When Pantone announced their Colour of the Year 2018, I cackled with glee. As self-proclaimed trend scout and influencer (Pantone, not me), they really whacked the beauty industry over the head with that one – a beauty industry that couldn’t be further away from a blue-based purple even if they tried. Here’s the Pantone Ultra Violet makeup inspo (and product recs).
Pantone Ultra Violet makeup inspo (and some recs)
Warm-toned eyeshadow palettes ad nauseum, nude matte lips, unicorn highlighters – and now Ultra Violet. Do beauty companies even have something in store that fits remotely?! As I said, I CACKLED. Let’s have a look at Pantone’s description (official site):
In last years, Greenery and Soft Quartz/ Serenity didn’t stick to well in the beauty world. Red wine colour Marsala though, from 2015? Man, did that develop a life of its own! So, I’m rather hoping that Ultra Violet will come through in 2018. Because really, purple suits everybody in some form or another. And I mean that. Purple eyeshadow? Awesome for every eye colour. Eyeliner? Awesome! Lipstick? Hell yes.
Let me show you a few examples (while I hope for an onslaught of purple eyeshadow palettes).
Dipping your toes in…
If you’re wanting to add some subtle purples tones in to your makeup, why don’t you go for a subtle accent like purple lashes or purple eyeliner? Purple goes well with all eye colours. Blue-based Ultra Violet is pared best with cool tones like greys, but it also looks unexpectedly great with cool browns and beiges.
I can wholeheartedly recommend MAC’s Pearlglide Intense Liner in Designer Purple or their Chromagraphic Pencil in Rich Purple, which also is great as a lipliner.
Always great, from this nailpolish junkie – purple on your tips. Have a look at Zoya’s Mira, for example!
I guess I’m ready for this?
Purple eyeshadow looks. Yaaaaassssss! The possibilities are endless. I mean, look at NARS’ Kauai duo – paired with a cool gold shade, this one is a stunner. It also shows how brands make this type of purples wearable for a lot of different skintones: pairing a warm-based shadow with cool-toned shimmer makes the eyeshadow come alive, flickering from warm to cool with a turn of the head.
Same with Estée Lauder’s Cyber Lilac, or Chanel’s Stylo Eyeshadow in Campanule from years ago. You can also go all out with these, or use them subtly. I still love Noir Plum, one of MAC’s old Mega Metal eyeshadows. I usually wear it paired with greys, but it looks awesome with peachs and browns as well! Awesome new palettes containing killer Ultra Violet shades are Huda Beauty Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette in Electric, and Juvia’s Place Masquerade palette. A great single eyeshadow is ColourPop’s Super Shock Eyeshadow in Lace, or NYX’s Ultra Violet.
If you’re looking for famed MUFE 92, long since discontinued, have a look at the new M924. (Thanks and a shoutout to Britta for this info!) With these matte purples, though, best layer them over a base – it’s hard to get this particular shade right in a matte formula, and most tend to be chalky and patchy.
Props to people going for MAC x Kabuki’s promo look from 2017! (Kudos to Karrie for recreating it!!!)
Count me in!
We’ve seen a lot of different lipcolours in 2017, from Unicorn tears to metallic greens and matte blacks. People, therefore, should be ready to wear Ultra Violet on their lips and don’t think it’s any different than wearing a bright pink or red. It’s tricky, though – the cool-toned purple makes it a bit difficult to wear if you’re warm-toned. For cool-toned girls and guys, no matter how fair or deep, it’s an awesome colour.
For all others, like me, let me show you how I manage to wear Ultra Violet on my lips without it clashing horribly with my undertone! It’s all about texture, baby. Have a look at Kling-It-On from MAC’s Star Trek collab a few years ago – it has a very sheer, but cool-toned purple base, with tons of warm-toned purple glitters in it.
I wear this one over a base, like MAC’s Rich Purple liner (mentioned above), and it’s totally wearable because of its play between cool and warm tones. You could also try something like Kat von D’s Roxy, Melt’s By Starlight, or Bite’s Multistick in Nectar.
Hell yeah!
And if you really, really love Ultra Violet, why not go for purple hair? I, for once, are still happy with my (admittedly warm-toned) purple locks (which made me appreciate jewel-toned clothes a lot more). I also like it because it adds a little extra to my look, which is, truth to be told, rather basic on regular days.
Will you try to work some Ultra Violet into your makeup looks? Do tell!
