Matte orange lips as seen on the Spring 2014 runways: Creatures of the Wind (left) and Altuzarra
WHAT: We’re just about at the halfway mark of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York for Spring Summer 2014, and there’s already much to discuss, from the party-ready paillettes of Diane von Furstenberg’s cocktail dresses to the gloriously fluid, shimmering silver pants conjured up by Thakoon Panichgul.
For beauty observers, however, all eyes were on the lips. Maquillage masters at CFDA darlings Creatures of the Wind and Prabal Gurung chose to lighten up their lanky clotheshorses with neon-bright orange lips. Over at Marissa Webb, Monique Lhuillier and Rag & Bone, lips were saturated in similar shades of satiny salmon and tantalising tangerine. If three’s a trend, then orange is most certainly Spring 2014’s new red.
SEEN AT: Altuzarra, Creatures of the Wind, Marissa Webb, Monique Lhuillier, Prabal Gurung, Rag & Bone
HOW TO WEAR: Cowed by the prospect of looking clownish? Don’t be afraid of colour. One misconception about orange is that the hue can impart a sickly sallowness to your complexion. Worn judiciously as an accent colour, orange lips lend an instantly brightening effect to your face.
Another great thing about orange is the versatile yellow-red spectrum it straddles, which affords you an expansive wonderland of warm to cool hues to play around with.
Prabal Gurung (left) and Rag & Bone
Here are some handy pointers on how to wear the new It-tint of the season:
The lighter your skin, the darker the lip. If you’re fair with cool, pink undertones, opt for an orange that skews red. Richly pigmented coral lippies with silver flecks flatter your complexion without making you look washed-out. For darker skin with warmer undertones, choose a lighter, peachy hue with a glimmer of gold to play up your bronzed tan and to cancel out the slight green tint of olive brown skin.
Matte is back. Glosses are so early Noughties. Take your cue from the Lincoln Center presentations and get matte. This shine-free spin has a practical implication – strong shades like orange make feathering and slip-ups very glaring, so non-glossy formulas are the way to go as they tend to be longer-lasting and more forgiving of mistakes in application. If you’re concerned about creases – as you should be with most matte lipsticks – remember to pamper your puckers with weekly sugar scrubs and layer a moisturising salve under your colour.
Don’t forget the eyes – but don’t overplay them, either. You can’t just slick on a bold lip and call it a day – your face will look bottom-heavy. Balance out your features by lining your top lash line with a slender winged tip. Wiggle your wand over your top and bottom lashes with several coats of mascara, but leave your lids clean – just one sweep of a taupe shadow will suffice.