Mystery over Taylor's true eye color

In death, as in life, it is her eyes that haunt.
After Hollywood's grande dame Elizabeth Taylor passed away, people paid their online respects, searching out her biography, baby pictures, good works (AIDS foundation), her relationships both familial (children, Richard Burton) and famous (Michael Jackson, Andy Warhol). Yet most unique were those eyes, and people wanted another look into them as they sought out "elizabeth taylor eyes," "elizabeth taylor violet eyes pictures," and "elizabeth taylor's eye close up."

Could someone's eyes truly be purple? If photos or her namesake perfume -- Violet Eyes, which debuted just last spring -- weren't proof enough, eyewitness accounts certainly testify to those riveting orbs. A remembrance by Hollywood Reporter film critic Todd McCarthy recalled a meeting in the 1970s, when the actress had essentially retired from the big screen. "What should abruptly stop me in my tracks," he wrote, "but a pair of eyes unlike I've ever beheld, before or since; deep violet eyes of a sort withheld from ordinary mortals that were suddenly looking up into mine from mere inches away."



David Stratton, a film critic for the Australian, also swooned in a 1973 encounter following a festival premiere of her movie "Night Watch": "I was ushered into her presence at the official reception and found myself transfixed by her famous violet eyes. I have never seen eyes of that color before or since and I don't believe cinemagoers were able to appreciate how remarkable they were."

Eye of the Beholder

Violet is indeed a rarity, more so than green eyes, although theories as to what makes them purple vary. Color, of course, is determined by how much melanin pigment the eye has and, to get really scientific, those variations in single nucleotide polymorphisms (thankfully shortened to SNPS) near the OCA2 gene, which are responsible for the color of eyes, hair, and skin. Then again, the simplest explanation would be the same one her doctor gave her mother when describing baby Elizabeth's double row of eyelashes: a "mutation," according to the 1996 book Elizabeth.

Those eyes inspired longing, envy, and a few beauty products: Chicago optical company Wesley-Jensen created violet contact lenses in the 1980s. Before their debut, a W-J spokesperson told The New York Times, "pictures of Elizabeth Taylor are pasted all over our R&D lab." A California ocularist, one of the few in the world to create artificial eyeballs, fulfilled one patient's request for "Elizabeth Taylor eyes."

If you wondered what the scent of violet eyes might be, that would be "light shades of purple rose and violet peony, combined with velvety accents of white peach" with a "voluptuous blend of cedar wood and amber [to] convey the power, sensuality, and mystery of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes."


 Source: OMG

Most Common Last Names
Get the scoop on the stories behind popular surnames and their origins. Here are some famous people who have some of the most common last names. Check your family tree to see if you have some ties.

Smith
Will has one of the most common names in many English-speaking countries, which is also related to this biblical practice.
Johnson
The Rock's last name has its origins in this race.
Williams
The last name of Venus and Serena comes from an Old French given name with Germanic elements. It is the second most common surname in this country.
Brown
Chris may have gotten in hot water recently, but in the country that shares its origin, the Brown family has this interesting motto.
Jones
Keep up with Star and her recent TV feud. Have a jones for something? This classic American name with many catchphrases even has a soda.
Miller
Sienna has one of the surnames that come from an occupation, and there are many derivations in the European countries from which they came. They even have their own beer.
Davis
Kristin has a "son of" name, and this too has its share of famous people, including two so well known that after death people know them from their first names. Davis 1. Davis 2.
Garcia
Surname of Jerry, it's the most common surname in Spain. With a whopping 3.32 percent of the population named Garcia, it's the second most common surname in Cuba and moving up the ranks in the U.S.
Rodriguez
You might have been able to guess the meaning of this name from Alex.
Wilson
From a president to this famous comedian, many Wilsons are in the house.
Martinez
Another "son of" surname, this one has roots in an ancient Roman god and a favorite Northwest son who had a street named after him.
Anderson
Pam's last name is sometimes spelled with an "e" at the end. It's another "son of" name, as you would expect, but the son of someone manly, which you might not have expected.
Taylor
This legendary Taylor just passed away. Another "profession" surname, its etymology reinforces that, and famous Taylors include presidents and other actresses.
Thomas
This Thomas is a champ. Is there any doubt as to where this name comes from? There's even one on the Supreme Court.
Hernandez
This star athlete has a Spanish surname version of "son of."






Source: Specials