Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!
America’s Next Top Model Quote of the Week
**TYRA’S GREATEST HITS**
“Never show your ‘oops!’”
--Tyra, after Nicole apologized for a goofy walk
“Create your own wind!”
--Tyra coaching Diane on her walk
“I’m a baby! I’m a virgin!”
--Tyra to Jayla, during the b&w beauty shoot
Hey Ladies,
What’s going on? So, yeah, just back from a week-long stint in the hospital. If we’re going to be good friends, you should know that I get these hideous migraine spells that leave me totally incapacitated from time to time. It’s no big thing; been suffering from these “head haunts” since I was ten (which was in 1985, for those who took a wild stab at guessing my age—yep, I’m 30!). Anyway, I had ample time to think about how to approach this week’s post. I’ve been meaning to cover the whole purple trend since September, but frankly, I’ve never been a fan. I realize I’m totally in the minority on this, especially this season. The…howyousay…DIFFICULT color cast its grapey glow over practically every fall runway show, beauty collection and red carpet getup (cut to tape of Maddie’s Hung Up video, starring a purple vinyl jacket and matching boots). I’ve just never gotten down with purple makeup, myself—it calls to mind things like a high-school-era Denise Huxtable dancing in the living room with her breakdancin’ buds, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, or the Italian Stallion’s face at the climax of Rocky II. Also, purple is a cool-ish color, and therefore tends to make golden-brown girls (fine, yella) like me look a tad sickly-green or ashy. We do much better with maroons, burnt oranges, bronzes, and anything sunny.
But it’s not just about brown girls. In a scene from THE ACCIDENTAL DIVA (I swear this isn’t a plug), a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty editor named Sandy is presenting story ideas to her boss, Paige. The exchange goes as follows.
********
“Well, there’s a lavender lip moment,” said Sandy, who was very intimidated by Paige. “It’s kind of an Easter egg look…very flirty and soft?” She pulled out six lipsticks and lined them up on Paige’s product-cluttered desk.
Paige considered the lipsticks. “Walk me through how one can wear lavender lipstick without looking very, very cold.”
********
And yet I realize, as somewhat of a style insider, that it would be irresponsible of me to turn up my nose at a trend that shows no sign of abating (God help us all). Instead, I spent hours sifting through every new product falling anywhere between blackberry and lilac—and these five came out WAY on top. As Baby's father so eloquently admits to Johnny in Dirty Dancing..."When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong."
xoxoxo,
Tia
TIA’S TOP FIVE PURPLE MAKEUP MUST-HAVES:
1.) OPI BOGOTA BLACKBERRY NAIL POLISH: Remember how blazing-hot Chanel's Vamp Nail Enamel was in the mid-nineties? When that deeper-than-deep slick of plum-berry sassiness was coated on short, rounded nails it seemed to be the EPITOME of chic. Well OPI, your neighborhood nail salon's favorite polish brand has just put a new, sexier twist on the shade with a subtle splash of coppery sparkle. Very Film Noir Seductress meets Beach Babe...
2.) MAC POWDER BLUSH IN RAIZIN: I would never have picked out the color for myself (see my above issues with "cool" colors), and when legendary celeb makeup artist Frances Hathaway pulled out this deep sangria-colored blush at the MAC Cosmetics Bridal Shoot, my knees buckled in horror. Until she applied it, and I instantly morphed from a cheery good-girl to the kind of woman you wouldn't want your man to share an elevator with.
3.) NARS LIP LACQUER IN MEDEA: Nars's brilliant little pots o'glosses contain some of the most beloved lip shades of our time. And this ridiculously shiny, subtly shimmery, ultra sheer (dare I say barely-there?) merlot-tinted gloss is divine.
4.) CLINIQUE KOHL SHAPER FOR EYES in BLACKENED AMETHYST: I've covered this product before for its brilliantly skinny tip (perfect for evenly winged lines) and beyond-soft textures (smudges like no other), but this shade is new. Picture the deepest purple ever--grape juice concentrate, if you will. It makes for a sultry, less hardcore look than black eyeliner, and if you smudge it along your lash line, the shade fades into kick-ass smokiness.
5.) BLISS PLUM PLUM SUPER SOFTENING BODY OIL: Okay, technically not a MAKEUP product, but when I wear it everyone within a mile demands to know the name of my perfume. Spritz this seriously lite, non-greasy dry oil onto wet skin after you shower, rub in, and voila: Your skin will carry the light, sweet scent of fruity musk all day.
**TYRA’S GREATEST HITS**
“Never show your ‘oops!’”
--Tyra, after Nicole apologized for a goofy walk
“Create your own wind!”
--Tyra coaching Diane on her walk
“I’m a baby! I’m a virgin!”
--Tyra to Jayla, during the b&w beauty shoot
Hey Ladies,
What’s going on? So, yeah, just back from a week-long stint in the hospital. If we’re going to be good friends, you should know that I get these hideous migraine spells that leave me totally incapacitated from time to time. It’s no big thing; been suffering from these “head haunts” since I was ten (which was in 1985, for those who took a wild stab at guessing my age—yep, I’m 30!). Anyway, I had ample time to think about how to approach this week’s post. I’ve been meaning to cover the whole purple trend since September, but frankly, I’ve never been a fan. I realize I’m totally in the minority on this, especially this season. The…howyousay…DIFFICULT color cast its grapey glow over practically every fall runway show, beauty collection and red carpet getup (cut to tape of Maddie’s Hung Up video, starring a purple vinyl jacket and matching boots). I’ve just never gotten down with purple makeup, myself—it calls to mind things like a high-school-era Denise Huxtable dancing in the living room with her breakdancin’ buds, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, or the Italian Stallion’s face at the climax of Rocky II. Also, purple is a cool-ish color, and therefore tends to make golden-brown girls (fine, yella) like me look a tad sickly-green or ashy. We do much better with maroons, burnt oranges, bronzes, and anything sunny.
