One of the first posts I ever wrote for this blog was about Pantone's color of the year. That year, 2011, the official color was Honeysuckle, a rosy pink. If you want a quick breakdown of who/what Pantone is, read this old post of mine.
So what color is "Radiant Orchid" exactly? This is how Pantone describes it:
“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”
Answers the question, doesn't it? To my eye, Radiant Orchid comes across as a vivid pink-ish lavender. According to the actual Pantone formula, however, it's the color you see in in the title above, a basic but pretty lavender. Whatever shade of lavender/purple/fuchsia you want Radiant Orchid to be, you're probably not too far off.
As opposed to last year's color, Emerald, Radiant Orchid is a natural match for cosmetics. There's already quite a few matches out on the market; Sephora also has a collection done in collaboration with Pantone that will be out soon. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the Radiant Orchid items out there to add some colorful contrast against the gray and muddy weather:
1. Illamasqua Velocity | 2. butter LONDON Molly Coddled | 3. Essie Splash of Grenadine |
4. OPI A Grape Fit | 5. Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush | 6. Guerlain Prune Zip |
4. OPI A Grape Fit | 5. Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush | 6. Guerlain Prune Zip |
Two of my best buys are both under $10! The first one is Essie's Splash of Grenadine polish which is probably the closest polish out to the Pantone formula. Essie is in the $8-9 range and can be found everywhere from Ulta to Walmart to Walgreen's. I will warn you this shade may be one of the harder ones to find as it's an older color, but I know for sure Ulta carries it. The other best buy is this stunning eyeshadow palette from L'Oreal in Stacked Heels ($8). This is a good general palette, it can do a simple yet colorful day eye, or a smokey eye for girl's night out.
As I mentioned, there's a lot of different opinions on what shade of lavender that Radiant Orchid actually is. The shades on some of the products I showed above are a bit off, but there's not too much out yet in shades of lavender. I'm crushing on the ASOS satchel and the Coach scarf pretty hard, but I just know I have to have the New Balances. I need some new sneakers and those won't stop calling my name.
Radiant Orchid is poised to be big seller this year in fashion, I'm thinking. Last year's color, Emerald, floundered and I was only able to find the shade in Sephora's Pantone line. Emerald came at a bad time, though, as neons and bright over-saturated colors have been tops of the fashion charts for the past few years. Despite what Jenna Lyon says at J.Crew, pastels are coming back in, as evidenced on the catwalk for the 2014 seasons. Personally, I love pastels and I'm happy to finally be able to find them and get them in rotation in my wardrobe.
Find these and many more fabulous additions on my Radiant Orchid board on Pinterest! Click on the picture below to check it out and don't forget to follow me!
