How to Make Purple Blush Work for Your Skin Tone

Blush tones can range from pinks and mauves to corals, but here’s the underrated color we often overlook: purple. From shades of violets and lilacs to lavenders and plums, purple can give you the fresh, natural-looking flush you’re after. If it sounds daunting or you’re still a bit skeptical, here’s a quick run-through of the most wearable shades for every skin tone and how to apply them.

Purple blush shades for fair to medium skin tones

For light to medium skin tones, pale, pinkish purples can offer a soft haze of color without being too overbearing.

For a shimmery blush/highlighter combo, Beautylish recommends:

• JILL STUART Beauty Blend Blush in Blossom 10
• Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Blush in Iridescent Flash

For customizable, long-lasting cheek color, Beautylish recommends:

• Kevyn Aucoin The Neo-Blush in Grapevine
• Viseart Blush Palette in 2 Rose Coral

Purple blush shades for medium to deep skin tones

For deeper skin tones, rich plums and mauves will blend seamlessly while enhancing natural skin tones.

For customizable palettes featuring shades of purple, Beautylish recommends:

• RCMA Makeup Cream Cheek Color Palette 2
• Viseart Blush Palette in 1 Plum Bronze

For vibrant, go-to purple cheek pigment, Beautylish recommends:

• Wayne Goss The Weightless Veil Blush Palette in Vivid Azalea
• Natasha Denona Puff Paint in Bloom
• ILIA Color Haze Multi Matte Pigment in Sing

Purple blush application

Purple blush doesn’t require any special techniques—apply as you would normally wear pink or peach shades. Sweep the blush on the apples of your cheeks for a flushed, youthful look. Apply the blush in the hollows of your cheeks for a contoured, snatched look. Try applying it above your cheekbones—where you would normally apply highlighter—for a lifting effect. Either way, you can’t go wrong.