This is the first instillation of a three part mini-series about one of the hottest color trends of the spring: coral! The coral trend manifest itself in many shades from bright oranges, true corals, light peach, and various red/orange/pink/peach hybrids. This post will be focused on coral lips, and the next two will be on coral cheeks and nails.
Here are the lipsticks I own in the coral range. Click images to enlarge:
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| With flash, from L to R: Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Heartbeat (limited edition Spring 2011 Love Me Wild collection); Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry; Revlon Moondrops Lipstick in Blase Apricot; Revlon Super Lustrous Matte in Smoked Peach; Revlon Super Lustrous in Siren; E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick in Party Pink. |
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| Close up with flash, from L to R: Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Heartbeat (limited edition Spring 2011 Love Me Wild collection); Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry; Revlon Moondrops Lipstick in Blase Apricot. |
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| Close up with flash, from L to R: Revlon Super Lustrous Matte in Smoked Peach; Revlon Super Lustrous in Siren; E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick in Party Pink. |
- Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Heartbeat (limited edition Spring 2011 Love Me Wild collection)-Heartbeat is an awesome peachy nude. It definitely is lighter than my natural lip color, but it doesn't give me the dreaded corpse lip effect. In the photo with flash it appears to lean more pink than I think it does in real life. It is a creme formula and has a pretty moisturizing, glossy finish. I want to pick up a backup of this since it is from a limited edition collection.
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- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry- This is one of my most worn of this lot. Coralberry is a creme orange coral with strawberry pink undertones. I have been loving it so much the past few weeks, particularly when paired with a neutral eye, that it was featured in my April Favorites & Flunkies.
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- Revlon Moondrops Lipstick in Blase Apricot- I bought this because I heard it was a decent dupe for MAC's Vegas Volt. Although I can't compare the two for myself, I can say that this is a phenomenal shade. Blase Apricot is the perfect pink/orange hybrid. Though it is bright I still find it a wearable shade for the day. The flash photo of this looks almost identical to the flash photo of Coralberry, but Blase Apricot is much brighter and more orange than Coralberry. The formula of this is my favorite of the bunch; it is very moisturizing and even hours after application the color looks creamy.
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- Revlon Super Lustrous Matte in Smoked Peach- This one of the most unique shades of the bunch, and I honestly haven't ever seen anything close to this combination of color and formula. Smoked Peach is the only matte shade of this set, and is a true peach (leans orange, not pink). As a variation from the expected nude, I like to pair this with a smokey eye because it brings some color without overwhelming the look.
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- Revlon Super Lustrous in Siren- This shade is not for the faint of heart! Fierce femmes who are not afraid to rock' a bold, almost neon lip will swoon for this bright creme true orange. The formula doesn't amaze me, but it has good staying power on my lips and it not very drying. I love to wear this whenever I am wearing anything leopard print- I feel like it has a vintage retro vibe while still being modern.
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- E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick in Party Pink- If you are looking at all of these shades (particularly Siren) and find them too bold, E.L.F.'s Party Pink might be more up your alley. It is a peachy shade that leans pretty far to the pink side. However, the flash photo looks more pink than it does in real life. Next to the Revlon Moondrops Blase Apricot formula, this is the second most moisturizing formula. However, I find that it also has the shortest wear. But as the cheapest and the most wearable of the lot, it might be a nice subtle pinky peach to check out.
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Here are some side-by-side swatches to compare. From the Top to the Bottom: Party Pink, Siren, Smoked Peach, Blase Apricot, Coralberry, Heartbeat.
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Lastly, you are going to need a great lip balm, lip liner, and lip gloss to go along with your coral lipstick. Here are my recommendations that match any of the above shades:
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| Swatch with flash of liner and gloss. |
- EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Summer Fruit- Of course this has no color, but this all organic, nourishing balm is in the most adorable coral packaging! Prep your lips with this to eliminate dryness.
- Loreal Crayon Petite Automatic Lip Liner in Warm Corals- This liner is super long lasting and is a true coral. I have worn it with most all of the lipsticks mentioned. For the lighter corals, I blend out the liner a bit to soften the line.
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef- This is a pretty pigmented gloss on its own, but adds a sweet coral shine to any of the above lip colors. I apply this when my lipstick starts to dry out or wear off to revitalize it.
*Phew!* That's a lot of coral! So have you caught coral fever? Which coral lipsticks have you been loving?
