I’m doing a series on my favourite lip colours and products and kicking this one off with my favourite shade : CORAL. There are so many beautiful shades at your fingertips, it’s just choosing that right tone, texture and finish for you.
I’ve whittled my top picks down to 8 lip shades plus 2 lip liners. Liners are optional and to be honest I usually will not bother with lipliner then lipstick, I often only use lipliners as all-over matte lip colours or as a lip base before lippie, but it’s simply preference of how you like to apply. I’ve selected these 8 so there is a nice variance on price, colour and finish so there should be something for everyone.
Rimmel 660 ‘In Love with Ginger’. Budget
A great colour if you are looking at the picture of me above thinking ‘GOD DAYAAAM that’s bright, I could never wear that….’ This is quite a sheer pigmented formula for a lipstick so doesn’t give you shocking, look-at-me lips, which not everyone wants. Rimmel is a great price and accessible for all and these formulas are nice,hydrating and creamy.
L’Oreal 204 ‘Tangerine Sonate’. Gloss lovers.
If you aren’t a lipstick wearer, I wasn’t until about 4 years ago…then opt for a coral gloss instead, you get the hint of colour, plump looking lips and a more subtle finish. I’m a big fan of these new gloss colours from L’Oreal – a half-way house between a gloss and a lipstick and absolutely no stickyness at all. Yay!
Urban Decay ‘Bang’. Luxe colour.
These lipstick formulas are super buttery, loaded with pigment and this colour is pretty special. This is probably the best ‘all-rounder’ out of my picks. Doesn’t dry the lips, yet stays on, beautiful shade of bright orange/red, and one swatch will drench the lips in colour.
MUA Power Pout ‘Runway’.For your first time.
This is a really soft coral/ red and is great for those wanting to take a dip into this colourway pool. Purse-friendly, multi-use and also great for drier lips as it’s very nourishing. I like this when I want a natural daytime lip & it looks great on the cheeks too (just stripe and blend, stripe and blend).
NARS Velvet matte lip pencil ‘Red Square’. My first love.
This was my first proper coral shade and have worn this for many, many years. The texture and wear of the velvet matte lip pencils are incomparible and second-to-none. I think I’m about 2 shades off from having the whole velvet matte rang: They are so easy to apply, no lipliner ever needed and they stay on for hours & hours.
Kevyn Aucoin ‘Timeless’.
This is a slightly different tone of orange / coral to the others, and I cannot quite put my finger on why..more towards a proper orange tone rather than red and slightly muted. A really great formula of lipstick, these stay on as well as the NARS velvet mattes yet feel a little more nourishing. A little bit more of an extravagant purchase at £26 but really good quality I think I have the whole range of these lippies in my kit.
MAC prolongwear ‘Good to Go’. My no.1
This is so bright it’s almost neon in tone and this is probably my favourite coral/red that I own. The first lipstick EVER that I have actually finished (or thereabouts – photos shown are with the bullet rolled all the way up) and that speaks volumes. Could this be my first ever re-purchase of a lipstick in my entire life?! This is super shocking bright, loaded with pigment and one swipe gives full coverage and colour. These also stay on like a day, so you don’t need to bother with checking it or worrying that it’s been eaten along with your lunch. 10/10.
MAC Lipmix ‘Orange’. Makeup Artist must-have.
These are really great little tubes of pigment and the ‘Orange’ shade is a bright, bright orange. Worn on it’s own, it’s a showstopping colour but this can be mixed with a balm or another colour to soften it if you wish. If you want the purest, mattest orange there is, then this is for you. Only available in the MAC pro stores.
Urban Decay ‘Bang’ lipliner.
One of the creamiest, most beautiful-textured lipliners I have tried. These give an unbelievable colour-payoff and this one is an exact match for the UD ‘Bang’ lipstick, or just wear this as a super matte lip colour on it’s own.
Barry M kohl pencil 24.
I believe this is an eyeliner rather than a lipliner, weird colour for the eyes, but either way it’s a great lipliner and I have had this for a couple of years. Nowhere near as soft as the UD lip pencil but a lovely bright orange shade of lipliner.
