Danielle Brooks' Red Carpet Makeup Is An Ode to The Color Purple

Last night marked the 35th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala at the Convention Center in Palm Springs, California, where stars and creators of 2023’s most popular films were honored to officially kick off Hollywood’s awards season. One of the film recognized at the gala was Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple, a musical based on the Broadway show, which is, in turn, based on Alice Walker’s watershed 1982 novel of the same name. Producers of the 2023 film included Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey, who directed and acted, respectively, in the 1985 version of the film. 

The story of The Color Purple is about many things, including sisterhood, family, and the history and resilience of the African American community. It’s also an ode to gratitude and finding the light in the dark, and even gets its name from this concept: About halfway through the film, Shug Avery (played by Taraji P. Henson), says “I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.” Since reading that line in the novel, I’ve adored the color purple and incorporated it into my life as often as possible, and it seems I’m not alone, because at last night’s gala, Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia in the film, wore bright, sparkly purple eyeshadow in homage to the film. 

The look, crafted by celebrity makeup artist Rebekah Aladdin, was paired perfectly with a nude lip and peach-pink blush, lending Brooks an overall girlish look that contrasted beautifully with her tailored, all-business white panstuit. Brooks quite literally glowed as she made her way down the carpet—an effect that was enhanced when she later won the coveted spotlight award for her standout performance. 

Brooks’ eyeshadow was a subtle yet powerful way of alluding to The Color Purple, and its singular nature in her otherwise muted look made it all the more eye-catching and consistent with purple’s symbolism in the story. It’s a look that will undoubtedly find its way onto everyone’s beauty vision boards, especially as the promise of spring looms on the horizon.