Pink may be ‘the color’ of Spring 2009, but I’m convinced the fashion world is still reeling off of last winter’s lapis binge and are hanging onto lavender as a happy haven.
It’s shown up on Fergie for MAC’s latest set of Viva Glam advertisements. Then, back-to-back, lavender lipsticks appeared in two separate campaigns: Cream Team (Lavender Whip) and Hello Kitty (Fashion Mews and Fast Friends).
Selling out quicker than most any other color from either collection, at one point the only way to acquire either shade was to procure it off of eBay.
A friend of mine remembered walking into Macy’s the first Wednesday after the release of Hello Kitty inquiring after Fashion Mews only to be told that she should make up her mind quickly because by Sunday they were expecting to be sold out.
But it doesn’t stop there. The definitive brand of nail lacquer, OPI, also came out with their defining color for this season and it is not pink.
Done Out in Deco from the South Beach Collection is a creamy, liquid lavender delight in a bottle. Match it up with Fashion Mews or Lavender Whip and you’re good to go.
According to color therapy, purple is the color of royalty, mystery and spirituality. Like pink, it has a very feminine appeal to it and can be a hot or cool shade depending on its properties. Even the U.S. Military decorates their bravest soldiers wounded in battle with none other than the Purple Heart. So what’s this obsession with purple anyway?
For one, unlike pink, purple cosmetics are a rarity. In makeup-land, often anything that branches away from neutral or typical tones (pink, red, orange, brown), are automatically ousted into oblivion, and considered only suitable for Glam-Rock chicks and runway models.
These products seem to be different though. Fashion Mews and Lavender Whip appear to go on the skin as neutral shades, perfect for a cool natural look. Glamorize them with Fast Friends and its daytime turned into night.
I love the fact that Done Out in Deco is a matte polish (similar to OPI’s Parlez-Vous OPI from their France Collection.) I know a lot of people were concerned about the look of the product, wondering if the pigments in the polish were going to be bright enough or to dull. But I think this bottle of gooey nail goodness is bloody brilliant.
The new wide-tipped brushes OPI implemented a little while ago definitely hold their worth and do not make the strokes messy. The pigments are rich, but not overtly so. It is not outrageously bright (you can wear it to work) and it is not so deep that it falls into a color category only suitable for autumn.
We recommend putting it on this way for the best effect:
Base: OPI Nail Envy, original, OPI
Polish: Done Out in Deco, OPI
Top Coat: Speedy Finish, Creative Nail Designs
–
Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.
Copyright © 2009 Sasha H. Muradali. All Rights Reserved
