The Makeup Box

Violet Sparkle (MAC Light Violet and Circa Plum Pigment)

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I think I’ve been doing too many purple looks lately… I can’t help it - there were so many beautiful purples out recently.)

This time round, I’m playing around with 2 pigments that I haven’t actually used much. The shades are just for your reference, and you don’t really have to go out and buy the exact same colors, but if you do, my recommendation would be Circa Plum pigment (out with the Daphne Guiness collection), as it’s a harder color to dupe than Light Violet. 

What you’ll need are:

• A soft “dirty-plum” that is in-between grey, beige, and purple [Circa Plum]: now you get why I saw this is hard to dupe?
• A pale lilac micro-glitter [Light Violet crushed metallic pigment]: if you don’t own this, don’t fret. It’s really annoying to work with. I just happen to own it because I bought the purple Dazzlesphere from the recent holiday collection. Kitschmas pigment from the regular line will do just fine.

[Swatched: MAC Circa Plum (left) and Light Violet (right) packed on strong]

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Step 1: Apply a soft brown base to the entire lid. I’m using MAC Take Root Cream Color Base but you can use any soft brown.

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Step 2: Sweep MAC Circa Plum or any soft dusty-purple pigment over the entire lid. Run along the lower lash line as well.

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Step 3: Flip your brush over and apply a wash of a pale, sparkly lilac pigment over the lids, concentrating most of the color on the inside corners, and fading toward the outer ends. This pigment is not designed to be worn opaque, so it may take some work packing it into the inner corners.

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Step 4: Run a metallic purple gel liner (MAC Macroviolet) along the upper lash line, and then run black kohl along the inner rims of the lids. Finish with black mascara.

Step 5: Apply a soft pale-pink blush to the cheeks. I’m using a mousse blush by Essence  called 01 Prima Ballerina.

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Step 6: To finish up the whole look, apply a bright medium purple lipstick tot he lips. I’m using MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Asian Flower. (Note that this lipstick stains the lips so the color will look less purple over the day, as your lips redden. Apply it over a flesh colored lip primer if you want it to stay purple.)

*Alternative; Lime Crime Airborne Unicorn is more opaque and a stronger purple, so I opted for a softer shade. You can always blot the Lime Crime and top it with a little clear gloss for a similar effect.

EOTD: Quick Kohl-lined Lilac eyes (MAC Lovely Lily Pigment)

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As I continue in my effort to incorporate a bit more color into my work makeup, soft lilac was one of the easier options I found. The intention is for there to be a nice pop of color on the lids, but nothing that would stand out too much or be ill-suited to work attire.

I used a pot of discontinued pigment from MAC called Lovely Lily, which is a light, medium-sheen lilac, but you should choose a shade depending on how fair or tan you are! The problem with these pastel shades is that they can look very chalky or just too silvery and harsh on all but the palest skins, so go for something low-to-medium sheen and something that is just a couple of shades lighter than your skin tone.

What I did:

• Soft pearly lilac (MAC Lovely Lily pigment) over lids
• Smoky grey-plum (MAC Shale shadow) in outer corners and inwards slightly along the socket for some definition
• Matte black (Wet n Wild Greed palette) along upper lash line
• Black kajal (The Body Shop Kajal in Black) along water line
• Black mascara (Bourjois Volume Glamour Max) on top and bottom lashes

Clarins Neo Pastels Collection 2011 

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What’s not to love about soft, cloudy pastels, aside from the fact that there seem to be a million and one variations of the same thing from all the makeup lines?

The publicity shot above, however, I love.
The very dark, very defined liner around the eyes just stops the look from being too insipid and predictable. The pairing of soft, smoky lavender with peachy, orange cheeks and lips is something I like as well. A similar and even more edgy version was done by the brilliant Lisa Eldridge previously.

Very few people would be able to pull off Lisa’s uber-matte version, but the Clarins look is much more accessible for everyone.

[Photo source: pretty24-7.com]