THE PURPLE
LIPSTICK TREND
REIGNS AGAIN
July 27, 2023 by Cat Quinn
Walk into any nightclub bathroom in the 80s and you’d find someone touching up their purple lipstick . The shade was as loud as the beats coming from the main dance floor — and that was the whole point. “Creamy and glossy purple lip colours were a go-to for Black women in the 80s,” says Fatima Thomas, M·A·C Senior Artist. “A deep, cool violet looked fantastic on richer skin tones and gave a welcomed alternative to burgundy and red. It was more edgy and exciting.”
Purple lipstick didn’t die with disco — it just got a little darker and grungier. “The 90s gave us dirty, muted purples and matte lipstick finishes,” says Thomas; though one lipstick colour stayed true throughout the decade and became a household name by the mid-aughts. “M·A·C Heroine brought purple to the contemporary forefront of beauty,” Thomas says. Paired with clean, dewy skin, glossy lids and lots of mascara, this shade can mean something different to everyone. “Purple has so many associations: creativity, mystery, royalty, sophistication,” Thomas says. The only question is: Which persona do you want to convey today?
Purple lipstick didn’t die with disco — it just got a little darker and grungier. “The 90s gave us dirty, muted purples and matte lipstick finishes,” says Thomas; though one lipstick colour stayed true throughout the decade and became a household name by the mid-aughts. “M·A·C Heroine brought purple to the contemporary forefront of beauty,” Thomas says. Paired with clean, dewy skin, glossy lids and lots of mascara, this shade can mean something different to everyone. “Purple has so many associations: creativity, mystery, royalty, sophistication,” Thomas says. The only question is: Which persona do you want to convey today?
M·A·CXIMAL SILKY MATTE LIPSTICK
$40.00
A silky matte lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour and 12 hours of comfortable wear.
SHOP PURPLE LIPSTICK
Swap your go-to red Lipstick with a purple hue such as M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Everybody's Heroine.
M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Everybody's Heroine is the purple hue on everyone's lips this season.
Match lips and lids for a full-face monochromatic moment.
HOW TO GET THE TREND
LOOK 1: Trade red lips for bold purple lipstick that pays homage to grunge makeup.
- Even skin tone with Studio Radiance Face And Body Radiant Sheer Foundation.
- Prep lips with Prep + Prime Lip.
- Colour lips using M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Everybody's Heroine for an iconic purple finish.
- Line upper lash lines and waterlines with Eye Kohl in Feline.
- Press Mixing Medium Shine onto eyelids using a 252S Large Shader Brush.
Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation
$68.00
Long beloved on red carpets and runways around the world, our perennial Artist- and fan-favourite Studio Radiance Face & Body Foundation is the best natural-looking foundation that promises to reveal and never conceal the real you with a sheer, radiant, my-skin-but-better finish. The lightweight foundation formula provides a sheer buildable veil of coverage with a natural, radiant glow.
Prep + Prime Lip
$40.00
A colour-free lipstick base that adds light moisture, smoothes and refines.
M·A·C Colour Excess Gel Pencil Eye Liner
$47.00
A waterproof, highly pigmented gel pencil eye liner that wears for 24+ hours on lids and 12 hours on waterlines.
M·A·CXIMAL SILKY MATTE LIPSTICK
$40.00
A silky matte lipstick with full-coverage, pigment-rich colour and 12 hours of comfortable wear.
Pair M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Everybody's Heroine with Pigment in Rich Purple for an iconic finish.
