When it comes to rose hues, we tend to think of lipsticks and blushers. Rose-coloured lips for that natural My Lips But Better look, and rose-hued blushers for a radiant, girl-next-door flush. Very rarely do we think putting rose on our eyes, for fear of it being too stark or outstanding as a natural daytime look.
Which is why we always fall back on our browns – be it a quick wash of colour over the lids, or a smokey eye – brown is always our go-to. Not gonna lie though, while we still love our warm and cool-tone browns, they can sometimes get a little… boring.
So, if you’re looking to shake things up, but still, y’know, preserve the neutrals, we’ve got you. Take a baby step outside your comfort zone and switch out the browns for a soft rose instead. Apply them the same way you would with brown eyeshadows, and the muted pink hue will bring out the radiance in your skin naturally, especially so when paired with similar coloured blushers and lipstick. Best of all? Rose is going to look amazing on all skin tones.
For the more cautious, apply the rose shadow right on the inner third portion of the eye for a light flush of colour on the eye. Continue your usual routine with black eyeliner and mascara. To tie the look together, use a blusher of similar tone to get a radiant, monochromatic look.
Photo: NARS/Instagram
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To add dimension to the eye look without using the typical chocolate brown shade, go for a matte, muted rose instead. We suggest using a pencil brush to shade and define the outer V of the eye, for a cleaner shape. And since the shadow isn’t anything that’s too bright, it’ll still look natural when pulled together with the rest of your look.
Photo: @ponysmakeup/Instagram
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To subtly bring attention to the eyes without the look being too loud, pack on the rose eyeshadow on the lids, but do not blend it out towards the brow bone. Concentrate the colour especially on the area above your iris, and softly smudge it towards the inner and outer corner of the eye. Complete the look with wispy falsies, or a lengthening mascara for sultry lashes.
Photo: @inngenue/Instagram
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For a soft and romantic look, pick up a warm brown as your transition shade in the crease and have the rose eyeshadow seamlessly blended into the lid. Skip the eyeliner wings for a look that’s less harsh, and instead tight-line the upper-lash line and waterline. Complete the look with a pearly nude pink lipstick.
Photo: Natasha Denona/Instagram
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The more adventurous may want to take their neutral rose look a step further – just like how we always layer on a shimmery brown eyeshadow over a matte on for the eyes to pop, the same theory applies with rose. Select a suitable pink shimmer shadow (it can be satin or glitter) and dab it right in the middle of the lid. To frame the eye, use a small pencil brush to dust the same rose shadow on the lower lash line.
Photo: NARS/Instagram
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Here’s a beautiful example of how rose hues can be used as a day-to-night smokey eye. Supermodel Bella Hadid has a muted rose shadow packed over her lid and on her lower lash line. The same colour is blended out in a clean but soft wing towards the end of her brow. To further frame and add dimension to her eyes, she has on a small eyeliner wing in a gentle plum-brown shade.
For a daytime look, do it like how Bella does by pairing the rose smokey eye with a nude lips. To transition the look into a night-time one, simply change up the lip colour for something darker and you’re good to go.
Photo: @bellahadid/Instagram
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