The Purple One Would Approve: Pantone Finally Gets It Right With 2018’s Color of the Year

Full disclosure: I’m a Minnesota native. Minneapolis, to be exact. I’m also a black woman, and a musician who counts among her first musical memories seeing the Purple Rain tour live at the Humphrey dome in 1984. Suffice to say, last year I didn’t take Prince’s passing well …

But while it may feel a year late, I took some cold-as-the-waters-of-Lake-Minnetonka comfort in the debut of Pantone’s Color of the Year 2018, Ultra Violet. This blue-tinged shade is as cool as the Purple One himself, and is destined to be just as hot.

Now, while decorators may be thinking about which rooms to paint in this saturated hue, we’re thinking about painting faces. A little ultraviolet goes a long way, so we’ve compiled a spectrum of purple shades to play with this coming year.

While Coloured Raine’s Fetish Eye Shadow ($6.99) may be currently sold out, I’ve got an alert set for when it comes in. In the meantime, I’ll have to satisfy my craving with its Matte Lip Paint in Raine Fever or Kiss Me ($18.99 each), because I just want your extra time, and your … kiss.

New bride Keyshia Ka’oir Davis is no stranger to a bold lip look, so it should be no surprise that she offers a variety of textures for lips in this soon-to-be-iconic deep purple, including Rude Girl lipstick ($16.99), Purple Haze Ultra Glam Matte lipstick ($18.99), and even lipstick-and-glitter pot duo Raquel Glitzstick ($28.99). Another fan fave? The Lip Bar’s Liquid Matte in Crown Me ($13).

For multipurpose use, Danessa Myricks ColorFix 24-Hr Matte Cream Color in Journey ($18) is the hybrid cream color you didn’t know you needed for eyes, lips and face. If you’re more of a traditionalist—even with this futuristic color—Hue Noir’s Perfect Pigment Velvet Eyeshadow in Audacious Orchid ($18) will give a gorgeous coat of color to your lids.

If you love drugstore finds as much as I do, you’ll be happy to know that Milani Cosmetics is already on top of the color Pantone says it has next. I can personally vouch for the rich texture of Milani’s Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow in Bella Purple. At $5, it’s the perfect way to experiment without breaking the bank; and for $4 more, you can nail the look by adding its on-tone Color Statement Nail Lacquer in Lovely Amethyst.

And since nails add the final polish to your look, it’s only fair to end our purple reign with one of the best: Celebrity nail artist Bernadette Thompson’s legendary “money manicure” is currently in the Museum of Modern Art, but you can take her incredible collection of nail lacquers home with you for just $7.50 each. For a little ultraviolet nail art, try pairing her Mardi Gras and Wild Orchid shades.