The Exact Lip Color Uma Thurman Wore In Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino's seminal "Pulp Fiction" may have been released all the way back in 1994 (via IMDb), but the movie continues to be incredibly popular, particularly among dedicated cinephiles. For fashionistas, the styling choices are still iconic too, especially Uma Thurman's killer look as gangster's moll Mia Wallace. As Vogue France notes, her sexy male tailoring and cute bob, alongside John Travolta in his slick suit, remain one of the most popular couple's Halloween costumes to this day (commit even harder to Mia with a bloody nose and syringe, as What Culture quips).
As costume designer Betsy Heimann told Vogue, her initial inspiration for the look was Tarantino's debut, "Reservoir Dogs." She explained, "Let's make a girl version. Let's give her some fashion. She's got money. She's a tall, beautiful woman, and she can carry off all this fashion stuff. You could put her in a paper bag and put a belt on it, and she would be chicer than any person you've ever met." The cropped pants came about by chance since they had to be cut to accommodate Thurman's height. As for Mia's equally iconic lip look, we've got you covered.
Mia Wallace's red lipstick was to die for
There's a reason Uma Thurman's Mia Wallace graced the "Pulp Fiction" poster. She was an icon in the making and clearly, whoever was working behind the scenes knew instantly. Mia's look was highly detailed, right down to her gold Chanel pumps (via Vogue) and red lip. Makeup artist Brittany Cale figured out exactly which products were used to achieve it, so we can all replicate Mia's look ourselves (and match our fake bloody noses accordingly). Cale revealed in a TikTok that artists on the film used Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick in the color "Destinee," which is no longer available.
However, Urban Decay released a whole "Pulp Fiction" collection, including a red lipstick called "Mrs. Mia Wallace," which references the iconic dance sequence at Jack Rabbit Slim's (via YouTube). Annoyingly, although this killer lipstick initially became a permanent part of their product line, Urban Decay later discontinued it. Thankfully, their "Bad Blood" variety is "almost identical," according to Cale. Pick it up for $19 from Amazon.
Although "Pulp Fiction" is considered a classic nowadays, Thurman admitted to Vanity Fair, "I wasn't sure I wanted to be in the movie." Her biggest issue was, funnily enough, doing the twist onstage with John Travolta during the dance sequence, "Because I was so awkward and embarrassed and shy." Thankfully, Mia Wallace doesn't show fear, so Thurman pulled on her red lipstick, gold pumps, and deconstructed suit and got to work. We could only swoon.