How to wear pastels without looking washed out

Come spring time, pastels take over the runways, but have you ever tried the gorgeous pastel makeup products that hit the shelves in the last few months of the year? People are so intimidated by pastels, and to be honest, we don’t blame them! If you don’t know what you’re doing and you haven’t matched the colour to your skin tone perfectly, it could make you look washed out or doll-like (nothing wrong with that, by the way, but it’s not always what you’re going for). We believe there’s a big place for pastels in our spring makeup drawers, so we did some digging to find options you can wear every day. Here’s what we found:

How to wear pastels without looking washed out 1

Nails
The easiest way to incorporate pastels is to go with nail colour – it looks great on both your hands and feet and pastel nail colours suit all skin tones. For major diverse colours and great quality we recommend Essie and Mavala. Both brands are reasonably priced and offer a wide variety of shades that give you great coverage and stay put on your nails. Look out for Essie Fiji, Lilacism and Mint Candy Apple, and Mavala Reykjavik, Aquamarine and Blue Mint.

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Lips
If you feel confident with a full-on pastel lip colour, we say go for it! But if you’re not, opt for a pink shade of lipstick or lipgloss with a matte or creamy texture. This is the perfect halfway mark to pastel and makes less of a statement than an out-there baby pink. We recommend Urban Decay Hifi Lipgloss in Snitch (R290.00). It glides on cushiony soft and doesn’t leave a tacky residue on the lips. Plus, it’s a vanilla-mint flavour, yum! For pocket-friendly shades, you won’t find better than Palladio Velvet Matte Cream Lip Color in Sateen (R109.95) or L.A.Girl LIPIFY Stylo in Giddy (R99.95). Both glide on with ease and feel rich and creamy on the lips.

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Eyes
This is where pastels can sometimes get tricky – and where a lot of women tend to avoid them. Our tip is to avoid white or cream-based pastels and to go for something with a bit more luminosity instead. BioNike Defence Color Silky Touch Compact Eyeshadow in Quartz Rose (R119.95) is the perfect base colour. It’s just the right amount of pastel to embrace the trend but with added luminosity to create dimension. We love that it’s super gentle on the skin and free of fragrances and preservatives. Alternatively, play around with the various colours on offer in the GOSH Effect Powder (R140.00) stable. These little pots offer highly pigmented colour and are easy to blend and mix. Plus, they’re cruelty-free, perfume-free and paraben-free!

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3 Responses

  1. when it comes to pastels I love love pastel lip colours will make sure to try these 3 shades/brands

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