The Mauve & Dusky Pink Edit

If there's one thing I love it's a good mauve or a deep dusky pink. Today I though I'd do a long-overdue breakdown of the cheek, eye, lip and nail shades in my stash.

Cheeks

This is pretty much my perfect family of shades for cheeks! I think it suits me best and it adds a natural but pretty hint of colour, allowing for you to go a little bolder on the eyes or lips.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed | $28

I love this nude-y mauve matte shade; it isn't that plummy in tone but there's enough richness to the colour that it doesn't look grey on the cheeks or wash you out. It adds a natural hint of colour. Tarte has to have my favourite matte blusher formula as it's so pigmented, easy to work with and incredibly long-lasting.

The Balm Instain in Houndstooth | £20.50

This is definitely the brightest and most vibrant shade of the bunch as it has some slightly fuchsia tones to it. Although the name may lead you to think otherwise, like all my other picks this is a powder formulation. I think the 'stain' comes from it being so pigmented and long-lasting.

NYX HD Blush in Mauve N Out | £5.50

From the brightest to the deepest and most dusky pink and plum-toned pick, it's onto this budget find. As far as drugstore matte formulas go  this is right up there with Sleek, Natural Collection and a couple of others for me. It does kick up some fallout but the texture is so soft and easily blended in, it really doesn't bother me.

KIKO Moon Dust Face Powder in Fairy Mauve | £13.90

This stunning blusher is Limited Edition so if you want to get your hands on it you'll have to act fast!  The texture of this shimmery highlighting formula really is lovely. It's so soft and applies really nicely. In colour it's very similar to Mood Exposure but this has an obvious shimmer to it.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure | £28

Regular readers, skip to the next paragraph!  For everyone else: this is my all-time favourite! It's a similar mauve with a hint of plum that the KIKO option is, but it gives you a glow without shimmer. It really does make your skin seem like it's glowing from within as opposed to shimmer sitting on top of it (don't get me wrong though, the KIKO is a fantastic more affordable option). The incredible texture blends so smoothly, it's more pigmented than you'd expect and lasts incredibly well without ever going patchy. Basically; it's perfect!

Eyes

I definitely lean towards warmer browns and bronzes on the eyes, however I do have some pretty mauve colours I think work really nicely.

Morphe 35T Palette | £18.25

This palette is packed with 35 stunning taupe, gold, copper, purple and mauve shades. It really does prove that these kinds of shades don't have to be silvery or geared just towards cool skin tones. This palette was so affordable but I've been really impressed with the quality, texture and colour payoff of both the matte and shimmer shades. I picked this up because the legendary 35O was out of stock but actually now I think I'll get so much more use out of these shades. I definitely need to experiment more with this but so far, so good and I will be doing a full review once I have.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock | £29

This was the first mauve-taupe eyeshadow shade I think I really loved. It's so insanely creamy and pigmented that it takes one swipe, two seconds of blending and it's in place for the rest of the day. It also looks so dewy and multifaceted on the eyes, people will think you went to way more effort than you did! If you're after an affordable alternative for less than a tenner, check out KIKO's 05 as it's essentially identical.

MAC Pro Eyeshadow Pan Quarry | £10

For a matte option there's one standout in my books and that's MAC Quarry! It has the perfect balance of mauve and taupe to be not grey but not purple. It makes the perfect crease shade for a slightly cooler-toned eye look.

Lips

For day-to-evening occasions, these kind of shades are perfect and some of my more natural options are the ones I reach for on an everyday basis.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 13 Marvellous Mauve | $14

This is a gorgeous deep mauve colour that's definitely less than a bright or a deep bold lip but so much more than a neutral. The formula goes on so creamy and doesn't dry the lips out at all, yet somehow it's still ridiculously long-lasting.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick in Nude-ist | £8.99

This is a gorgeous deep pink nude shade that's probably the lightest and most natural colour in this selection. I absolutely love the formula, it's so comfortable yet long-wearing. Perfect for those long days where you don't get much of a chance to touch-up.

The Balm Meet Matt(e) Hughes Long-Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Committed | £13.50

This is a deeper rosy-pink with definite hints of brown. The formula is definitely thinner and less creamy and pigmented than my other picks on here, going on more like a stain but setting and lasting like a liquid lipstick.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes | £5.50

Can you tell I'm having a bit of a moment with liquid lipsticks? This could very well be my favourite of the lot. It's fairly similar in colour to the Balm's Committed but is a little bit more on the pink side (though I still want to say it's a sort-of nude). The formula is also far creamier and a tad more comfortable to wear.

Nars Audacious Lipstick in Anna* | £24

This is my only Audacious lipstick, though I definitely need to change that! The formula is amazingly creamy and comfortable yet so pigmented, with a little bit of a sheen. This is also one of the bolder, brighter mauves in my stash. 

MAC Matte Lipstick in Mehr | £15.50

Arguably one of the shades that kicked off my obsession with these sorts of colours. Although this is a matte, it applies smoothly and doesn't feel at all drying on the lips. The colour is just the perfect deep and dusky pink.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Bond Girl | £23

Another one of my all-time favourites is this very unique product, both in colour and formula. The shade itself is a deep reddish brown mauve colour and the formulation means that although it's matte, it almost looks like a stain on the lips and doesn't feel dry in the slightest (it's almost hydrating).

MAC Satin Lipstick in Twig | £15.50

One of my first ever MAC lipsticks that I picked up on a whim, and a firm favourite ever since. This is just the perfect deep mauve with hints of dusky pink. The Satin finish means it has the slightest sheen and is so much more creamy than your traditional matte. It doesn't quite last as long as a matte but it's definitely just as pigmented.

MAC Lip Pencil in Soar | £12.50

Slightly deeper and more brown in tone than Mehr, it works perfectly underneath it as well as when paired with Twig. It's a little but drying on the lips on it's own but could definitely work in terms in colour.

Nails

As with lips, mauve and deep pink shades are ideal for when you don't want to rock a really bold colour but you want something that will go with any outfit without being a straight nude.

Essie Nail Polish in In Stitches | £7.99

This has become one of my absolute favourites, think Mehr or Cannes in nail form! It's a gorgeous deep pink shade that applies so evenly and opaquely it's perfect for if you're in a rush.

Essie Nail Polish in Island Hopping | £6.99

This is more of a classic mauve colour but again has a glitter-free finish. I don't like the brush as much on this as it's the old version, meaning it doesn't apply the polish as nicely and it definitely needs too coats. However when the colour is this pretty, I really don't care!

What are your favourite mauve and dusky pink products?

 

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*DISCLOSURE - ITEMS MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK ARE PR SAMPLES/GIFTS. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. PLEASE VISIT MY DISCLOSURE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.