This Is Why (And How) Cool Girls Are Wearing Purple Eyeshadow
Purples, periwinkles and every shade in between.
Purple gets a bad wrap. It’s an acquired taste. But, if there’s one thing the cool girls of the beauty sphere can do with ease, it’s sell us on something we swore we’d never embrace. Consider our tails between our legs.
Seen on the international runways and the lids of celebrities like Ana de Armas and Simone Ashley, purple has rebranded itself as the lazy girl way to add fun colour to an otherwise monochromatic beauty look. Whether you opt for a deep, plum shade or a dusting of pretty lilac, embracing this trend will do only good things for your beauty girl status.
So, allow us to walk you through how to achieve the look without looking like you’ve been playing in a box of crayola.
Prep Step
If you weren’t a dedicated follower of the YouTube beauty gurus that dominated 2016, it’s unlikely you’d know that purple is actually the most difficult colour to formulate when it comes to eyeshadows. Who would have thought we’d actually learn something from the era of full-coverage foundation and sharpie eyebrows?
With this in mind, purple shades can be quite tricky to blend and may become patchy or fade easily without the correct prep. So, while we’d usually err on the side of eyeshadow primers being a waste of time (and money), it may be worth investing if you’re joining the purple brigade. Your favourite concealer will work just fine but if you’re looking to invest in an eyeshadow primer, we love the Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion or the Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify Shadow Primer.
Hot tip: For colour intensity, avoid setting the primer with powder and embrace the tackiness for pigment perfection.
The Shade
The beauty of a makeup trend is that you can make it work for you and your personal preferences. The shades (and possibilities) are endless. Select a shade that works for your style and complexion and you’ll be guaranteed to nail it.
Photography: Carmen Rose / Styling: Phoebe Kelly / Hair & Makeup: Bernice Mansfield/ Talent: Molly Tozer @ IMG
If you have brown eyes, a rich royal purple shade will work wonders for creating a sultry smokey eye with that va va voom factor. And if you have green eyes, a light lilac shade will really make them pop. For those with blue eyes, making sure the purple shade is on the cool side of the spectrum will make sure it doesn’t wash out any of those gorgeous blue hues.
Our favourite formulas include the VIOLETTE_FR Yeux Paint Matte in Nuage de Lilas, the MECCA MAX Single Shadow in Like Whatever and the CHANEL Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in Tisse Camelia.
Application Station
Pigment is king when it comes to purple eyeshadow, so applying the formulas in the right way is arguably the most important step. If you’re working with a deep shade it’s best to pack the shade on with clean fingers and use a fluffy eyeshadow brush to diffuse any harsh edges. If a wash of a lighter purple is more your speed, picking the product up on a flat eyeshadow brush and gently tapping it on the eyelid will be your best course of action. But remember, slow and steady wins the race. Better to build up than start off too strong.
Prep Step
If you weren’t a dedicated follower of the YouTube beauty gurus that dominated 2016, it’s unlikely you’d know that purple is actually the most difficult colour to formulate when it comes to eyeshadows. Who would have thought we’d actually learn something from the era of full-coverage foundation and sharpie eyebrows?
With this in mind, purple shades can be quite tricky to blend and may become patchy or fade easily without the correct prep. So, while we’d usually err on the side of eyeshadow primers being a waste of time (and money), it may be worth investing if you’re joining the purple brigade. Your favourite concealer will work just fine but if you’re looking to invest in an eyeshadow primer, we love the Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion or the Smashbox Photo Finish Intensify Shadow Primer.
Hot tip: For colour intensity, avoid setting the primer with powder and embrace the tackiness for pigment perfection.
Photography: Carmen Rose / Styling: Phoebe Kelly / Hair & Makeup: Bernice Mansfield/ Talent: Molly Tozer @ IMG
The Shade
The beauty of a makeup trend is that you can make it work for you and your personal preferences. The shades (and possibilities) are endless. Select a shade that works for your style and complexion and you’ll be guaranteed to nail it.
If you have brown eyes, a rich royal purple shade will work wonders for creating a sultry smokey eye with that va va voom factor. And if you have green eyes, a light lilac shade will really make them pop. For those with blue eyes, making sure the purple shade is on the cool side of the spectrum will make sure it doesn’t wash out any of those gorgeous blue hues.
Our favourite formulas include the VIOLETTE_FR Yeux Paint Matte in Nuage de Lilas, the MECCA MAX Single Shadow in Like Whatever and the CHANEL Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in Tisse Camelia.
Application Station
Pigment is king when it comes to purple eyeshadow, so applying the formulas in the right way is arguably the most important step. If you’re working with a deep shade it’s best to pack the shade on with clean fingers and use a fluffy eyeshadow brush to diffuse any harsh edges. If a wash of a lighter purple is more your speed, picking the product up on a flat eyeshadow brush and gently tapping it on the eyelid will be your best course of action. But remember, slow and steady wins the race. Better to build up than start off too strong.
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