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How to give eyes, lips and nails that 'Radiant Orchid' glow

 
Published Jan. 2, 2014

2013 may have been the color of money, but 2014 is the color purple. So says Pantone, the global color authority, when it announced that "Radiant Orchid," a fuchsia purple, is the color of the year for 2014.

2013's color of the year, Emerald, may have been perfect for eye shadow, cocktail dresses and bikinis, but 2014's hue calls to mind bold lips and passionate kisses. Here's how you can embrace the color, and the trend, in the new year and make 2014 — and its color mascot —a year to love.

Eyes

MAC's Crème De Violet eyeshadow ($15) is a highly pigmented shade of orchid that nails the color of the year. But finding the right shade of orchid shadow is the easy part; actually dressing lids in some version of fuchsia purple requires talent and tact.

Prime lids first and then apply a neutral eye shadow as a base coat. Apply a black-pencil eyeliner at lash line, then, using a liner brush, trace the line you've just created with a coat of the purple shadow before also applying the shadow at the corner and crease of lids in a V-shape. As always, blending is key.

Tip: Sephora has a great video on nailing purple eye-shadow application here.

Lips

Not for the faint of heart, lips dressed in Radiant Orchid require feather-proof color and precise application. The good news is that if you have the nerve to sport purple lips, beauty companies have products from matte lipsticks to rich glosses that will have your pucker pretty in purple in no time.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics' Lip Tar in a shade called Hoochie — yes, Hoochie. Lip Tar serves up a splash of color with the longevity of lipstick and the application ease of gloss; get it for $18 at Sephora locations. Laura Mercier also offers an on-trend hue in "Royal Orchid" Crème Smooth Lip Colour; $26 at LauraMercier.com. Or, for a more affordable option, try Revlon's new ColorBurst Matte Balm, a matte balm infused with shea, coconut and mango butters to soothe and hydrate lips; available in a shade called Showy for just $6.49 at Target locations.

Nails

The easiest way to embrace Pantone's color of the year is to update your lacquer; a bevy of wearable lacquers in this hot hue abound. Butter London's 3 Free lacquer lines boasts a polish called Molly Coddled, an opaque lavender orchid completely free of sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs and Triclosan; get it for $15 at Sephora. Or head to Barneys.com and pick up a bottle of JINsoon's luxury lacquer in French Lilac for $18. This high-gloss polish is double-patented and delivers a chip-proof finish with the benefits of a quick-dry formula.

— Carolyn Brundage is the founder of PrettyCity.com, a guide to the best in local beauty. Need beauty advice? Tweet up with Carolyn at @tampabaypretty.