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Refresh your look with purples and periwinkles

Warm, earthy tones often dominate the eyeshadow sphere at this time of year. Responsible for creating that soft, smoked-out look, these shades will always have their moment. But for 2022, the make-up pros are predicting a new colour trend – an ‘anti-trend’ – will dominate. Enter: purple.

“I’m seeing a big return to colour for this autumn/winter season,” says Dominic Skinner, global senior artist for MAC Cosmetics. “Of course, there will always be the warm winter spices and cosy nudes – but there’s been a real resurgence in actual colour, particularly purples,” he continues. Spotted up and down the autumn/winter 2022 runway, swathes of violet shadow made an impact at Blumarine, Emporio Armani and Saint Laurent. Elsewhere, at Ambush, metallic dashes of purple lit up the models’ lids.

Proving its wearability, several A-listers have experimented with purple pigments, too. From Cara Delevingne’s aubergine smoky eye to Simone Ashley’s bold amethyst liner – there are several ways to tap into this trend to suit your own style. Here, Skinner shares how.

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There are always anti-trends to shake things up and, according to Skinner, this is one of them. “Normally in the autumn/winter season, warm spicy shades are the main go-to colours as they complement the darker evenings, lower sunlight and add a level of cosiness. To mix things up, purples – being opposite to those rich, warmer colours – allow people to have a break from the norm.”

“Purple is a really interesting colour because it’s classed as a secondary colour, meaning it’s made up of two primary shades,” says Skinner. In this instance, that’s red and blue. “By mixing red and blue, purple can be both warm and cool – which is why it works so well with most skin tones and eye colours.”

The key is finding a purple shade that will make your eye colour pop. “Purple can vary in tone depending on the amount of red and blue in the mix. If there’s more red, this will make the purple rich and warm – complementing green and brown eyes. If there’s more blue in the mix then this will make the purple cool which looks beautiful with blue or grey eyes,” suggest Skinner.

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Swap out a classic black and brown smoky eye for something that packs a purple punch. “Start by applying a black eye pencil along the lash line before smudging it out with a finger or short blending brush,” instructs Skinner. “Then take a bright purple eyeshadow and sweep this across the eyelid from inner to outer corner, only going as high as the crease line. Follow this with a dark purple matte eyeshadow and start blending the outer corner in circular motions, working up to the socket, just above the crease.” To finish, Skinner suggests pressing a frosted lilac onto the centre of your lids. “Add your mascara and you’re ready to go!”

If a full-on purple smoky eye feels like a step too far, opt for a subtle take on this trend instead. “A great way to stay on trend without it being ‘too much’ is to utilise the eye pencil,” says Skinner. “Do your make-up as normal and then add a little inner or outer corner dash of a purple pencil. This will add enough interest to get noticed, without standing out.” If you’re feeling brave, take the pencil across the entire lash line and team it with lashings of mascara.

Another way to experiment with purple is to try out different textures. “A simple wash of purple over the lids with a good stack of mascara would look so chic and effortless,” muses Skinner. His go-to product? MAC Powder Kiss Eyeshadow in shade Ripened. “It’s built to give soft, sheer colour pay-off with a matte and slightly blurry finish.”

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“My vibe with this purple trend is to give it a full supporting cast with the rest of your make-up,” says Skinner, “a soft natural plum lip and a hint of rosy, mauve blush will give you the total winter wonderland look.”