As the great Gwyneth Paltrow once said, “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” With today’s current beauty trends, we wonder if she might need to update her statement to include coral, the hottest new shade for spring. While red is classic, feminine, and bold in a sophisticated way, coral is fun, flirtatious, and a little daring. So what’s a girl to do? Well, try both, of course! Allow me to help you decide which color is right for you, and when to rock it.
Choosing a Color for your Skin Type:
If you have olive skin, try warm reds or coral shades with a touch of brown.
If you have dark skin, try reds with a touch of blue, and coral that leans towards red.
If you have tanned skin, try pinky-reds and corals.
If you have fair skin, try a variety of pink, orange-red, and purple shades, but make sure they’re not too harsh.
Here is Ashanti, leading the way with a perfect coral for her skin type.
Photo: jennysuemakeup.com
Which Color to Wear When?
Red is more suited for nighttime, while coral could be pulled off during the day, or even at the office (don’t break any dress codes for us, though!). If your outfit is busy, a simple red might suffice, while a coral might give a boring outfit a life-saving jolt! As for the weekends, we vote for coral lipstick while running errands or taking the dog to the park, and save the red for going out on the town with the girls.
We love how January Jones pulled off red at the Grammys.
Photo: bellasugar.com
When it comes to guys, we’re going to confess: most are probably not going to get the coral trend, unless they happen to subscribe to Vogue and follow Kourtney Kardashian on Twitter. Especially if you’ve never tried a daring shade before, your romantic life is not the place to start taking risks. So for date nights, we beg you to stick to the sexy, sultry reds, and pack a few extra Kleenex to clean him up after the goodnight kiss.
WARNING: When wearing bold lip color make sure to tone down the rest of your makeup regimen. Your eyeshadow should be neutral, cheeks should receive just a dusting of bronzer, and go easy on the eyeliner. DO however, wear enough mascara that your eyes aren’t lost. All in all, though, simplicity is key. Nobody wants little children screaming, “Look mommy, there’s a clown!” Just kidding, but seriously…
Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk
Alright, so we’ve confessed our love for reds and corals, but which do we recommend? You can always trust that we’re not going to tell you to buy something unless we’ve tried it ourselves. In this case, we’re obsessed with four different shades:
Reds:
Luxe: Russian Red by MAC, $14.50 – This is an intense, true red, not for the faint of heart.
Less: Red Revival by Maybelline, $4.99 – We love the blue undertones in this one, totally wearable!
Photo: overstockdrugstore.com
Corals:
Luxe: Coral Sun by Yves Saint Laurent, $34.00 – Ah, YSL, how we love thee. This one is the perfect combo of shine and color.
Less: Kiss Me Coral by Revlon, $4.99 – There are vitamins infused in Revlon’s line, so your lipstick is working overtime!
Photo: articles.lovingyou.com
So what do you think? Will you give one or all of these a try? Which shades do you recommend? We want to hear it, so leave a comment below!
XO,
A
