Review - Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Anja

Bring a room to its knees without saying a word. Each of these glorious colours makes a statement that’s as individual as you are. Highly pigmented, these lasting colours ensure all-night intensity.

For some reason, blue eyeshadow will always, always, always make me think of the movie My Girl – maybe I saw it during a particularly formative moment, or maybe I just love Jamie Lee Curtis a lot – whatever the reason, I will never forget the scene when JLC tells Vada Sultenfuss that a girl can “never have enough blue eyeshadow.” I think that in the somber, grunge-oriented ‘90s, this was intended as sort of a “ha ha, people in the ‘70s thought blue eyeshadow was fashionable and it’s SO NOT” joke, but now? I think it’s kind of true. Blue eyeshadow, used correctly, can be flattering to just about everyone.

This particular blue eyeshadow, from Illamasqua, is called “Anja,” and is a bright, matte robin’s egg blue, that, when applied lightly, gives just a whisper of tint, and when applied more heavily, is dramatic in a kicky, summer way. I wore it (along with a shimmery green) to the New Year’s party I attended in Florida, where I decided to look like an old Florida lady. I think it worked pretty well:

I am seriously digging the finish on this powder, and it definitely lasted a while (I put that on at around 7pm, and I didn’t put those glasses on until almost midnight, and the eyeshadow is still in FULL EFFECT. That said, I don’t know that I would rock this look on a normal day – the blue is SO bright and SO pale that I think (on me, at least) it would always look a little bonkers. I’m saving this one for special occasions – especially the kind that last all night! Update: I wrote all of this and then read on the Sephora site that this line is exclusively “nighttime makeup.” So I guess I was right on target there! I’m now basically obsessed with the whole line.