The Rich Purple Beauty We Are Loving For Autumn

Find out why we are wearing lavender shades this season …

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“When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple …” These words from Jenny Joseph’s poem “Warning” have always stayed in my head, and always come to mind when I see this colour being touted as the season’s hot shade. Purple always has a majesty and sense of ceremony to it. I haven’t personally worn the colour, clothes-wise, since 1981 – I feel like it’s a tough one to carry off – but in make-up terms it’s a bit of an underrated gem, with a slight 1980s vibe that resonates. And especially when there are so many beautiful shades of lavender, lilac and frosted violet around, as there are this autumn.

Chanel’s summer beauty collection featured eye crayons, Stylo Yeux Ombre et Contour, €38, in a range of really saturated, almost neon, acidic colours, including Néon Dahlia, a dramatic violet. Worn with an otherwise bare face, maybe just a soft lip colour, it delivers an unexpected pop of bright colour that really sings.

And now Chanel’s autumn/winter make-up collection, Clairvoyance, embraces the shade even more comprehensively, with eyeshadow palette, nail colour, mascara (Améthyste, divine) and even a lavender blush.

There’s also a blue-purple lip colour, Ensorcelante; I wore matte purple lipstick in the 1980s and won’t be doing that again outside of a Hallowe’en party, but prefer a softer berry lip stain. On darker skin tones in particular, a rich, berry-like lip colour like this, or Victoria Beckham’s glossy Posh Balm in Cassis (€35), can look fantastic. And these kind of darker, rich, elegant goth-style lip colours are big this season – see current campaigns from Fendi to Armani – and through to next spring, too. Try Trinny’s new Just Joyous lip colour in Berry (€32) as it’s really moisturising, so won’t shrivel up your lips into a thin dark line.

I will definitely wear Beckham’s satin kajal eyeliner in Fig, a dark, almost aubergine purple (€34, now available at Brown Thomas). Especially since they don’t smudge, once set – a purplish eyeliner smudge beneath the eye can make you look very tired! And finally, Clinique’s High Impact Gel Tech Liner in Black Honey (€29.50), paired with their balmy Almost Lipstick, makes a great autumn statement (there’s also a lip gloss, and even a mascara, in the bestselling shade). For an immediate autumn beauty change-up, a dash of violet or blackberry is definitely a bright idea.