Mount Holyoke women love to rock bold colors like red, but I am surprised to not have seen more orange. Like red, if the right shade is used, orange will flatter almost any outfit. (Maybe your Laurel Parade outfit?)
During the winter of 2011 and 2012, one of my close friends asked for orange lipstick for her birthday. With a raised eyebrow, I searched makeup counters for the perfect orange lipstick. I ended up buying MAC’s “Morange.” The lady who sold it to me was visibly skeptical, but recommended it nonetheless. It seems as if my friend was actually (way) ahead of the curve.
Since models sported sheer to intense orange lipstick on the runways last year, orange lipstick exploded. Celebrities have been rocking it on the red carpet and magazines. Even drugstores are stocked up on the various forms, shades, and pigmentation of orange lipstick.
Photo Credit: L’Oreal Colour Riche, Fiery Veil, Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense, Satin Bright Orange, Revlon Moon Drops, Orange Flip, and NARS Satin Lip Pencil, Timanfaya
In addition to new products rocking this new trend, make up bloggers and “vloggers” came out with all sorts of guides and “looks.” My favorite video is by Lisa Eldridge, who not only shows us a beautiful look that Keira Knightley wore, but also a quick guide and commentary on making the look flatter you.
After reading through and watching some of these articles and videos, a theme emerged.
- The general rule of thumb in choosing the “right” orange shade for your skintone is to get “pinker” shades for those with cooler undertones and “warmer” or “yellower” shades for those with warmer undertones. For a more in-depth guide, Vogue wrote a good article here. Obviously, no guide can be all-encompassing. So, your best bet is to go to Sephora or a makeup counter to try on different shades before making a decision. Even if you intend on buying a drugstore lipstick, it would be helpful to try out various shades at a makeup counter or at Sephora first.
- The skin should look natural. This is perfect for the Spring/Summer, because heavy foundations and powders are not ideal, climate-wise, anyways. This is especially true if you are in a region that is humid and gross. (Read: Massachusetts in its warmer days.)
- Eyes are also relatively bare; most looks only use eyeliner and mascara (or false lashes) on the eyes. White eyeshadow or liner also looks amazing. Personally, I love the look of Twiggy-esque lashes with a glossy orange lip.
The above is merely a guideline, so feel free to experiment. I have gone the completely opposite route of #3; I wore a bright glossy orange with a black smoky eye, and, I’ve been told, it looked edgy and amazing.