Orange lipstick: 11 Beauty Panel tips on wearing spring’s brightest makeup trend

Date February 27, 2014

In the clutches of this terrible, no good, very bad winter we’ll take any excuse to think about warmer temps. While it’s a little premature to bust out the short shorts and crop tops, we’ve found a way to inject some summertime ease into our lives thanks to our new favourite beauty trend: orange lipstick.

If you’ve never considered wearing a bright orange lip, the Spring 2014 runways provided a multitude of different ways to make it work. Prabal Garung and John Galliano both opted for a matte orange lip with slicked-back hair to create a clean and uncomplicated look, perfect for a casual Friday at the office. Dsquared2, on the other hand, showed the versatility of the colour, using a coral-orange lip with a smoky eye and ‘80s pageant queen hair to create quite the glamorous look.

Challenge 51: What are your tips on wearing spring’s orange lipstick trend? See the answers now! »

All of that runway inspiration is great, but figuring out the right shade and finish of orange lipstick for your own complexion can take a little bit of trial and error. Enter the Beauty Panel. Our team of blogging experts were gung-ho about bringing a little warmth into their winter beauty routine and have shared plenty of tips and tricks on how to wear orange lipstick. Anna Raponi from The Vanity Presse uses a lip balm/stick hybrid to avoid a costume-y feel and keep things light. Twenty York Street’s Marilou Moles gives a colour lesson for all complexions, a welcome tip for anyone looking to get in on the trend but unsure where to begin. While winter might be here for a while longer, why not get a head start on summer with a pop of colour? Pucker up!

Have a beauty question you want to see the panel answer? Send it our way at [email protected]. Read on for the answers to this week’s challenge and for more goodness, get to know all contributors on our Beauty Panel hub page.

Alexa Lowe
Montreal | Stealing Beauty

Similar to a red lip, skin tone can help you determine which orange will flatter your complexion. Generally speaking, warm skin tones will pull off yellow based lipstick beautifully, while cool skin tones wear coral and red based oranges best. However, I think experimentation is more fun than following the norm.

If you like to wear bold makeup then consider pairing orange lips with a smoked out blue lash line, a soft wash of purple eye shadow on the lids or dramatic winged liner. Keep the complexion and cheeks simple. Avoid pairing orange lips with anything more dramatic than a smoked out lash line. If you prefer a more conservative look with a vibrant orange lip, then minimal makeup on the cheeks and eyes should suffice.

Bold lips are not for everyone, particularly because we all have different comfort levels. If you are timid about bright lips, consider orange toned glosses, stains or sheer lip products. Remember that a trend is just a trend, have fun with it!

Products used: Revlon Lip Butter in “Juicy Papaya” and “Tutti Fruity,” Rimmel Moisture Renew in “Coral Chic,” Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in “Rendezvous,” Revlon Color Burst Lacquer Balm in “Tease,” Revlon Color Burst Matte Balm in “Audacious,” Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss in “13,” Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid in “Vibrant Mandarin,” Revlon Super Lustrous Creme in “Siren,” NYX Matte Lipstick in “Indie Flick”

Shayna Wiwierski
Winnipeg | A Pop of Colour

I love a bright lip, so imagine my enthusiasm when orange was spotted all over the runways. Although I’m more of a bright pink girl myself, I’ll occasionally rock the orange just to switch it up.

When I’m wearing a bright colour, the same rules apply regardless of the shade. Since you are making your lips the focal point, tone down everything else. I’ll usually just sport a cat eye liner and some coats of mascara. With orange, you can go a little further though. I love pairing it up with some bronzer, a tan-toned blush and dewy skin, it just pulls the whole look together and keeps everything fresh.

As for the kind of orange you should get, since I’m so fair, I love a bright orange that stands out; brighter is always better in my books. For those non-adventurous types, try a coral instead. Coral still gives you that on-trend colour, but without that in-your-face brightness that may be a bit too loud for some.

Products used: Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge in “17 Bright Orange”

Michelle Mullins
Toronto | LipstickRules

Not long ago, orange was a colour I associated with Halloween, popsicles and juice – not lipstick. But one day, I gave orange a try and wouldn’t you know it? I liked what I saw. In fact, my love of orange lipstick led to more orange-y purchases including a purse, pants and a blazer. Don’t worry, I don’t wear all of this together.

