When I was 14, I made my first ever makeup purchase. It was a Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in a frosted purple which has long since been discontinued. Not that it was the most flattering hue for my Mediterranean colouring, but I loved it and I’ve been enamoured with purple eyeshadows ever since. I even went for mauve eye makeup on my wedding day, completely ignoring the advice of pretty much every bridal magazine and makeup professional to opt for timeless neutrals.
Much to my delight, this season, almost all designer and makeup brands launched some sort of incarnation of purple for winter. Purple can be regal and understated and not in the least bit juvenile, but it’s about finding the right undertones. From mauve and lavender to violet and plum, there’s a perfect purple for everyone. If you have darker skin you can be as bold as you dare with bright violets and chic aubergines à la the NARS makeup look created for the Toga Fall/Winter 2015 in New York. Berry shades work best on medium-toned olive complexions; while pale faces look better in cool tones of lavender and mauve.
Whatever your chosen colour, apply a neutral shade of bone or ivory shadow from the eyelid all the way up to the eyebrow to act as a base. If you’re a purple novice, opt for a single colour patted on to your lids and blended well, stopping just above the crease. Purple pros be inspired by this selection of duos,trios and quads that are so seductively pretty, you’ll have to hold yourself back from applying all the colours everywhere, all at once.
