If you feel a twinge of nerves at the mere thought of wearing orange lipstick, you aren’t alone. It’s not the typical rose, the sexy red, the girlish pink, the soft peach. It’s a bold, out-there hue that doesn’t get much airtime, but this spring it’s arrived with a juicy splash. It turns out you don’t need to walk the catwalk to make this citrus-toned hue a part of your life. Here’s how to pull off orange lipstick, as well as eight wearable orange lip products you’ll love.
If your lips tend to be dry, slick on Estee Lauder AERIN Beauty Rose Balm Lipstick ($30) in Coral Sand. Tinged with pink, this is one of the most wearable orange-based hues out there. It’s also hyper-moisturizing and such a chic alternative to a clear lip balm!
Summer is such a great time to experiment with colors bolder than your usual, especially when you keep the rest of your makeup minimal. The Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon ($7.99) in Poppy Nude is intense, lasts the day, and doesn’t feel even a bit dry. Not feeling entirely brave just yet? Tone it down with a slick of nude gloss.
Despite its slightly alarming appearance in the tube, Maybelline Color Elixir ($8.99) in Mandarin Rapture is a to-die-for shade that does the color justice in every sense. It’s more of a tangerine than a full-on orange, and it’s so fresh and summery that you almost can’t help but be drawn to it.
Crazy shine, deeply saturated color, a lasting finish, and even a fuller lip—you get this all from Boots No7 High Shine Gloss ($7.99) in Coral Kiss. This is the shade to pick if you’re not afraid of orange in the least; it’s rich and vibrant, and deserves its time in the spotlight. Stick with neutral eyes and prepare to make a runway-worthy statement.
While it doesn’t exactly sound warm weather friendly, Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick ($21) is the stuff of beauty dreams. It leaves behind a long-wearing stain, yet shines as brilliantly as a gloss and evokes the rich color you’d expect of a matte lipstick. Melted Coral is a beautiful, warm orange that’s somehow approachable enough to wear even to work.
Over the years, Laura Mercier has created some of my all-time favorite lipstick formulas and colors. The Gel Lip Colour ($23) is no different; it contains sweet almond and apricot oils, which leave lips wonderfully hydrated. And despite the feeling that I could never pull off orange, I was able to make Clementine an integral part of my beauty collection. It boasts a softer, less intense finish, and feels so buttery on the lips. Bonus points for the delicious vanilla flavor!
And for you serious orange-aholics—those of you who sat through an arduous winter in anticipation of breaking out your most killer orange lipstick—NARS Heat Wave Lipstick ($26) was absolutely made for you. It’s a little bit of everything you could possibly ask for of a lipstick: slightly sheer, long lasting, moisturizing, and so insanely orange, you’ll feel like the star of the show no matter where you go.
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