Coral Makeup ~ The ‘It’ Shade for spring

Well beauty lovers, it seems that coral is the ‘go-to’ color for spring makeup. The latest runway shows featured an orange lip that was a bit much for my personal taste, but I digress!

Bobbi Brown has a new collection called Cabana Corals. It includes lip and cheek shades to compliment most any skin tone. If you’re at all intimidated by this melony hue, and wonder how you can make it work for you, fear not. I recently spoke with Bethany Brill, accomplished hair and makeup artist, about tips on how to bring the coral cosmetic trend into your life, minus the makeup malfunctions.

Q. How does one know which coral or orange tones will compliment their coloring?

A. The general rule for wearing corals is based on your skin’s undertone. For the fair skin, (pink undertones) stick with corals on the lighter end with a little pink in them. It will create the “peaches n’ cream” complexion without making you look like a clown. For olive skin tones (yellow-undertones) you can really wear the trend to the fullest with bright orangey corals. The darker your skin the darker you can go with the coral color. Checking the skin color on the inside of your cheek will give you a good idea of how light or dark you should go.

Q. Models recently strutted down the runway with lips the color of orange peels. How can we interpret look this for every day wear?

A. For olive to dark skin tones I would recommend a bright poppy lip color. YSL makes AMAZING shades, including Rosy Coral. Pair the bright lip with subtle, natural tones on the eyes or go without eye color at all.

Q. I know you do makeup for a lot of editorial and commercial shoots. Let me in on a trick you are using these days on your models.

A. One of my favorite things to use right now is the NARS Multiple in Portofino. It’s a gorgeous coral color that looks AMAZING on green/blue/hazel eyes. I’ve been smudging it on the eyelids of my models with my fingers, followed by black mascara - it’s a killer look for summer. You can also use the stick as a cream brush!

Check out Bethany’s blog for more great tips! If you’re using coral toned makeup, please weigh in on your favorite shades in the comments section below.

Photo Credit www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com