We have a new Color of The Year! Pantone named Classic Blue as the colour that’s all about in 2020, and here’s what that’s about, and how to wear Pantone Classic Blue make-up. (Easy, really!)
20 years ago, the world was in a frenzy: the new millennium was dawning, SOME people thought the world was going to end and everybody was wondering if ATMs would still work in the morning of January 1st. Pantone’s COTY was Cerulean Blue, or Skylight Blue, as if to say: don’t be afraid, chill, look at the morning sky. (The sun is going to rise. Trust us.) Last week, during the last days of the decade, Pantone released the new COTY: Classic Blue, as if to say – don’t be afraid, chill, look at the evening sky, breathe…
What’s that got to do with me?!
Pantone, printing business turned trend-forecasting company, might be more relevant to your life as you thought. Colours are everywhere, and, as Miranda Priestley famously explains in The Devil Wears Prada, what you wear is actually chosen for you – long before you buy it in a store.
Ok, fine, Classic Blue. Tell me more!
Then…
Do you remember what you did and how you were at the end of 1999? I do. I was a rather timid student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, just beginning one of the best years in my young adult life, even if I didn’t knew that yet. In my early twenties, everything (okay, nearly everything) of that end of the millennium frenzy was drowned out by the very serious business of finding myself, and stretching tentative wings.
And now…
Nowadays, I’ve to admit, I feel like I’m actually drowning in the political and sociological upheaval and there’s not much room for stretching (my figurative) wings.
And into that comes Pantone and compares 1999 and 2019 and their respective vibes:
“In 1999, everybody was nervous about Y2K. Some of us were excited, some of us were shaky. ‘Is the world going to blow up?’ And here we are, heading into 2020 (…) And we’re looking for same color characteristics and factors that would instill calm, confidence, and connection. With blue, this always comes to mind. (…)”
Classic Blue: A throwback?
“It’s (Classic Blue) thought-provoking and a little deeper, but not a deep navy,” says Pressman. “This blue is not taking you into the mystery of what lies ahead. Instead, it speaks to our need for a stable and dependable foundation. We’re living in a time that requires trust and faith. We’re looking to those we can depend on.” ”
(Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute to The Cut.)
Ain’t that the truth.
Oh, and how does it look like? It’s a deep colour, looking like the sky at dusk.
The make-up: Classic Blue
It’s hard to argue with blue. First, it’s really genderless (everybody wears blue jeans, right?!) and much easier to incorporate into your life than, say, Ultraviolet (COTY 2018).
It’s for everyone!
Second, it’s rather easy to incorporate into your personal makeup wardrobe, especially in a time where the language of expressing yourself through makeup isn’t restricted to women of a certain age and skintone any more.
How to wear it on your eyes
This kind of navy blue is sooooooo easy to wear on your eyes, because it pairs well with about every neutral you can think of, from beige to brown to grey to taupe to gold. Blue liner? Awesome as an accent for a neutral look. Blue mascara? Ditto.
How to wear it on your lips
Ok, here’s the secret: the more pastel, brighter and lighter a blue, the more difficult will it be to wear it on your lips and matching it to your skintone. Darker is actually easier. Go real vampy – like a dark, navy blue -, and the ‘feel’ of the look you’re wearing won’t be that much different than wearing a moody burgundy.
Pantone Classic Blue make-up
I can’t help but feel slightly heartened that while it might feel that we’re living through a dumpster fire of politics, the boy next door and I might consider wearing the same dark blue lipstick. And at that, I can get behind Pantone’s words that “Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era”. Let’s make that new era memorable.
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