A woman with a warm expression rests her chin on her hand, wearing deep berry-toned lipstick and matching eyeshadow from a cranberry make-up palette. She is dressed in an off-the-shoulder maroon jumper and gold hoop earrings.

Cranberry makeup palette trend: a colour to suit all ages and skin types

Forget pumpkin spice. This autumn, beauty is going berry rich, with cranberry emerging as the shade to know now.

There is something wonderfully flattering about a flush of cranberry. Not quite red, not quite pink and with just enough depth to feel grown up, this rich berry shade is having a serious beauty moment for autumn/winter 2026.

Four lipstick smears in red, pink, peach, and purple shades are arranged horizontally on a white background. The creamy texture and rich pigment reflect the latest make-up trend, flattering all skin types with bold, expressive colour.

And this isn’t simply a trend dreamed up for social media. Cranberry made a striking appearance on the London Fashion Week runways, where it was used to create cheeks that looked naturally flushed by a chilly autumn breeze. At Simone Rocha, make up artist Thomas de Kluyver reportedly used lipstick on the cheeks to create a raw, ruddy effect, while Erdem took a softer, more wearable approach with a delicate dusting of cranberry blush.

The appeal is easy to understand. After seasons dominated by pale pinks, peachy tones and barely there blush, cranberry feels richer, more sophisticated and wonderfully autumnal. Think the colour of crushed berries, red wine and the first really cold walk of the season.

It’s not just for your cheeks

The beauty of cranberry is its versatility. A sheer wash across the cheeks gives an instant healthy looking flush, while a deeper berry lip can transform an otherwise simple make-up look.

Two thick, horizontal streaks of dark magenta lipstick—reminiscent of a cranberry make-up palette—are smeared on a light grey surface, showing texture and brush marks. The roughly parallel smears have curled edges and pointed ends on the right side.

For daytime, keep the rest of your face fresh and uncomplicated: luminous skin, softly defined brows and a hint of brown mascara. Sweep a little cranberry onto the cheeks and blend well, allowing the colour to become part of the skin rather than sitting on top of it.

A close-up of a woman with blue eyes, dramatic pink and purple eyeshadow from a cranberry make-up palette, thick lashes, and flawless skin. She has peachy blusher, nude lips, freckles, pearl earrings—flattering for all skin types and ages.

For evening, intensify the shade and add a softly defined berry lip. There is no need to match your cheeks and lips exactly slightly different tones of berry can make the overall look feel much more modern.

A close-up of a face with glowing skin, bold pink eyeshadow from a cranberry make-up palette, thick eyebrows, voluminous lashes, prominent freckles, highlighted cheekbones, and matte magenta lipstick. Perfect for all ages and all skin types.

And yes, women over 40 can wear it

In fact, this may be one of the most flattering colour trends of the season.

The trick is texture rather than age. Instead of piling on a very matte, heavily pigmented blush, try a cream or sheer formula that melts into the skin. Start with a tiny amount and build it gradually.

If your complexion is fair, look for a softer raspberry or cool berry. Medium and olive complexions can experiment with richer cranberry and wine tones, while deeper complexions can embrace the intensity of plum, blackberry and red berry.

And don’t automatically put the colour on the apples of the cheeks. Sweeping it slightly higher and blending upwards towards the temples can give a more modern, lifted finish.

Close-up of a person with blue-green eyes, freckled skin, bold red glittery eyeshadow from a cranberry make-up palette, and pink blusher. They wear a red textured garment and large black hoop earring; the blurred background glows in red for all ages.

The cranberry edit

Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick in Berry Glow – £32

A particularly easy way into the trend. This cream blush stick gives you the sheer, buildable approach that makes deeper blush shades much less intimidating.

A red and gold lipstick tube stands upright with its gold cap placed beside it. The deep burgundy shade suits all skin types, and the tube features a gold diamond-shaped logo on the front against the burgundy background.
Charlotte Tilbury currently lists Berry Glow at £32.

Benefit Moone Rich Berry Powder Blush – £25.60

For anyone who prefers powder, Benefit’s Moone in Rich Berry offers a more defined take on the trend. It’s described as a buildable rich-berry shade, so you can keep it soft for daytime or layer it for more impact.

