Mauve & Taupe. Taupe & Mauve.

Have you ever despised a color (probably because it reminds you of some hideous furniture or style from your 80s & 90s childhood) and then realized one day it was your new fave? Um... I hate to admit it, but I sure have. I bet you can't guess what they are...

MAUVE & TAUPE!

So, mauve... Growing up my parents had a satin mauve sofa. Yes. I said it. Satin. Mauve. Sofa. Disgusting. It was even more disgusting after my brother and I vomited on it as children often do on satin things. So, I think I developed a mental block against all things mauve. I mean, if you're a child of the 90s, you probably swore you'd never wear a scrunchie to avoid ever resembling Blossom. And yet, they're back...

You can imagine my shock and chagrin when I began to truly understand what colors (or colours, for my fellow Anglophiles) go best with my albino pale skin, blue eyes, and pink undertones; and mauve was one of them! At first I balked and refused. Then I received a gift from my grandmother. She had purchased an Elizabeth Arden set of glosses that she gave me. One of the shades was Radiant Mauve. After learning that I needed to mostly sport cool tones I wore it once, then twice, then used up the whole sample size. Then I re-purchased. Do any of you feel that any time you actually purchase something you tried as a sample that it must be absolutely epic? Well, I do! I hardly EVER do that...

The down side to this gloss is it's smell. It really does rather stink. It also isn't as creamy and thick as it was in the sample pot... :( I'm not as happy with the full size as I was with the sample. Nevertheless, I still love the shade & will keep using it.

About that time I realized my Lorac Pro Palette contains a Mauve shade that I'd never worn... not once.

Now I love it with a little Lt Pink and Taupe or Sable with some Nude under my brows and in the corner of my eyes. It compliments my blue eyes and cool undertones really well! 

My most recent mauve purchase was Sonia Kashuk's Mauving it On Up Nail Colour. (She spells it correctly!!) Love this stuff!

I'm not always a fan of pink... or purple. So, mauve, you fit the bill for my girly, cool toned fix. 

Now on to taupe. I'm a huge fan of all things grey. (And black... I should have had a career at Victoria's Secret). So, taupe just seemed like the red headed stepchild of colors. It's not brown and not grey. But it is both. It's kind of dirty and boring. Until now...

Taupe is my new skin-complimenting friend, and I'm so sorry I'd ever ignored or forgotten you. It all started when I stumbled upon this wonderful concept of Highlighting and Contouring (HAC). MaskCARA suggested using a taupe colored pencil to contour down your nose and under your bottom lip. I didn't have a pencil, but I discovered the Taupe shade in my Pro Palette (again)! How had I never used that one, either? That and a liner brush became my contouring friend. Seriously - try it! Just a little under your bottom lip does wonders!

Can you tell the difference between this picture with contouring and the last without?

This led to my googling "pale skin contouring" with bronzers being, by nature, too warm for me. That one google session resulted in my newest blog obsession: Estee over at Essie Button is as fair as me, and she suggested NYX's Powder Blush in Taupe. NYX isn't carried in my state, so off to Amazon I went! I've used it mostly for contouring, but it's also a great blush for days I don't want to use my pinks or peaches.

Essie Button also turned me on to cream shadows... I've never used them. Read my lips - NEVER. I believe after trying it once when I was much younger it creased, and I was over that. That was before primer. Now I religiously prime with Lorac's Behind the Scenes and this next product stays on for days.  

Maybelline's Color Tattoo 24 Hour eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe is more grey than the more-brown Lorac, but it has just that right pigment that makes it better than boring old grey. I really love how this cream shadow makes building shimmers or an intense eye easy! Or you can just wear it solo with the liner of your choice, and you have a carefree daily look.

What do you think? Are there any shades you've steered clear from that you might revisit? Any new, unexpected likes? How about you other pale ones out there - what shades work well for you that could help this sister out?

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