For the coming months (and years, even), trend forecasters are buzzing about one major, unexpected color trend: lavender. In case you hadn’t heard, the hue totally dominated fall/winter 2021 runways, which was enough to send beauty obsessives right to the nearest Sephora to snag a few new plummy palettes for their rotation.
After studying the tidal wave of purple makeup moments on IG, we’ve had something of a discovery at Who What Wear. Purple eye shadow looks great on everyone. No, really. Whether your eyes are chocolate brown, powder blue, or somewhere in between, the statement shade will add an optimistic boost to your usual glam.
Not sold yet? Not to worry. We’ve pulled together 19 examples to get you on the hook, all executed to perfection by beauty gurus and celebrity makeup artists like Mary Phillips, Nikki Wolff, and Hung Vanngo. Whether you default to mood-boosting pastels or if deeper eggplant hues are your thing, there’s something in store for everyone.
As you browse, you’ll see single eye shadow compacts, liquid tubes, and full-fledged palettes, all of which will integrate with one another seamlessly, making for an MUA-worthy look. Get inspired ahead.
This eye shadow look is deceivingly simple. Just pick a shimmery purple shadow (preferably in loose powder format) and press it onto your lids. From there, finish with mascara.
Jenner’s plummy shadow look features pink undertones for a ’70s-worthy look. Finish with a neutral, MLBB (my lips but better) lip color.
Metallics, anyone? Add shine to the look by dusting highlighter into your inner eye corner.
This electric purple look requires a *super* pigmented eye shadow, like Nars Single Eyeshadow in Sultan ($19). Make it really pop with white eyeliner on your lower waterline and finish off with jet black liquid liner and mascara.
Accompanied by a full brow (and yes, attempting the soap brow look here is encouraged), break out a multi-shade palette, applying pastel purple closer to the inner eye corners and blending it gingerly with a punchier purple.
Matte purples are having a moment. It’s a trend you can channel by pressing your top-lids with a pigmented shade and off-setting the powdery look with a glossy lip.
Add some shine to your beauty routine with a shimmery purple eye shadow. Pro tip: Shades with pink undertones make a striking statement paired with this season’s trending copper hair color.
Who says you can’t add in some other neighboring shades? This psychedelic look calls on yellows and scarlets to give the purple trend an energetic boost.
Do purple the Shay Mitchell way by applying a subtle shadow and matching liner along the lower lash line. Bonus points if you take the monochrome moment into your clothing as Mitchell did here with her cute periwinkle blazer.
Do it the ’80s way with plumes of purple surrounding each eye. To nail the look, be sure to drag the brush out towards the brow for that cat-eye effect.
Spruce up a creamy purple shadow with a green graphic liner. The result? Major drama.
Fans of the negative space eyeliner trend, rejoice. This glam calls on a purple eye shadow stick to create dimension atop the eyelid.
For an evening-ready spin on the smoky eye look, break out a metallic palette of pinks and purples, trading the crease and upper lash-line with the more pigmented shades.
Speaking of a smoky eye, this three-part eye shadow look blends black, white, and purple (an unlikely pairing, we’ll add!) to perfection.
For blue-eyed beauty fans, bluesy purples are just what the doctor ordered.
The ultimate short-on-time eye look is a generous dose of über-pigmented purple topped with mascara.
This one’s as dramatic as it gets. Update your classic purple by shading in your crease with a deep, shadowy blue, adding aqua tones to the inner eye corners.
Last but not least, a fierce-as-ever cat-eye look, precisely rendered in metallic eye shadow. Next: Pink Eye Shadow Is Taking Over the Internet—Here’s How to Execute It Like a Pro
