*Don't forget to leave a comment on this post telling us what wearable blue shadow YOU have in your makeup bag!

I wasn't too sure I could do blue shadow. I typically like to stick with plums, lavenders, greys, and pinks. But blue? Isn't that something that only works in fashion shoots where a professional applies it and the effect is often too garish and bold for the everyday? Well, using Revlon Colorstay's 12-Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Stonewash Denim, I decided to find out if I could use the entire compact to create a wearable look for the normal woman on any given day. This was the result:

I was really surprised at how wearable these colors were. Though I used each of the 4 colors in this quad, they blended together and highlighted appropriately in a way that didn't overpower my eyes.

Some Things to Remember When Wearing Blue Shadow:

*Be age-appropriate. If you're younger, you can get away with brighter and bolder hues as well as glittery colors. Soft and muted shades are good for anyone.
*Only go halfway up the lid with blue. In this set, I only used the lightest icy shade as a highlighter from the crease to my brow bone. If you extend the darker blue shades higher than your crease (unless you are going for a truly dramatic nighttime look), people will not see your pretty eyes, they'll see BLUE EYESHADOW!
*Use a light hand. As much of a fan as I am of makeup brushes, I usually use my fingertip to apply shadow. I feel like I have more control over where the color goes that way. (Except that I use the pointed sponge applicators to apply shadow as liner under the lower lashes.) However you apply, start with less and then you can always add. It's EASY to get a heavy look with blue, so start conservatively.
*Go with a neutral or pale lip shade. Again, unless your goal is to create a lot of drama with your look, blue shadow is enough of a statement to make with your color. Don't overwhelm what can be a simple, pretty look with a standout eye color AND a bold lip color.

Is there one special shade you use on your cheeks that makes your skin tone glow? Does a certain combination of eye shadows make your blue eyes POP? It's time to share your favorite shades with other DeLush readers!

Here's how it works:
1) Tell us your skin tone (fair, medium, olive, dark, etc.).
2) Tell us your hair color.
3) Tell us your eye color.
4) NOW, tell us what what specific shade/product you use on your eyes, lips, cheeks, etc. that you can ALWAYS rely on to look radiant.

For example:
I (Melissa) have light-to-medium skin with not much natural flush, brown hair (currently!), and hazel eyes. No matter WHAT I do or try, I always know that if I go to the dark lavendar or grey eye shadows with a darker violet shade along the lash line, and a highlighting shadow on the brow bone, my eyes look vibrant and awake. (I like to use Lorac Eye Shadow in Innocence, Smashbox Single Eyeshadow in Vapor, and Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Vixen for examples.) My favorite eye shadow set is L'Oreal Wear Infinite in Subtle Berries. Also, blush that looks bright with a touch of peach looks good on my non-naturally-rosy skin. Mauves and darker roses just tend to look muddy on me. I also don't have the coloring to pull of a ton of bronzer if it's not JUST the right shade. For me, one of the most perfect blush colors is Benefit's Dandelion. It looks bright before you apply it, but it goes on sheer and creates a fabulous glow on my cheeks.

Now, if you have my coloring/hair/eye color, perhaps you haven't tried these color combos yet. But do you see how we can help each other out here? Share with your fellow DeLush readers! Tell us what you turn to in eye shadows, blush, lipsticks, etc. to make the most of your coloring.

Belinda Moss is a makeup artist based out of New York. She's done key makeup for periodicals and events such as the Fashion Rocks Campaign, VH1 Save the Music, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Grammy Awards, the Tony Awards, the Daytime Emmys, American Idol, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Robert De Niro's Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony, Jenny Craig ads, A&E, Allure, Good Housekeeping, and many more. She has also done makeup for countless celebrities, such as Eva Longoria, Renee Zelwegger, Ben Affleck, Felicity Huffman, Scarlett Johansen, Tori Amos, Macy Gray, Kelly Ripa, Sting, Jessica Simpson, and many others. We at DeLush were honored that Belinda took time to answer some questions for our readers! Here you see Belinda at home with her dog, Ralph.

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DeLush Asks: This month’s theme on DeLush.com is “We Love Color!” – all about getting our readers out of their winter blahs by adding touches of color into their beauty routines. I guess the first overall question would be…what kinds of touches can women do when applying makeup now that will help brighten their appearance?
Belinda Says: A woman should try to go for a Luminous look. Stay away from Matted out skin. Put a little shimmer in the corners of eyes & on the apples of the cheeks. This can be achieved with a cream blush swiped over eyelids & apples, for "Glowing" skin.

DeLush Asks: What are your own favorite shades for this season to accentuate with?
Belinda Says: I love the Bibo tricolor eye shadow in Luxe. It has pinks & plums with a bit of shimmer. A frosty plum is really hot.

DeLush Asks: What do you look for in a good makeup brush? Any recommendations?
Belinda Says: You want a brush that will hold the powder but soft enough to glide on smoothly. You want to make sure to get good brushes or else they will just fall apart and the bristles will end up on your face in very strange areas. MAC makes nice eye shadow brushes, they are contoured perfectly & Bibo makes a very nice powder & blush brush that is very soft over your face & neck area.

DeLush Asks: What is your method for achieving a flawless face as a foundation for color?
Belinda Says: I have found a spray-on foundation that will make your complexion "Flawless" - Christian Dior Air Flash. You just spray it on and it dries to a powdery finish that is beautiful. The best part is you can't mess it up.

DeLush Asks: What is the biggest beauty mistake you see women doing with their makeup?
Belinda Says: Women that only line the outside of their lips....DO THE WHOLE MOUTH!

