5 Great Coral Lipsticks

Reader Angela thought to be cruel to me by suggesting coral lipsticks–because picking a favorite coral is like picking your favorite child! I will say that the closest to all-time favorite coral would be Guerlain Gems, which was limited edition and no longer available, but the below five are all near and dear to my heart!  Want more corals?  Check out our swatch gallery of coral lipsticks.

• Cle de Peau Leonardis Lipstick
• Laura Mercier Tangerine Lipstick
• MAC Crosswires Lipstick
• La Prairie Corail Lipstick
• Bobbi Brown Sweet Nectar Lipstick

What’s your favorite coral lipstick?

Video Makeup Tutorial: Stream of Consciousness

This is a tutorial, but it’s also more about me going through the process of using just two eyeshadows, not loving the result, and trying to work it into something I did like.  Not everything always turns out according to what we envision, and sometimes, it may not even be perfect at the end, but each time we do something, it’s just part of the learning process!

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Gorgeous Gold Eyeshadow (green-toned gold), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle blue), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (matte dark blue), MAC Shimmermoss Eyeshadow (teal), MAC Orb Eyeshadow (highlighter), Urban Decay Flipside 24/7 Liner (teal), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Le Metier de Beaute Echo Blush (peachy-coral), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmers (bronze shimmer)
• Lips: MAC Crosswires Lipstick (coral-pink), MAC Nymphette Lipglass (peachy-pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)

A Tale of Two Eyeshadows… Stream of Consciousness

I was really, truly determined to just two eyeshadows in this look (not including the highlighter, pfft!), but of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone.  I have a tutorial for this look, and it’s more like a stream of consciousness than a tutorial, because you’ll see me going through the whole process of wanting to keep it at just two but not being happy with it the way it turned out.  I originally planned just Gorgeous Gold and Shimmermoss, but I wanted more oomph in the crease, so I then tried Winkle, which was a bit light, so I went to Atlantic Blue, which was lovely, but blending on top of frostier finishes (like Shimmermoss) can be difficult.

This is all to say that this is more like a “work in progress” kind of look.  If I were to do it all over again, I would start with Atlantic Blue in the crease, skip Winkle altogether, and may even skip Shimmermoss–but definitely layer the matte shade on prior to the frostier shade.

You will need the following…

• Eyes: NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (neutral eyeshadow base), MAC Gorgeous Gold Eyeshadow (green-toned gold), MAC Winkle Eyeshadow (periwinkle blue), MAC Atlantic Blue Eyeshadow (matte dark blue), MAC Shimmermoss Eyeshadow (teal), MAC Orb Eyeshadow (highlighter), Urban Decay Flipside 24/7 Liner (teal), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (translucent)
• Cheeks: Le Metier de Beaute Echo Blush (peachy-coral), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmers (bronze shimmer)
• Lips: MAC Crosswires Lipstick (coral-pink), MAC Nymphette Lipglass (peachy-pink)
• Brushes: 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 116 (dense blush brush)

For eyes, start by applying Smudgeproof as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. Using the 239, apply Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow all over the lower lid. Lightly blend Shimmermoss eyeshadow in the outer crease and third of the lid with the 226.  Next, apply Winkle eyeshadow into the crease with the 226, lightly blending onto the outer lid. Define the crease with Atlantic Blue eyeshadow and the 226. Blend Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow with the crease shade and then highlight the brow bone with Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. Bring everything together by applying Flipside liner on the lower lash line, then smudge with Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Echo blush on the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116, then lightly pat Amber Diamond on the cheekbones.

For lips, apply Crosswires lipstick first, and then layer Nymphette lipglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

]]> http://www.temptalia.com/a-tale-of-two-eyeshadows-stream-of-consciousness/feed 59 http://www.temptalia.com/the-summer-season-mac-crosswires-lipstick http://www.temptalia.com/the-summer-season-mac-crosswires-lipstick#comments Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:00:07 +0000 Christine http://www.temptalia.com/?p=23100

The Summer Season: MAC Crosswires Lipstick

MAC Crosswires Lipstick ($14.00 for 0.10 oz.) is a lovely shade of coral-pink–it’s not super bright like Vegas Volt, but it’s not so muted that it ends up looking washed out.  It’s easily one of my favorite corals amongst MAC’s permanent line, too.  The cremesheen formula gives Crosswires a soft glistening sheen while still giving a good deal of color coverage on lips.  It’s about as opaque as a lipstick can get on my lips!   It even has this almost-there golden sheen.  It’s very, very subtle, but it’s most noticeable in the sunlight.

