the EYES have it

The wearing of masks brings more attention than usual to the eye, making it an excellent time for lid and brow makeup experimentation. BY MIA GALANTE

In an era where our day to day interactions are reduced to only our eyes, the phrase the eyes are the windows to the soul has never been more poignant. The eyes can be one of the deepest and most effective forms of self expression, with every emotion capable of being on display. The eyes are also a blank canvas ready to be filled with the wildest contents of our imagination by the simple stroke of a brush. And now in 2020, a mask to match. The pandemic has been a weight that has yet to be lifted off our shoulders and wearing a mask everyday becomes a painful reminder of what we have lost. While masks may be a reminder of how our world is changing everyday, they have also become a new form of self expression.

Many have decided to ditch the plain blue surgical masks for cloth masks with eccentric designs and patterns. With masks only leaving our eyes visible and endless time stuck in the house, quarantine became the perfect time to experiment with editorial eye makeup. Editorial eye makeup is no stranger to a surge in popularity or a viral trend, with HBO’s Euphoria premiering last summer resulting in many people recreating the iconic eye makeup looks, full of rhinestones, vibrant colors and dramatic eyeliner, worn on the show. Editorial eye makeup saw one of its first surges in popularity in the 1960s with models like Twiggy and Penelope Tree popularizing wearing fake lashes on both their top and bottom lashes. White eyeliner also became popular during this time with many people applying white eyeliner to their waterline so their eyes would appear bigger. While this style fizzled out in the following years, 60s inspired eye makeup trends became popular again in the 90s as the grunge era began. In recent years, eye makeup has also expanded into an art form. With makeup artists creating miniature paintings on their eyelids all over social media. While editorial eye makeup is always evolving and expands in popularity, this time in 2020 it was different. With schools and businesses closing around the world, quarantine provided an opportunity for many people to experiment with makeup and fashion without the fear of judgement from others. Quarantine became both a place of physical confinement and artistic liberation. For those held back by fear, there was now no limit to where their creativity could take them.

Celebrities have also been contributing to this new era of makeup exploration and experimentation. Many celebrities have turned to social media to showcase their unique eye makeup and mask combinations. Most notably Ariana Grande who has sported numerous different eye makeup looks on her Instagram with a mask to match. The pandemic has also shifted the makeup industry to a heavy emphasis on eye makeup. Celebrities like Tik Tok stars Charli and Dixie D’amelio, rapper Rico Nasty, Dance Moms star Maddie Zeigler, Youtuber Bretman Rock, and Euphoria actress Barbie Ferreira have all released eye shadow palettes and eye makeup collections this year. Barbie reflected on her experience experimenting with makeup in quarantine telling Allure Magazine, “If I’m feeling really bored at home after three weeks, I’ll do a really crazy makeup look or just try something out that I wouldn’t have [otherwise] because I don’t have the pressure of actually going outside with it.”

In the past year, the combination of masks and editorial eye makeup have started to become its own era in pop culture. Even when coronavirus becomes ancient history, the pandemic will have a lasting effect on makeup and fashion. I hope more people embracing the limitlessness of creativity and self expression will rid us of the past judgements we may have had towards those who decided to experiment before the pandemic. One common theme with those who did decide to experiment with eye makeup in quarantine is that they knew whatever look they tried never had to see the light of day. When the pandemic comes to a close, I hope as a society we can embrace exploring every facet of self expression, not only for ourselves but for others.