But it’s not just about brown girls. In a scene from THE ACCIDENTAL DIVA (I swear this isn’t a plug), a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty editor named Sandy is presenting story ideas to her boss, Paige. The exchange goes as follows.
********
“Well, there’s a lavender lip moment,” said Sandy, who was very intimidated by Paige. “It’s kind of an Easter egg look…very flirty and soft?” She pulled out six lipsticks and lined them up on Paige’s product-cluttered desk.
Paige considered the lipsticks. “Walk me through how one can wear lavender lipstick without looking very, very cold.”
********
And yet I realize, as somewhat of a style insider, that it would be irresponsible of me to turn up my nose at a trend that shows no sign of abating (God help us all). Instead, I spent hours sifting through every new product falling anywhere between blackberry and lilac—and these five came out WAY on top. As Baby's father so eloquently admits to Johnny in Dirty Dancing..."When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong."
xoxoxo,
Tia
TIA’S TOP FIVE PURPLE MAKEUP MUST-HAVES:
1.) OPI BOGOTA BLACKBERRY NAIL POLISH: Remember how blazing-hot Chanel's Vamp Nail Enamel was in the mid-nineties? When that deeper-than-deep slick of plum-berry sassiness was coated on short, rounded nails it seemed to be the EPITOME of chic. Well OPI, your neighborhood nail salon's favorite polish brand has just put a new, sexier twist on the shade with a subtle splash of coppery sparkle. Very Film Noir Seductress meets Beach Babe...
2.) MAC POWDER BLUSH IN RAIZIN: I would never have picked out the color for myself (see my above issues with "cool" colors), and when legendary celeb makeup artist Frances Hathaway pulled out this deep sangria-colored blush at the MAC Cosmetics Bridal Shoot, my knees buckled in horror. Until she applied it, and I instantly morphed from a cheery good-girl to the kind of woman you wouldn't want your man to share an elevator with.
3.) NARS LIP LACQUER IN MEDEA: Nars's brilliant little pots o'glosses contain some of the most beloved lip shades of our time. And this ridiculously shiny, subtly shimmery, ultra sheer (dare I say barely-there?) merlot-tinted gloss is divine.
4.) CLINIQUE KOHL SHAPER FOR EYES in BLACKENED AMETHYST: I've covered this product before for its brilliantly skinny tip (perfect for evenly winged lines) and beyond-soft textures (smudges like no other), but this shade is new. Picture the deepest purple ever--grape juice concentrate, if you will. It makes for a sultry, less hardcore look than black eyeliner, and if you smudge it along your lash line, the shade fades into kick-ass smokiness.
5.) BLISS PLUM PLUM SUPER SOFTENING BODY OIL: Okay, technically not a MAKEUP product, but when I wear it everyone within a mile demands to know the name of my perfume. Spritz this seriously lite, non-greasy dry oil onto wet skin after you shower, rub in, and voila: Your skin will carry the light, sweet scent of fruity musk all day.
posted by Tia Williams at 10:02 PM
4 Comments:
Thanks for providing us with new insight on the violet spectrum. Funny thing is purple is my favorite color, but not in terms of cosmetics. I tried some deep purple nail polishes back in the day and I felt like a raisin (that is if you can feel like a raisin). The lighter shades seem to work best with my complexion.
Thanks Tia for the thoughts on purple. As a person who does not own purple clothes, I have a few purple eyeshadows from MAC. I am drawn to a smoky violet color, which I think looks good on me, especially for going out on the town.
Anyhoo, I am glad to hear that you are feeling well and back on your feet. My prayer is that someday soon, they will find something that will diminish the pain and effects of migraines.
How insensitive of me! Tia...I get stress migraines-half from the spinning wheels in my brain (those around me get second hand smoke poisioning) & the other half from grinding my teeth down to nubs (damn TMJ),but never have they been bad enough for hospitalization! I don't know what to say except that I'm sorry you've gotta go through it, girl!
To touch on the other subject...purple. It used to be my favorite color. I had a favorite purple sweatsuit I wore every chance I got- and cried when I went through my growth spurt. Then, I had a steady supply of purple nail laquers- all shades. My confession is the whole time (from ages 6 to 16) I knew it wasn't my color. Just stubborn, I suppose. Finally it's popped into my life in a way I can handle: in my e mails (bright blue-violets), and handwritten notes (metallic plum), and artwork (so moody). It's just not in my cosmetic cards...then again, maybe some sheer shimmery mauve lip gloss...?Seriously, I don't mean to run off at the mouth, I just like the little community you've created here! Thank you, Tia
This may sound insane but one of the things I've found is that sometimes when a color by itself won't work for me I can sometimes mix it with something that does work or mute it down with neutrals - browns, grays, blacks, beige (in a shade that looks good on you by itself) for eyeshadows for example. You just get a tiny hint of the color you like without it being glaringly obvious that it's "not your color." Sometimes there are shades that still don't work well any way it goes (yellow comes to mind for me.)
Post a Comment
<< Home