Orange seems to continue to be a trend, and it’s been amazing to see the variety of orange lip products available now, from the very sheer glosses to the high impact, look at me now colours. For many, orange can feel or look overwhelming. It’s not a colour that you can just put on in the morning and call it a day. But it’s worth the tiny bit of effort. If you’re going to wear a sheer orange, be sure to play up your eyes and warm up your skin with bronzer and a complementary blush. Coral toned blushes work very well with orange. If you want to wear a statement orange lip, then let it be the star and keep everything else understated with a sheer wash of colour on the lids, mascara, and a hint of warm peachy blush. The latter is by far, my favourite way to wear orange. For me, if you’re going to wear orange in the first place, why not go all out?

Products used: Nars Sheer Glow foundation in “Punjab,” M.A.C Lipstick in “Neon Orange,” Annabelle Le Big Show Mascara, Nars Eyeshadow Duo in “Indian Summer,” M.A.C Blush in “Honey Jasmine”

Maggie Ng
Toronto | Beauty PhD

Orange lips is a pretty hard colour to pull off. It really screams “Hey, I’m here!” To get a more subtle finish, you can opt to just use a tinted gloss and it will look very pretty and fresh. Because I’m really fair-skinned, I decided to use a really punchy, bright orange to bring some colour and life to my face. I kept my eyes fairly neutral with a black winged liner. I tried to keep things interesting by adding an accent colour (blue) just under the bottom liner to contrast the orange on my lips. A really subtle detail, but fun to try every once in a while. I also added some clear gloss to highlight underneath my brow bones and top of my cheekbones. Gives a different feel from the regular powder highlighters I usually use. Definitely more sheen. To see all the steps and transitions, please enjoy my first Youtube video makeup tutorial!

Products used : Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in “#1,” Face Atelier Ultra Camouflage Duet in “Light,” Glo Minerals Pressed Powder Foundation in “Natural Medium,” Nars Eyeshadow Base, NYC New York Color Eyeshadow Palette in “#940 Central Park,” M.A.C Pigment in “Melon,” NYC New York Color High Definition Liquid Eyeliner in “#889 Extra Black,” Annabelle Smoothliner in “Meteorite,” Rimmel London Scandaleyes Kohl Eyeliner in “#005 Nude,” NYC New York Color Big Bold Curl Mascara in “Black,” Duo Glue in “Dark Tone,” Deca Eyebrow Pencil in “Dark Brown,” MAC Lip Mix in “Clear,” Ilia Multi-Stick in “I Put a Spell On You” from The Detox Market, Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in “#4 Taupe,” Maybelline New York Color Sensational Elixir in “#015 Mandarin Rapture”

Eugenia Ragas
Montreal | Ommoprhia Beauty Bar

While we’re all still caught in Winter’s firm grip (will it EVER go away?), one way you can lighten up the tone, is by embracing a hot trend that was spotted on several fashion runways: the orange lip. Now, before you go running in fear, know that you have options in making this Crayola-like shade totally wearable – a sheer gloss is the easiest way to break into this citrusy hue, or do what I do: go coral. With its mix of peach, pink and orange colours, coral lips are a perfect combination of modern and sassy and are guaranteed to get you noticed – and help you forget all about the Polar Vortex.

Products used: Chanel lipstick in “#144 Conquise”

Amy McKissock
Burlington | The Pretty Vain

We all know that “Orange Is The New Black” thanks to the ever popular TV show, but this spring/summer Orange will also become the new Red in the world of lipstick. DKNY, Rag & Bone and DSquared are only a few of the designers that shared this bold trend on the runway. However, unlike the rainbow-coloured eyes seen at Chanel, the orange lip trend can be worn by everyone, not just supermodels.

The key to this trend is to find the right shade for your skin tone and then pair it with the right makeup. Finding the right shade of orange is actually rather simple. Girls with darker skin tones should search for colours with rich, burnt orange hues, while those with lighter skin tones should stick to softer oranges, with peach undertones. The beautiful shade that I am wearing is the new Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Blood Orange. But you can stay on-trend without the punchy bright orange lip, by opting for a sheer wash of orange like the Maybelline Color Whisper Lipstick in Orange Attitude.

To make sure your look isn’t too over the top, pair this lip with flawless skin and minimal eye makeup. Keep in mind that all of the rules that apply to a red lip, hold true with an orange lip. But remember to still have fun with this trend!

