The color purple: regal, majestic, vibrant, soothing, soft, glaring, smooth. This is the royal color, worn by kings and queens. This is a magical color, worn by wizards. This is the color of February: amethyst. I am the Queen of Purple, the Ruler of the Eyeshadow Realm. I probably have purchased every shade of purple eyeshadow available to me since 1990. I keep thinking this one must be different, it’s a different company after all! I get it home to find only a slight variation. But does that stop me? No, if you are the queen of purple you keep on going, searching endlessly for the one that will be just right. Nuances of color only intrigue more. Truth be told though, purple is only a name for a variety of shades. There’s also mauve, plum, lavender, lilac, eggplant, wine, blackberry, aubergine and violet that are holding me in their power.
To pass a little of that one to you I’ve tried to categorize them by shades and I brought along my handy box of Crayola 64’s to give me a comparison guide. It isn’t easy to describe colors in writing without being repetitious so forgive me if you notice some of that.
All of the shades described are in my personal collection.
MAUVE toned eyeshadow:
CHANTECAILLE QUARTZ: a soft pinky mauve that flashes gold. It works well with purples, charcoals and rich browns as a highlight.
CALVIN KLEIN MISTY MAUVE eye color wash: this is the lightest mauve I own. It’s very sheer, almost too sheer. It is good though as a base for your whole lid. For my pale skin it doesn’t show up much but I like how it wears and holds other colors without creasing. It has a silvery mauve cast to it.
LAURA MERCIER MAUVE: this is a deeper more pink tone than Quartz. It has a lovely iridescent quality to it. Laura Mercier shadows glide on. This is one of my favorite lid colors with a variety of shades in the crease.
LAURA MERCIER BORDEAUX: a matte shade that is quite subtle. Not too light, not too dark. It works well for everyday as a wash or crease color. There is a touch of a brown undertone whereas LM Mauve has a pink undertone.
STILA VIOLA: by the name you’d expect this to be more violet than it is. This is one of the most subtle of all my Stila eyeshadows. This looks like Laura Mercier Bordeaux but with a small amount of shimmer. There is a rosy/pink undertone to this shadow.
MMU LATIN LOVER: a soft matte mauve that I wear in the crease for a soft daytime look or on the lid with a charcoal or dark brown crease for more drama.
VIOLET: this is the color that most people think of when purple comes to mind. There is a blue undertone to a violet crayon but violet eyeshadows have many different undertones.
BLUE VIOLET SHADES:
VINCENT LONGO HOT FREEZE: I love this shadow. It stands out from the other 40 or so shadows I mention here. In the container it looks very glittery, you see shimmers of gold and silver. On your eyes this isn’t very glittery at all. It’s a light blued-violet that has a touch of this glitter. It’s a beautiful shade for the crease or to wear alone as a wash from the crease down.
TRISH McEVOY GLAZE 135: An eyeshadow in my collection that actually has a hole in it, quite a rarity. It has a nice satiny finish and wears well with no creasing. It’s just a touch darker than the Vincent Longo but with no shimmer to it.
ANNA SUI 209: This is very similar in tone to the Vincent Longo Hot Freeze. But it has such pretty packaging that I still had to have it. There is a flower embossed on the top of Anna Sui shadows and the casing is embossed. Besides that, the shadow is a pretty silvery shimmery blue violet. It’s a lovely shadow for a night out. It works well with pinks and silvers.
MMU MODUS OPERANDI: a subtle shimmer that is wonderful to brighten your daytime look. This is about 2 shades lighter than the Trish and 1 shade lighter than VL Hot Freeze with less shimmer than the Anna Sui. I reach for this one all the time. I would love to have a sweater in this color.
PAULA DORF HAZE: a matte shadow that I’d classify as a blue violet with a slight brown undertone. This works well as a crease color and for me with another shimmery shade on my lid (I like Paula Dorf Halo, a peach-pink shimmer with it). I often wear this as a liner with Paula Dorf Transformer.
STILA RUMBA: a beautiful violet with lots of blue undertones and even a little of a grey undertone. Stila is famous for their shimmer shadows and this one is a good example. I love it in the crease with Stila Shore on the lid or with Stila Moonlight as a base.
STILA DAHLIA: a fabulous dark matte shadow. This is a wonderful liner shade as well as for use in the crease. This is a rich deep violet with a lot of blue and a little black in its undertones.
PRESCRIPTIVE POMPOM eye tint: this is a cream shadow in a tube. It is quite an intense color. These work best by starting with just a little bit and blending with a taklon brush. This is a pretty blue-violet shade with a touch of glimmer.
FACE STOCKHOLM BLABAR: what a name! This is a very blue shade of violet. It is not for the faint of heart. Its matte finish can be very bright but it’s easy to blend.
VIOLET TONED SHADES:
PAULA DORF DEJA VU: this is a shadow that really stands out. It is a deep dark violet with just a touch of a black undertone. It has a shimmery quality to it. It looks wonderful smudged along lashes for a smoky, sultry look. It makes a wonderful crease color for evening. This is not for the shy but if you take the plunge you’ll love this.
CALVIN KLEIN WOOD VIOLET: a soft matte with brown undertones. CK shadows blend beautifully. If you like matte shadows this is a line and a color that works well. It is almost a muddy color, not bright at all.
MAC SHALE: this is more of a plum tone with a slight brown undertone. It is a satin finish and is very versatile. You can use this very lightly on the lid, on the crease with a firmer hand or as a liner.
