The eyes are the window to the soul, the most important sensory organ, and the dominating feature of the face. Before your first job interview, eye contact is what your mom reminds you of, and locking eyes with a handsome stranger in a bar is how you are supposed to meet the love of your life. The eyes have always been important, but within the context of the whole face.

The coronavirus pandemic has altered life in countless ways, one of the most notable changes being the emergence of face masks. Gone are the days of taking social cues based on someone’s facial expression. Now, with half of the face hidden behind a piece of fabric, the eyes are all that shows.

Many cosmetic lovers are abandoning face makeup and lip products because the reality of mask-wearing means facial sweat and breakouts. Freshman Marketing and Communications major Mireya Zellner used to reach for foundation and lipstick; “Now it’s about the eyes,” she says.   

“It’s a whole new world of possibilities because with face masks it’s all you can see and you really need to let your personality shine through with eye makeup,” Zellner says.

Walking down the halls, she found herself smiling at people she passes before realizing it probably looks like she is squinting or staring at them. Not being able to communicate with facial expressions is a struggle for everyone, but with a simple pop of glitter, Zellner uncovered a new form of non-verbal expression. Try introducing some sparkle to your daily life and highlight the twinkle in your eyes by reaching for any shimmering or iridescent pigment. 

As social creatures, human brains are wired to interpret facial expressions of others because nonverbal communication proved to be an evolutionary advantage. People even seek out faces that aren’t there. This is called Pareidolia, the human tendency to see recognizable patterns or faces in otherwise inanimate objects. The point being, people really like seeing faces, and in the current COVID climate, faces are fifty percent of what they used to be. 

Prior to the pandemic, freshman Visual and Media Arts major Kerri Stephenson casually enjoyed cosmetics, but once face coverings became mandatory she adopted a new routine.

“I started doing eyeliner every day because it’s the one part of my face that everyone is going to see so I might as well make it look good,” Stephenson says.

With half of her face covered, Stephenson adopted a “go big or go home” mentality that fuels creativity in her daily eyeliner routine. Bold eyeliner looks are not new to the makeup scene, but recent trends are challenging the traditional cat-eye look. Try swapping the black liner for a color or opt for a glam moment and create a wing with rhinestones. 

Makeup and creative expression go hand and in hand. For years, people such as Amanda Kornfeld, a freshman Business and Creative Enterprises major, who wrote her college essay on makeup, flocked to the possibilities of brightly pigmented palettes and the allure of sleek liquid eyeliner.  

Kornfeld sacrificed lip gloss in the name of facemasks, but she’s exploring the possibilities of what’s visible. The only difference now is that eye makeup is the only visible makeup.

“Now that you can’t see half of my face I feel like I have to go harder with my eyeshadow,” says Kornfeld. “I want people to see my makeup because it’s how I want people to see me and how I want to present myself— I want to draw attention.”

Kornfeld views makeup as an art and much like a painting at a museum, your eyes are on display. With the rise of brightly pigmented shadows, don’t be afraid to embrace your inner Bob Ross and use your favorite work of art as inspiration.

Although facemasks may feel like barriers, eyes are the most expressive feature of the face, according to a study published in Psychological Science. Even when the rest of the face doesn’t communicate the same emotion of the eyes, or when the rest of the face is not visible, the eyes are still able to communicate complex emotions more effectively than any other facial feature. 

Eyes really are the window to the soul, so don’t worry that face coverings are inhibiting communication or stifling self-expression. Instead of viewing facemasks as a hindrance, use them to enhance the natural power that your eyes possess by brightening your next eyeshadow look. Better yet, embrace the pandemic style and match your eye makeup with your facemask.