Products used: Urban Decay Naked Foundation, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Nars Bronzer in “Laguna,” M.A.C Charcoal Brown, Lancôme Art Liner, Benefit They’re Real Mascara, and Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in “Blood Orange”

Ellie Somfelean
Montreal | My Beauty Box

There’s nothing that says spring to me more than an orange lip. Personally, I tend to migrate towards orange corals, as the touch of pink makes it more wearable for a day to day look and it proves to be easier to wear than a bold orange. Whenever I do decide to wear such a bold lip one of my go to tricks is to pair it up with a similar blush and keeping the eyes neutral. Coordinating the blush and lip color makes everything come together and work in harmony.

Products used: Revlon Lip Butter in “Tutti Frutti” and Make Up Forever Blush HD in “410” and “215”

Anna Raponi
Oakville | Vanity Presse

Spring isn’t looking like it’s coming anytime soon, but my mind is already dreaming of April showers and sunny days. Orange lips, a look worn on quite a few runways this upcoming season, is an easy way to transition into your lighter spring wardrobe while brightening up your look. I figured that matte orange lips can verge on looking too costume-y and, let’s face it, they’re not very comfortable to wear. That’s why I went for a balmy texture— Stila’s Colour Balm Lipstick feels moisturizing on the lips while giving major pigmentation, no lip liner required.

As always, perfecting your complexion will compliment your bold pout— I used a light foundation and a reflective under eye concealer to keep this look fresh. For such a strong orange lip, it’s important to give back some colour to the rest of the face so you look alive— I used bronzer where the sun would naturally graze, a bubblegum pink blush (albeit with a light hand) and a cream highlighter on the tops on my cheekbones.

I think a full brow keeps this look youthful, but avoid filling them in too much to keep the attention on the lips. As for the eyes, I thought a lashy look would look beautiful and still casual. Using a liquid liner pen, I did a thin cat eye, followed by a few coats of mascara to the lashes.

And now for the finale. There’s actually nothing too it will this product. I applied straight from the bullet— there’s no prep involved since this is a balm. Blot. And repeat.

Marilou Moles
Ottawa | Twenty York Street

From Rag & Bone to Monique Lhullier, from DKNY to Prabal Gurung, bright orange lips have invaded the runways this season and I couldn’t be happier! Though harder to wear in real life as true orange tends to pop out, the trick is to pick a shade according to your complexion. A light porcelain complexion could use a peachy orange hue, deep bloody orange for darker skin while for medium olive skin like mine, I have to opt an orange shade with a slight tint of pretty pink. In fact, I had to layer a bit of coral under the actual orange lipstick to help accentuate the colour even more. Sweeping a bit of bronzer on where the sun would hit my face is the perfect finish to complement the orange crush.

Products used: Bourjois Color Boost in “Orange,” Revlon in “Coral” and Rimmel Bronzer in “Sundance”

Janella Panchamsingh
Toronto | Bold n Beautiful Makeup

My tips for wearing orange lips is to cocktail. Play around with different hues of orange as well as different finishes, i.e. matte, satin or glossy. The best way to know what your “ideal” orange shade is knowing your undertone. Skin tones that are more fair are best suited to wear a more cooler type of orange and or lighter shades. Skin tones that are more warm can more times wear both a warm and cool orange shades.

Products used: M.A.C Lipstick in “Sounds like Noise” and “Lady Danger,” NYX lipliner in “Orange”

Genevieve Peeke
Montreal | Gen In The City

I’m loving orange lips for the upcoming Spring and Summer seasons! I especially love the matte finishes. One of my number one tips when it comes to rocking orange lips is to conceal any blemishes and to use foundation because it tends to draw out redness. I also recommend going for a glowy, bronzed look by applying a ton of bronzer and by contouring! It looks amazing with the orange lipstick and will give you a sexy beachy look. The very true orange shades look best on blondes and people with darker skin while the more coral shades look good on everyone. I tend to go for a coral shade usually but I really love the bright and bold neon orange shades out at the moment. You can also opt for a sheer wash of colour if orange scares you a little; there are a ton of tinted lip balms out there that will give you just a hint of orange. Keep eye makeup rather neutral but orange lips do look amazing with some black mascara and eyeliner! I also choose a peachy or dusty rose blush to give my cheeks just a tiny bit of colour.

Products used: Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in “940,” Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder, Annabelle Pressed Powder Bronzer in “Mattitude,” Wet N’ Wild Color Icon Blush in “Heather Silk,” Clinique High Impact Mascara in “01 Black,” Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Black Eyeliner Pencil, Maybelline Vivids Lipstick in “885 Vibrant”