Is this the right coral lipstick for you? Would you wear it?

The Summer Season is a series of posts featuring bright, vibrant shades of coral, orange, and pink lipsticks and lipglosses — all perfect for a summer of fun — that runs through July 2010.

See photos and swatches…

MAC Crosswires Lipstick

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St. Patricks Day Makeup: Green-a-palooza!

Happy St. Patricks Day! Here’s a wicked-to-the-bone green look for ya! What’s everyone doing to celebrate?  Oh, by the way?  Glitter doesn’t show up nearly as fun in the photos as it was in person.  I put the glitter on my lashes, lower lash line, and upper lash line and it reflected so prettily… I was like, “OOH!!” but then I was cropping the photos to post and was less ooh-ahh about it.

Mellan also wanted to wish you good day…

You will need the following…

• Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion (eyeshadow base), MAC True Chartreuse Pigment (matte chartreuse), MAC Sunny Spot Eyeshadow (satin chartreuse), Urban Decay Graffiti Eyeshadow (bright grass green), Urban Decay Chronic EyeshadowMAC Gorgeous Gold Eyeshadow (matte light green), (green-gold), Urban Decay Acid Rain Liquid Liner (chatreuse), Urban Decay Mullet Glitter Eye Liner (green), Urban Decay Graffiti 24/7 Liner (green), MAC Plushlash Mascara (black)
• Face: Make Up For Ever HD Foundation (140), Laura Mercier Setting Powder
• Cheeks: MAC Refined Golden Bronzer (bronzer), Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (bronze highlighter)
• Lips: MAC Crosswires Lipstick (coral), MAC Instant Gold Lustreglass (gold shimmer)
• Brushes: 226 (fluffy crease brush), 219 (pointed crease brush), 249 (flat, firm brush), 239 (fluffy shadow brush), 116 (dense blush brush), 165 (tapered blush brush)
• Substitutes: N/A

For eyes, start by applying Primer Potion as your eyeshadow base all over the eye area with the 249. With the 239 and water-based mixing medium (or water), apply True Chartreuse pigment all over the lid area. Using the 239, apply Sunny Spot eyeshadow on the middle of the eyelid. Next, apply Chronic eyeshadow on the inner third of the eyelid and lightly blend with the middle. Darken the outer third of the lid with Graffiti eyeshadow with the 239, gently brushing it into the lower crease. Lightly blend Graffiti eyeshadow, with the 239, into the crease. Lightly tap and brush Sunny Spot eyeshadow directly above the crease to soften. To finish the eyeshadow look, sweep Gorgeous Gold eyeshadow as a highlighter on the brow bone. On the upper lash line, apply Acid Rain liquid liner and then overlay with Mullet glitter eyeliner for sparkle. Bring everything together by applying Graffiti eyeliner on the lower lash line and Sunny Spot eyeshadow lightly patted below the lower lash line with the 219 brush then overlay with Mullet glitter eyeliner. Finish by sweeping lashes with Plushlash mascara.

For cheeks, apply Refined Golden bronzer to the apples of the cheeks and sweep upwards towards the temple with the 116. Highlight cheekbones with Amber Diamond skin shimmer with the 165.

For lips, apply Crosswires lipstick first, and then layer Instant Gold lustreglass for a complementing lip.

Check out more photos!

5 Must-Have MAC Coral Lipsticks

About the Temptalia Must-Haves Series

A series of posts showcasing must-have products from MAC Cosmetics’ permanent line of products. Selections are based on quality, universality, uniqueness amongst the line, and the like. Limited edition shades are deliberately excluded to make buying easier. Readers’ comments act as a supplement to these lists of their favorites and must-haves. You can find the entire series here.

Crosswires lipstick is a creamy, pinky-coral shade with a touch of sheen. It has decent color pay off, as it is a cremesheen finish.

CB96 lipstick is a shimmery, frosty coral shade with lots of gold shimmer. This is definitely a very frosty lipstick, so I tend to use a gloss to help minimize some of the frostiness.

Vegas Volt lipstick is a bright, orangey-coral shade with lots of color pay off and a super creamy finish. This is definitely named well!

See two more!

Ravishing lipstick is a soft, peachy coral shade with lots of creaminess and pigmentation. It looks almost matte, with just a slight sheen to the finish.

See Sheer lipstick is a sheer, lightly coraled-pink. Despite having a lustre texture, it’s not overly sheer and does give some color to lips.

What are your favorite coral lipsticks?