DeLush Asks: Are there certain types of products, in your opinion, that women can get just as well at the drugstore? Which products are worth splurging on in a department store/specialty retail store?
Belinda Says: Mascara, L'Oreal makes my favorite "Lash Out". You do not need to pay tons for mascara or lip liners & especially Fad/seasonal things. DO spend your money on good creams with spf in them, face wash and eye creams.

DeLush Asks: Where might our readers have recently seen your work?
Belinda Says: At the Golden Globes.

DeLush Asks: Finally, if someone made you get rid of all of your makeup (that you use personally) and only let you keep four items, what could you not live without?
Belinda Says: Christian Dior Air Flash, mascara, Bibo powder blush in Smitten, and Bibo lip gloss in GLOW (you can even use this gloss on eyelids & cheeks).

DeLush Asks: Now answer the same question for skincare products.
Belinda Says: Thick moisturizer with spf in it, Graham Webb Daily Strength shampoo and condtioner, and Palmer's cocoa butter for the body.

THANK YOU, Belinda!

You've seen it on celebrities. Some of you may have seen it on your friends. And others of you may even have gotten one yourself.

The question seems often to be the degree of color as well as the ability for it to look natural. So here's the question we put to you, Dear DeLush Readers: Do you say "Love It" or "Lose It" to the spray-on tan? If you have personal experience with getting one, please share it with us as well. Now, tell us what you think!

When I was flipping through the latest issues of all the fashion magazines, I kept noticing the same thing all over the place -- an emphasis on color, and no color was more prevalent than lavender. I haven't been a big fan of the lighter purples in my clothing wardrobe, I confess, because they make my pale skin with light hair look positively pallid. But after seeing so much lavender makeup, especially with lighter skin tones, I had to give it a shot. And I am so glad I did!

One thing that is easy to find in drugstore cosmetic shopping is eyeshadow and eyeliner in just about every color of the rainbow. I looked through several brands, but decided on Rimmel's Eyeshadow Duo in Slow Motion (Walgreens, $3.99). I liked that it contained a lighter purple for the entire eye area and a darker one for the crease. While I was at the drugstore, I also bought a Prestige Eyeliner Kohn Pencil in Poly (Walgreens, $3.29) that coordinated with the Rimmel eyeshadow.

You might think that some bright colors like these might bring some stares out in public if they were ever to see the light of day. Well, I wore these products to work for an entire week at various intensities. In order to make the colors more intense, just keep on piling on the color. I never felt like "that girl" (you know...that girl...the one who always wears too much makeup). I wore it with pinks and blues and gray and black. It went with a lot of my wardrobe, and I didn't even have to put on anything purple! The colors worked well with my complexion, and did a lot to brighten the eye area.

Apply the lighter color of eyeshadow to the entire eye area, all the way up to the eyebrow. The light color will highlight the area under the brow and brighten your face. Then, follow with the darker color along the crease and then exand the coverage so that there's a wider band of color on the outside edge of the eye. The Rimmel eyeshadow comes with the cheapy little applicators. Sometimes those guys work, but for the Rimmel eyeshadow, throw them out the window. You will not get the preciseness you need with the applicator that comes with the set. Use an eyeshadow brush so that the darker color only goes where you want it to. If you are sloppy with the application, you will look like your eyes are swollen and bruised. Since the intensity increases as you layer it on, I recommend applying the darker color judiciously and taking a look frequently to make sure you haven't crossed the line. If it looks too dark, use a tissue to remove what you can on the top layer without smudging it too much.

Once the eyeshadow is in place, apply your coordinating eyeliner. The Prestige Kohl pencil I got is certainly the right color, but it's not nearly as good as their automatic eyeliner product. I wanted to try something new, but I was definitely wishing I had stuck with my old favorite. The kohl pencil drags on my eyelid, requires too much pressure for any real color application, and doesn't allow you to get close enough to the lash line for blending. After the eyecolor is complete, use a dark black mascara that will really make the lavender eyeshadow pop.

As great as the colors were from my drugstore purchases, I didn't find the eyeshadow or eyeliner to be longwearing. They were both fairly dry, so chances are I rubbed them away throughout the day. At any rate, a quick glance at the mirror before heading to an afternoon meeting showed that it had pretty much disappeared. What a shame.
With all the shortfalls of the drugstore products, I decided to try out a department store product, and since I've been dying to try out Clinique's Colour Surge Super Shimmer eyeshadows (Clinique, $13.50 each), I headed directly to their counter. I tried to choose very similar colors to the Rimmel shades and ended up with Crystal Berry and Purple Pixie along with their Quickliner in Grape (Clinique, $14.50). Clearly, this was a much more expensive venture than the drugstore purchase.

My first impression of the eyeshadow application was that I couldn't believe the nice creamy texture and how smoothly it applied. The color goes on more boldly even with a light hand. I guess that's what they call it colour surge. Plus, it actually lasts throughout the day. The Quickliner for Eyes, applied after the eyeshadow, is always a favorite of mine, and it does everything right -- the coverage is good, it blends in easily with my eyelashes, and it lashes hours longer than my inexpensive drugstore liner. However, my color choices were poor and the shimmer just made it all too much. This is not a color palette that I would wear to work on a regular basis. There's nothing subtle about it, even in the mellow lavender shades that I chose. I am saving the Clinique shades for a night on the town.

The picture at the top? Those are the Rimmel eyeshadows with the Prestige eyeliner pen. That's a look that I would wear to work on a regular basis, or even to the grocery store. If I vary the intensity, it's really a look that I could wear anywhere.

Can I wear this trend? Absolutely! Now what do you think? Is this a trend in your makeup toolkit or one that you would consider?