While a smoky eye is always a timeless choice, this year, I'm spotting a far more understated approach to wearing eyeshadow. A look that features minimal blending and sees just one, solo shadow, applied across the entirety of the lid, adding a sheer, veil-like wash of colour, and the effect is incredibly chic.
Requiring just your best mascaras and or eyeliner, along with one neutral shade of eyeshadow, this latest, minimalist look has been a constant throughout award season so far. This year's Golden Globes, for instance, saw stars like Emma Stone, Leslie Mann and Jessie Buckley (to name just a few) all sporting iterations of this diffused, almost sheer eyeshadow look. Paris Fashion Week, the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards were a similar story, and so, in a very Carrie Bradshaw-esque way, "I can't help but wonder," is this 2026's alternative to the classic smoky eye? It's simple but incredibly flattering, and feels so apt in this landscape of more natural, low-maintenance makeup.
