As spring 2012 whizzes past, we cannot help but notice the eye-catching makeup, literally speaking that is. Though unusual for a light hearted spring, there was no lack of heavy bold metallic eyes. But this healthy dose of lustre seems to be a prominent trend this season.  From the reflective, smoky eye shadows to the subtle, radiant shimmers, the metallic colours have no doubt been given a new lease of life. Although the idea of metallic can seem overwhelming, one can rest assure that it is far from being overpowering, if not natural. Craving for a visual feast? Here goes:

This season, brands that showcased a more dramatic and bold look than the usual suspects include Emilio Pucci, Just Cavalli, Rodarte, 3.1 Philip Lim, Holly Furton and Giorgio Armani. These brands created smudged smoky eyes with hues of browns and blacks.

But, of course, there had to be elements of surprise. Shades of blues were spotted in Just Cavalli and Rodarte. Whilst the former only lined the eyes with a navy blue to finish off the more neutral glitter in pink and gold, the latter was somewhat merciless on the application of eye shadow by creating a ring of colour around the models’ eyes.  Holly Fulton, along with Emilio Pucci, follows suit with the intense smoky eye makeup but plays with the eyeliner as well for the ultimate definition. Finally, 3.1 Philip Lim and Giorgio Armani presented a new perspective of edginess through a simple sweep of the futuristic silver shadow across the crease of the eyelids.

On the other end of the spectrum, Rachel Roy, Diesel, Mark Fast, Ashish, Fendi and Etro whipped up an effortlessly sophisticated look whilst maintaining the essence of metallic eye shadow. That is, to accentuate the eyes and make them the star features of our face.

Whoever said in-betweens do not exist where metallic eye shadows are of concerned have been proven wrong this season! The aforementioned brands have no doubt fulfilled the purpose of metallic eye shadows though executed in various methods. Some had taken the plunge by capitalizing on the advantage of glitter for an exaggerated look and others remain contented with a clean slate, polished look. Diesel, Rachel Roy and Mark Fast hit the bull’s eye for a natural luminous look as only bronze eye shadows and a thin application of black liner were used for a gritty yet alluring look. To up the game, both Ashish and Fendi did not just apply but packed on glitter and foil for the ultimate memorable look. Lastly, Etro adopted a soft glistening look by wearing a wash of silver shadow across the lid.