MMU SHINER Convert Cream Shadow: a cream to powder formula that wears so well. It never creases and has a beautiful shimmer to it. It goes on smoothly, doesn’t fade and doesn’t make my lids look crepey. I wear this in the crease. The color is very similar to MAC Shale but the consistency differs.
BENEFIT TRAFFIC SCHOOL creaseless creme shadow: this is very similar to the MMU Shiner, just a little darker and a little less shimmery. The Benefit creaseless creams wear wonderfully for an all day look.
WHO’S THE FAIREST CRUSHED VELVET: this was hard for me to classify but it probably fits best under violet tones. This is a deep rich shadow, there’s not really any blue in its undertones. It has a satiny finish and wears beautifully. It is quite long lasting. My favorite way to wear this is as a liner using a sealer product like Paula Dorf Transformer. It goes on very smudgey using Transformer and gives a nice smokey look.
PRESCRIPTIVES MARABOU Eye Tint: a cream shadow with a golden shimmer to its violet tone.
WINE TONES:
MMU CHEAP WINE: a matte wine tone with a slight hint of red to its undertones. It reminds me of the perfect eggplant. It also works beautifully as a liner.
PAULA DORF AMETHYST: I think they named this shadow incorrectly. This is a matte that has a red wine undertone. It’s similar to the MMU Cheap Wine with just a tad more purple to it. It’s a good liner shadow as well as to smudge along your lash line or use in the crease.
CALVIN KLEIN AUBERGINE: this is a matte shadow that works well with CK Wood Violet as a liner. It has a slight gray undertone to it.
STILA BAREFOOT CONTESSA: a winey/brown/eggplanty shade. There is some golden shimmer to this. I wear this less with soft peach highlights.
BURGUNDY TONES:
MAC TRAX: this is called a velvet shadow by MAC. It has a burgundy shimmery undertone to it. It reminds me of a red grape. There is a slight gold glisten to it. Don’t worry, this doesn’t look red on your lids but depending on the light it does have that cast in the pan.
MAC SKETCH: this is also considered a velvet shadow. This is about 2 tones darker than Trax. I’ve seen it described as burgundy, eggplant or wine. This is a favorite of MAC artists to wear as a liner with many different tones of shadows. It’s got a flatter look to it in the pan than Trax does.
STILA POISE: this is a beautiful deep shimmery shadow with burgundy undertones. This works well in combination with Stila Grace which is a more taupey shimmer shadow. This became available in the fall of 2000 and quickly became a favorite. The consistency and wearability of Stila shadows have converted many people into believers of this line.
Blue Lavender tones:
STILA MAMBO: this has a lot of blue, it is considered a shimmer shadow but it’s a subtle shimmer. It reminds me of a periwinkle blue with a touch of lavender.
LORAC RHAPSODY: this is a multi-aspect shadow. It has lovely blue tones and purple tones and is very shimmery. It reminds me of a rainbow because of the changes it undertakes.
STILA SHORE: a silvery lavender, you need to look twice at this one because in some lights it looks silver rather than lavender. I have used this shadow more than any other shadow I own. It is very shimmery and can be used dry or wet for some interestng intensity.
Pink Lavender tones:
STILA CHARM: when I compare this to other lavenders I see a lot more pink than true lavender. It’s a shimmer shadow that wears well in the crease.
STILA O’KEEFE: this is about 2 shades lighter than the Stila Charm. They compliment each other quite nicely. These two were put side by side in the Nordstrom preview fall 2000 Stila palette.
Lavender lavender tones:
MMU HUBBA HUBBA: this is a true lavender. It’s a Glimmer shadow which gives a nice shimmer that will not overwhelm you. Wearing this with MMU White Trenchcoat, which is a white that flashes lavender, is a perfect spring and summer look.
MAC DIGIT: a soft very light lavender. It’s like a whisper of lavender. You can intensify this for a brighter tone or use a light hand for a very light color.
LORAC INNOCENCE: a heathery lavender with an almost taupe undertone. Lorac shimmer shadows are very glittery and show up well.
Lilac tones:
BOURJOIS LILAS: this is a very shimmery lilac shade. It will remind you of the first lilacs of spring. It’s very nice as a wash or highlight.
PAULA DORF PRISM: shimmer personified. I love to play with this after my eye makeup is on. I use a blending brush and add a little here or there, brush over the whole eye, just to add a delicious sparkle to my eyes.
MAC CRYSTAL: MAC calls this a frost shadow but in my opinion it’st just a light frost. It has a lot of depth for such a light color, it can look different in different lights. It looks great on a tanned face in the summer.
Purple tones:
AMPHIGORY HYACINTH: I don’t know any other way to describe this except purple. It is a reasonably priced matte shadow that is exactly the color of a purple crayon. You can create a lot of intensity with this shadow.
SEPHORA ARTIST 744: this is another reasonably priced purple. It’s an intense purple. It has a little more blue than the Amphigory Hyacinth. No one will wonder what color eyeshadow you are wearing with this one.
CALVIN KLEIN RIVERSTONE Eye Wash: the CK eye washes can either be very light or very dark. This is a very dark purple shade that wears well but use a light hand when applying it.
As you can see, I have rightly earned the crown to be the Queen of Purple. My favorite saying is: “You have your dreams and I have mine.” And mine, dear readers, with over 40 shades, is THE COLOR PURPLE.