10 Celebrity Cut Crease & Halo Eye Looks To Add To Your Summer Mood Board

There was a time, a mere decade ago, when you couldn’t click on a BeauTube video without catching a creator in a vibrant halo eye or perfectly sliced cut crease. The dramatic eye makeup looks were everywhere in the 2010s — including, occasionally, on celebrities — and were the result of a proliferation of new eyeshadow palettes (you had to get your money’s worth out of that nine-pan purchase, after all) and the ascendance of camera-first makeup. But over time, as bold and matte made way for dewy and natural, eyeshadow, like pretty much every other makeup category, became more subdued.

But the pendulum always swings back, and it appears as though we’re in the midst of a maximalist makeup revival. While thus far the return to “yes-makeup makeup” has been slow and steady — think subtle washes of color on the lids and matchy-matchy moments — there’s no doubt that celebs like Zendaya, Zara Larsson, and Emma Chamberlain are setting Pinterest boards ablaze with their more daring looks. And yes: Sometimes, those looks include cut creases and halo eyes. (As a refresher: Cut creases feature a darker shadow in the crease and a highly contrasted lighter shadow on the lid, while halo eyes consist of the same hue on the inner and outer corners, with a second color placed at the center of the lids.)

Intrigued? Scroll on to see some of the most inspiring celebrity cut crease and halo eye makeup looks.

Zendaya

Arguably the most talked-about eye makeup this year, Zendaya’s “something blue” halo eye at the premiere of The Drama perfectly complemented her Schiaparelli gown — and likely inspired a whole new generation to pick up a matte-and-shimmer eyeshadow palette. Artist Ernesto Casillas created both this look and the similar one the actor wore on the cover of Vogue Brasil.

Zara Larsson

Many of Larsson and Sophia Sinot’s colorful collaborations include a dramatic cut crease, but few are as stark as this striking matte moment. The pairing of turquoise and pink has a distinctly Y2K vibe, while the snatched cat-eye liner grounds the makeup firmly in the present.

Doja Cat

Doja Cat pretty much always puts the “eye” in “eye-catching makeup,” and her megawatt look for the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony was no exception. Makeup artist Ivan Núñez gave the rapper-singer a frosted cut-crease in tones of pink, black, and gray to go with her peachy-pink, dramatically outlined frosted lips.

Keke Palmer

Palmer is another star who loves to make a statement with her eye makeup. Here, she and makeup artist Kenya Alexis played with brown tones to create a cozy neutral cut-crease with bold winged eyeliner.

SZA

Alexis might just be the modern master of the cut-crease; along with her work with Palmer, the artist frequently crafts eye-centric looks for SZA. This plum and pink moment is especially stunning.

Chappell Roan

A colorful makeup gallery without Roan? Impossible. The Midwest Princess has a wealth of looks to choose from, but this blue and burgundy combo (by makeup artist Dee) is one for the books.

Emma Chamberlain

Another eyeshadow muse (of the “scary-chic” variety), Chamberlain attended Mugler’s Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear fashion show in a gray halo eye by Lilly Keys that took “smoky eye” to a whole new level.

Raye

Looking for some maximalist party-makeup inspo? Consider Raye’s Jingleball 2025 look: A chocolate-brown cut-crease with shimmering champagne lids, razor-sharp wings, and plenty of lashes. Artist Nikki Wolff created it.

Ryan Destiny

Conversely, Destiny’s brown-and-gray halo-eye — another Casillas look — is a pretty, minimalist way to approach the classic smoky eye, perfect for an “elevated everyday” makeup moment.

Yara Shahidi

In a way, this Shahidi look, also by Wolff, is the best of both worlds: The graphic eyeliner in the lids creates a cut-crease vibe, while the cool gray shadow at the inner and outer corners evokes a classic halo.