these might be a product worth trying, because they do pack plenty of color pay off and look beautiful on.

Availability: Nordstrom

See more photos & swatches!

Bright Makeup: Sky Blues

I got the BLUES! At least, when it comes to the next week… because it’s study, study, STUDY! I feel like my focus is off, too, which is very annoying and frustrating. I managed to get through one outline yesterday, and today, I hope to get through another today… and then start memorizing both!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: MAC Soft Ochre Paint Pot (neutral beige base), MAC Frost Pigment (teal), MAC Vellum Eyeshadow (white with purple flash), MAC Sky Blue Eyeshadow (PRO) (sky blue), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle blue), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (PRO) (brightened dark blue), MAC Electric Eel Eyeshadow (bright blue), MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (highlighter), YSL Oriental Blue Dessin du Regard Eyeliner (navy blue), YSL Turquoise Dessin du Regard Eyeliner (teal), MAC NC15/NW20 Chromagraphic Pencil (nude), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140)
• Cheeks: Dolce & Gabbana Peach Blush (soft beige-pink), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (golden highlight)
• Lips: Cle de Peau #101 Extra Silky Lipstick (coral), MAC C-Thru Lipglass (creamy nude), Guerlain Brit Rouge G Lipstick, Guerlain #01 Terracotta Gloss (sheer champagne)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Soft Ochre paint pot as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. With the 239 and water-based mixing medium (or water), apply Frost pigment all over the lid area. Using the 239, apply Vellum eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid. Next, apply Sky Blue eyeshadow on the middle third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the inner corner. Darken the outer third of the lid with Winkle eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Atlantic Blue eyeshadow, with the 226, into the outer crease and corner. Define the crease by sweeping Electric Eel eyeshadow into the lower crease with the 219. Lightly tap and brush Vellum eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Shroom eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. Bring everything together by applying Oriental Blue eyeliner on the outer half of the lower lash line and Turquoise eyeliner on the inner half of the lower lash line. Apply NC15/NW20 pencil on the lower waterline to make eyes pop. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Peach blush to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Then, highlight cheekbones by sweeping Amber Diamond with the 165.

For lips, apply #101 lipstick first, and then layer C-thru lipiglass for a complementing lip. An alternative lip could be created by first applying Brit lipstick layered with #01 gloss.

Check out more photos!

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Cle de Peau #101 + MAC C-Thru

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01

Guerlain Brit + Guerlain #01