lilmakeuptips

Purple is the color of royalty and of disco (and after all, wasn’t disco once king?), and with the advent of spring, bright color is popping up all over. 

Lancome has been influenced by the sparkle of the 70’s and the beauty of the fairest purple irises and other flowers of spring in its latest limited edition collection, Ultra Lavande.  With lipstick, glosses, nail polish, and eyeshadows, the line has something for every purple girl (or every girl who remembers and loves Prince’s Purple Rain album)!

I recently checked out the line at my local department store (also available at Sephora and online at Lancome), where I snatched up the last of the lavender nail polish (Violet Groove) and purple/blue glitter polish (Studio 54) … divine worn alone or together.  The Violet Groove is just the right shade – a not-too-pale pastel for spring that still looks a little sophisticated, not  like a bright Easter egg .   The glitter of the Studio 54 polish is a very sheer purple with tons of blue-lavender glitter that satisfies our inner teen roller rink diva.  When I got home that night I put on the lavender polish with the glitter polish as a top coat, and the combo got lots of compliments.

When I first saw their pots of eyeshadow in silver, purple, and gold online (Ombre Magnetique pot shadows in Disco Silver, Disco Gold, and Ultra-Lavande), I assumed they were cream eyeshadows.   I was surprised to discover that they were indeed powder shadow pigments.   To use, use the “tamper” inside the pot to press gently on the powder so it’s not loose and messy, then take an eyeshadow brush (shorter, stiffer bristles seem to work best) and apply to your lids.  For more intense color, apply the eyeshadow in thin, buildable layers. The shadows have pretty good staying power on their own, but I have found that if you put an eyeshadow primer on your lids before applying these shadows, they will last all day.  The Disco Silver was my favorite – I’ve been wearing it in a sheer single coat on my lids for just the right amount of sparkle that I swear you can even get away with during the day.  The Ultra-Lavande purple shadow is a bright, intense purple that’s not for the faint of heart.

My favorite gloss from the line, which should be to no one’s surprise, was the Lavande Ballerine – a super-sheer light lavender that looks charming worn alone, or as a light gloss over your favorite purple-hued lipstick.   Over a light pink lipstick it’s pure 70’s inspiration without the icy frost.  LOVE it.

When you’re wearing this much purple, my advice is to keep the blush a light, natural pink to keep things fresh and not too monochromatic.   “Vintage” makeup is still in, so feel free to take the 70’s sparkle in the eyeshadows and combine them with liquid eyeliner on the upper lids and lots of mascara on the upper lashes.    For the more adventurous, take the purple, silver, and/or gold shadows and create a dramatic, funky, smoky eye with lots of shimmer and black eyeliner to ground the look.   Prince himself will be jealous.

LIL