A pink Benefit blusher box with a moon and city design, labelled “moone.” The mauve blusher, embossed with “moone,” taps into the latest make-up trend and flatters all skin types. Packaging features a pink and purple colour theme with built-in mirror.
Benefit Moone Rich Berry Powder Blush
Boots⁠

NYX Professional Makeup Fat Cheeks Juicy Blush in Bouncin’ Berry – £7.99

Proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune to try the look. Available at Boots, Bouncin’ Berry is a wallet-friendly way to experiment with the deeper blush trend.

A bright coral NYX Fat Cheeks Juicy Blush bottle with the cap removed. The large applicator wand is coated in blusher, standing upright. Perfect for all skin types, bold yellow text pops on the cylindrical bottle and matching coral smear in back.
Bouncin’ Berry

No7 Velvet Matte Conditioning Lipstick in Cranberry – £13.95

For a proper British beauty classic, No7 has a lipstick actually called Cranberry. The Velvet Matte formula is designed to give intense colour with a conditioning finish, making it an easy way to bring the trend to your lips.

A red lipstick in a white tube with a dark purple “7” design. The cap, placed upright beside it, displays the text “No7” in black. Suitable for all skin types, this lipstick’s smooth, angled tip is ready for any make-up trend. Background is plain white.
No7 Velvet Matte Conditioning Lipstick

Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lip Colour in Velvet Blush – £29

For something more luxurious, British make up artist Lisa Eldridge’s Velvet Blush is described as a deep pink berry. The velvet matte formula has a subtle sheen rather than looking completely flat, which makes it particularly beautiful for an autumn lip.

A rose-mauve lipstick stands upright in a shiny gold tube with its round cap beside it. Perfect for all skin types, this lipstick complements any make-up trend. The engraved logo and plain white background highlight its elegant packaging.
True Velvet Lip Colour
Velvet Blush

How to wear it now

The easiest way to make cranberry feel modern is to choose one feature.

Try a sheer cranberry cheek with barely-there eye make-up. Or keep the complexion fresh and make the lips the focus. If you’re feeling braver, echo the colour softly around the eyes – but resist the temptation to make every feature equally strong.

Two piles of crushed powder blusher, one pink and one mauve, are spread on a light beige surface. A make-up brush with beige bristles rests near the mauve powder—perfect for trying the latest make-up trend for all skin types.
Close-up of broken, shimmery rose-pink make-up powder from a cranberry make-up palette. Cracked surface and metallic sparkles highlight colour variations—perfect for all ages and skin types, capturing a chic beauty product texture.
A horizontal streak of crushed pink powder, possibly from a cranberry make-up palette, spreads unevenly on a white background with dense and lightly dusted areas, creating a textured, artistic pattern suitable for all skin types.

The result should look less “I’ve followed a make-up trend” and more “I always look this good in autumn.”

And perhaps that’s why cranberry feels so right for 2026. It isn’t about looking younger or completely reinventing yourself. It’s about adding a little richness, warmth and colour – and embracing the fact that sometimes the most flattering make-up is simply the colour that makes you look alive.

The verdict? This is one autumn trend worth taking seriously. Just remember: start sheer, blend generously and let your own skin do some of the work.

Picture of Sue Moxley

Sue Moxley

Sue Moxley is Elysium Lifestyle Magazines Cofounder and Editor in Chief.

She is one of the UK's leading beauty experts. Starting her career as a photographic model, she worked her way around the world. This later led to her becoming a makeup artist on Photographic Shoots and TV Commercials and making up some of the worlds top celebrities.

Sue later became the Beauty Editor of the Sun Newspaper and launched her makeup brand “Famous” into Superdrug Stores Nationwide. She has presented several TV makeover shows and appeared on television as a beauty expert and regularly contributed to Netmums and The Huffington Post.

Sue progressed into Aesthetics and has clinics in Essex and Norfolk. Having always had a passion for anything Anti Ageing, she specialises in Anti Ageing Treatments and also in natural skincare treatments.

Her line of Pro Tools is available on her website and Amazon.

Few people in British beauty can claim to have lived every side of it. Sue has.

Learn More About Sue Moxley: Four Decades at the Top of British Beauty
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