Each year, Pantone announces their Colour of the Year (COTY)—a hue that, according to the colour specialists, bridges the relationship between colour and culture. For this year, Pantone has crowned Mocha Mousse as the COTY, a shade which combines the rich depth of coffee brown with the soft creaminess of chocolate. Previous Pantone COTYs included the bright nude tones of 2024’s Peach Fuzz, and the splashy pink-toned Viva Magenta for 2023. Then there was the vibrant Very Peri, a violet red-toned periwinkle hue, in 2022.
In makeup, brown sits alongside black and grey tones, as the foolproof trio of neutrals that flatter most—if not all—skin tones. And the beauty of Pantone’s COTY lies in its understated elegance. Mocha Mousse is a rich, comforting hue that brings about a sense of timelessness and warmth. Whether it’s on your lips, eyes or even on your cheeks, there are a number of chic ways to embrace the indulgent shade. Ahead, discover how all our favourite celebrities have been rocking Mocha Mousse in their makeup.
The Eyes
The easiest way to incorporate some delicious brown tones into your everyday makeup look is through the eyes. Take a page from the playbook of NewJeans’s—or shall we say Jeanz‘s—Danielle. Sweep the lids with a light brown shade before adding depth with a warmer, almost bronze, shadow. Then you can add some glamour to the look, just like Yunjin from Le Sserafim did with a dense, chunky glitter.
For a more understated use of the colour, you can also swap your black eyeliners out, for a creamy brown one instead. Just like Thai actress Freen Sarocha, diffuse the line starting from the outermost corner of the eye for a subtle smoky eye.
The Lips
On the lips, the Mocha Mousse trend can be dressed up or down. Learn from the mother of brown lipsticks Hailey Bieber, who also launched Rhode’s viral Peptide Lip Tint in Cinnamon Roll, a deliciously shimmery spiced brown. Bieber perfects her brown lip by first lining the lips with a darker brown lip pencil, before filling in the lips with a rich brown gloss.
If you favour matte lips, Seulgi from Red Velvet and Jenna Ortega, who both rocked powder-matte versions of a brown-toned pout. Don’t worry, browns won’t wash you out. In fact, a Mocha Mousse lip is great at bringing together a makeup look, thanks to the harmonious neutrality of chocolate tones.
The Cheeks
Brown blushes are in, according to baddies Rihanna and Lisa from Blackpink. Mocha Mousse is a colour that speaks of quiet confidence, and contentment. And the best way to showcase this is through the cheeks. While using the rich brown shade on your lips or eyes acts as a focal point, a brown cheek unifies and adds balance to a look.
Lisa embodied this on the cover of her upcoming album Alter Ego, with a subtle brown flush on her cheekbones, while Thai actress Becky Armstrong focused the pigment on the centre of her face, for a more youthful and girly take. With a neutral flush, leaning into a monochromatic makeup look has never been easier.
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