Purple Reigns at Urban Decay

Gash, S&M, Apocalypse, Smut and Roach..with product names that seem more like song titles by Sid Vicious or The Killers than highly-pigmented eye shadows and lipsticks - not to mention face saving must-haves like the iconic Eye Shadow Primer Potion (who DOESN'T own it?) - we've come to expect the unexpected from edgy cult makeup company Urban Decay. Their latest product is a real eye opener: Ink for Eyes – ‘ink you won’t regret’. More precise than a pencil, more forgiving than a liquid, it’s everything you could want in a cream liner and it fits perfectly into a clutch bag.

Of course, I had to own the basic black (Zero), but how to wear the the edgier colors, especially the deep purple (Empire) that is fashion-right this season, without looking like Lady Gaga? No worries says Urban Decay's Creative Director, Wende Zomnir. ”I love colored eyeliner, but no one wants to look like Joan Cusack in Working Girl...(am I dating myself?)”, she notes, explaining her technique for looking chic & modern rather than too 80s. “The best way to wear colored eyeliner is to combo it with a shimmery neutral eyeshadow, like UD's Chopper [a coppery fawn with silver microglitter]. Then I take a brilliant colored eye liner, and smudge it somewhat thickly all along my lower lashes. The look is sophisticated, but then there's that unexpected pop of color that keeps people guessing. I love this this look with purple liner. Add lots of mascara at the end, of course."

Want to recreate the entire look from lips to tips? On your nails, use Apocalypse,an almost-black eggplant shade; then slick on XXX Shine Gloss in Guys Love Betsey - a sheer candy apple red used in a Betsey Johnson fashion show.

Available at Sephora.com and UrbanDecay.com.

- Michelyn Camen

Camen is a New York City based fragrance specialist and the owner of FifthSense N.Y.C. where she consults for luxury, beauty and fragrance companies. She also provides personalized fragrance evaluations based on body chemistry, psychology, fashion, and lifestyle. She is an Editor for Fragrantica.com, the Fragrance Columnist for UptownSocial.net, the former Senior Contributing Writer for Sniffapalooza Magazine, New in Niche Columnist for Basenotes and Editorial Director/Fragrance Editor for Beauty News NYC & LA. Email her at fifthsensenyc@aol.com or Michelyn AT Fashiontribes DOT com.