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Red eyeliner has a bit of a PR problem. For decades, makeup artists in movies and television have relied on using red around the eyes to tell us a character has been crying, hasn't slept in three days, or—if we're really leaning hard into the drama—has a case of pink eye. It's not exactly the color most of us instinctively reach for when we're trying to look awake and put-together.
And then there's Zendaya.
At the Spider-Man: Brand New Day photo call, the booked and busy actor somehow managed to make crimson eye makeup look not only remarkably wearable but downright elegant. Honestly, if anyone could convince us that the color associated with conjunctivitis belongs in our makeup routine, it was always going to be her.
For such a conspicuous color, the look was surprisingly restrained. Zendaya wore a thin ribbon of vibrant red all the way around her eye, hugging the upper lash line and coating her lower waterline, staying unbroken at the inner corner. The color was also gently smudged below her lower lashes, winging ever so faintly upward at the outer corner. Wispy clusters of black lashes and softly defined brows and lips kept the look grounded.
Keeping on theme of keeping on theme (see: every look she’s worn to every movie event she’s attended this year), Zendaya framed the makeup look with a pair of sparkling spiderweb earrings that couldn't have been a more perfect nod. And considering Spider-Man's signature suit, the crimson liner felt less like an unexpected beauty choice and more like an extremely intentional reference.
Does this eye makeup feel vaguely familiar? Your memory isn't playing tricks on you. Just this past March, while promoting The Drama, Zendaya wore another striking red eye look that leaned even more editorial, proving this isn't a one-off experiment but a color she's genuinely embracing.
If Zendaya has you reconsidering a color you've spent your entire life keeping out of your waterline, you don't have to call on a superhero makeup artist to make it work. Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in 714 Full Red and Nyx Professional Makeup Epic Inky Stix in Robotic Red make experimenting with red eyeliner feel a whole lot less intimidating.
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