She's so lucky, she's a star! Image: Vivian Hsu
AND THIS YEAR'S LUCKIEST COLOUR AWARD GOES TO ...
If there’s only one colour to remember this Year of the Goat, this is it: Orange.
Here’s why. As fengshui guru Jet Lee from consultancy firm Way OnNet told Today newspaper, the “fire” element will come in very handy indeed for mitigating the oppressive energy of the Goat Year’s woody and earthy notes (no, not discussing cologne here.)
Not convinced? Take it from the memorably monickered master himself. “The colours of fire are red and orange – it’ll be beneficial for everyone to wear more of these colours,” says Jet Lee. And what better way to incorporate orange into your beauty regime than a sexy slick of tantalising tangerine on your lips?
HOW TO ROCK IT
Playful peachy puckers? 예쁜! Image: Clara
In a happy stroke of “luck” (so to speak), orange is as universally flattering as it is fortune-bearing. Worn judiciously as an accent colour, orange lips lend an instantly brightening effect to your face. Another great thing about orange? It straddles an incredibly versatile yellow-red spectrum, which in turn affords you an expansive wonderland of warm to cool hues to play around with.
Excited to get pretty and prosperous all at once? Here’s how to select the perfect peach shade for your complexion. If you’re fair with cool blue undertones, opt for an orange that skews red. Richly pigmented coral lippies with silver flecks flatter your complexion without making you look washed-out. If you’re darker with warm undertones, choose a cantaloupe with a glimmer of gold; this will play up your bronzed tan and cancel out the slight green tint of olive brown skin. Easy enough, yes.
That’s all well and good, but what about the rest of your face? Dollei Seah, creative director of Makeup Entourage, has some sound advice for everyone, really: Don’t forget the eyes – but don’t overplay them, either. “I like sweeping a sandy shade all over the lids so as to make the orange lip pop,” Dollei says. “And don’t do the matchy matchy thing; orange lips on orange lids on orange blush will make you look like a carton of Sunkist juice.” Someone give her an award for most arresting metaphor ever!
COOL STUFF, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Now for a quick and dirty run-through of some of my favourite orange lippies. Rating really high on my lust list is Shu Uemura’s sensational Laque Supreme in OR01 Sunshine Orange.
The evocative name alludes to the high-falutin’ heritage art of urushi lacquer, and the finish is fantastic: Liquid, lush, so very lustrous. And because this is Shu we’re talking about, expect emollient oils to play a starring role in the lip-loving formula.
Then there’s Yves Saint Laurent’s voluptuous Volupte Tint-In-Oil in No. 7 Crush Me Orange, a thirst-quenching tincture that suspends pigments in a comforting womb of conditioning oils. (Sidebar: This oil thing isn’t going away anytime soon, I tell you.)
But back to YSL. This particular baby promises a fabulously flirty “bitten lip” effect; sort of like a sexy glazed stain, only miles more long-wearing. Beauty bonus: Breathe in and get a whiff of the deliciously decadent mango scent. I’m not saying you should be eating your lippie, but you’re making it so very hard not to, YSL.
Consider yourself more of a matte maiden? Have I got the goods for you. I’m mad for Elizabeth Arden’s new Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Coral Crush, which works hard for its money – 12-hour shifts, apparently.
If you’re new to orange lippie, this well-nigh budge-proof product has a practical implication. You see, strong shades like orange make feathering very noticeable, so non-glossy formulas, which tend to be longer-lasting (as in EA’s case), are much more forgiving of mistakes in application.
Top tip: If you’re concerned about creasing – as you should be with most matte lipsticks – remember to smoothen out your smackers with weekly sugar scrubs.
Or try this nifty trick courtesy of Elizabeth Arden’s global makeup artist, Rebecca Restrepo: “Before applying matte lipstick, exfoliate the lips by gently brushing them with a toothbrush.” Duly noted!
Right, then. I hope this has been a most illuminating primer on getting lucky with orange lippie. Have fun, and good luck!
Dollei Seah can be contacted via www.makeupentourage.com.
Jet Lee can be contacted via www.wayonnet.com.
Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick, 6 new matte shades at $35 each, is available from February 2015 at all Elizabeth Arden counters. For more information, visit www.elizabetharden.com.sg and follow Elizabeth Arden Singapore on Facebook.
Shu Uemura Laque Supreme, 15 shades at $40 each, is available from February 2015 at all Shu Uemura counters. For more information, visit shuuemura.com.sg and follow the brand on Facebook and on Instagram at @shuuemura_sg and #shuuemurasg.
Yves Saint Laurent Volupte Tint-In-Oil, 8 shades at $45 each, is available at all YSL Beauté counters and at the YSL Beauté store at #B2-34 Ion Orchard. For more information, visit www.ysl.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Twitter.