I consider orange lips to be one of the most elusive makeup looks. Every time I see my Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Punch Drunk at the bottom of my makeup bag, I have to fight the urge to smear it all over my lips. But then I realize I would probably feel (and look) like a drunken clown on a rampage—it's definitely not the easiest to pull off. But Jessica Alba recently walked the Golden Globes red carpet with bright tangerine lips. The mouth-watering shade inspired me to try the look again. Here, four tips to keep in mind when trying out the juicy trend.
Consider your coloring. True orange shades look especially flattering on blondes and women with caramel-colored skin or darker, while red-orange (i.e. coral) looks good on most skin tones.
Go matte. With bold shades—especially eye-catching orange—feathering and fading are more noticeable, so skip glossy formulas that can slip off your lips. Instead, go for a matte finish (we like M.A.C. Lipsitck in Lady Danger), which tends to stay put.
Play with intensity. You don't have to start with a neon orange right out of the gate. To ease into the look, try a bright orange stain like Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Spirited, or dab a fiery orange only on your bottom lip and blend. But if you're going for all-out vibrant orange, fill in your lips with a matching orange liner and apply color straight from the tube.
Make your skin glow. Since orange lipstick can draw attention to redness and blemishes, cover flaws with a light-to-medium-coverage foundation. Then add bronzer. A lot of it. We like to dust Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna over our cheekbones, across our forehead, and down the bridge of our nose. The result is beachy, exotic, and supersexy.
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