Beauty Bulletin: Blue Valentine

Feeling blue may be a good thing, according to some color theorists, who studied the shade and concluded it can lower pulse rates and regulate body temperature. In the hopes of reducing crime, countries like Scotland and Japan have even commissioned the installation of blue-hued lights on streets and in train stations. “Blue is a color that is hugely preferred by almost everyone,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “It has a magical aspect to it, a metaphysical connection.” Blue is big for fall beauty, too, specifically a bold, saturated, unapologetically blue kind of blue. Take Nars’ Outremer shadow, used as the background of this picture, and which is characterized by purple undertones and an electric intensity. “Cobalt blue gains attention without doing the obvious,” says Eiseman. “It’s a high-energy, vibrant blue that just speaks to people. They respond to it.”