For centuries, the colour purple has been linked with power, wealth, mysticism and royalty. In fact, many kingdoms in several countries forbade anyone except the members of the royal family to wear it. This is due to the rarity of the colour as well as the cost of the dye used to make it. Fabric manufacturers used to get the dye from a mollusk that was only found in the Tyre region of the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, about thousands of mollusks were required to produce even a small quantity of the dye. Hence, it was only affordable to the most affluent of the society from Paris to Persia, but thanks to an English chemist this changed. In the middle of 19th century, 18-year-old William Henry Perkin through serendipity created a synthetic purple compound while attempting to synthesize a drug for malaria called quinine. Knowing its worth, he patented the dye and manufactured it under the name aniline purple and Tyrian purple, making a fortune in the process. Thanks to his discovery, anyone can now afford a purple dress and accessorize that with purple make-up.
A purple dress, lavender or dark plum makes a woman look very regal and mystical. But this brave color choice also requires some bold purple in one’s makeup palette to balance the face out with the regal outfit. If you are wearing a purple dress during the daylight, then stay light with the makeup to appear fresh and ethereal. Especially for lighter shades of purple, such as a very light shade of lavender, it is best to keep the makeup to the basics. In this case, you can apply a liquid eye shadow that has light shimmers in it, and which is basically light pink or champagne shade across the eyelid up to the crease and apply a purple gloss to your lips. Those dressed in darker hues of purple such as eggplant and plum, can apply more visible layers of makeup to make them stand out in the crowd. For instance, they could do a smoky eye using purple and make the lips bold with a mauve taint.
