Put These Corals on Your Summer Shopping List

Here are 17 top coral makeup products for lips, cheeks and even eyes

Here are 17 top coral makeup products for lips, cheeks and even eyes

We love fuchsias, reds and nudes, but on sunny summer days, the only colour we want on our lips is coralit flatters every skin tone, looks brilliant with a tan and is just so pretty.

According to Julie Cusson, makeup artist for Chanel, coral is really a range of shades, not a single hue. “It can be a sort of salmon shade, or smoky, with a hint of grey or strawberry,” she explains.

And while we mostly think of it as a colour for lips and cheeks, it can also work on the eyes. “My trick is to warm the cheeks with a warm coral beige and sweep the same shade on the eyes. Because you transpose the same shade on the cheeks and the eyelid, your makeup will naturally fit your features,” she says. “It’s important to slightly define your eyebrows and add black mascara to keep your look refined.”

Those with fair and cool complexions might feel that coral is too yellow toned for them, but according to Cusson, there’s an option for everyone. “Follow your complexion colour: if you are fair, choose a light coral, if you are warm-toned, choose a medium coral shade, and if your complexion is dark, choose a deep coral colour. You can’t go wrong!” she says.

There’s a lot of coral out there, in every texture and tone, subtle and bold, from brands big and small, luxurious and everyday, for lips, cheeks and eyes.

Here are 17 of our favourites to choose from…

 

1. Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in 410 Corail Naturel

Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush in 410 Corail Naturel ($37, at Chanel counters) is a genius product for an easy summer look. You can use it on both lips and cheeks, you can build it from a sheer tint to an intense stain, and it has moisturizing ingredients too.

 

2. Ilia Beauty Lip Conditioner in Dizzy

For a teensy hint of colour, go for a tinted balm. One swipe of Ilia Beauty Lip Conditioner in Dizzy ($34, at Ilia) gives you a subtle melon-toned pout, but you can easily build it up to more intensity. The lip conditioners were the first product created by North Van-native Sasha Plavsic when she started Ilia as a clean, organic line in 2011.

 

3. Dior Lip Glow Hydrating Color Reviver Lip Balm in Sheer Coral

If you’re not really sure of your ideal shade, go for Dior Lip Glow Hydrating Color Reviver Lip Balm in Sheer Coral ($41, at Dior counters). It’s a subtle stick that adjusts on application to your natural lip colour. We don’t know how it works, but it does.

 

4. Vegotastic Lipgloss in Pookie

Vancouver brand Lippy Girl specializes in organic, earth-friendly and animal-friendly makeup. Founder Darcey Diehl makes a ton of professional-standard coral makeup, but we dig the Vegotastic Lipgloss in Pookie ($22, at Lippygirl and independent stores). A nude pale peachy coral gloss, it’s vegan, organic and has jojoba oil, castor seed oil and shea butter to moisturize.

 

5. Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur in 18, Rose Shocking

If you’re keen to try a strawberry-toned coral, go for Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur in 18, Rose Shocking ($43, limited edition at Chanel counters). It gives a satin finish and comes in a twist-up crayon so you can easily apply it on the go.

 

6. Colour Intense Lipstick in First Date

Beautycounter leads the way in clean beautythe American brand’s consultants have lobbied the Canadian Parliament and US Congress for more regulation on cosmetic ingredients. Its Colour Intense Lipstick in First Date ($42, at Beautycounter) is long-wearing, with a satin finish and contains peppermint oil for a subtle tingle.

 

7. NYX Soft Matte Metallic Lip Cream in Manila

Who says coral has to be subtle? NYX Soft Matte Metallic Lip Cream in Manila ($9, at drugstores) gives intense colour in a matte texture with a metallic finish for maximum impact.

 

8. M.A.C x Padma Lipstick in Mittai Pink

Is there anything that ultimate multi-hyphenate Padma Lakshmi can’t do? Her latest project is a capsule collection of makeup for M.A.C, including M.A.C x Padma Lipstick in Mittai Pink ($23, online and at M.A.C counters), a fuchsia-leaning coral in a gilded tube.

 

9. Kosas Lip Color in Thrillist

For a poppy-toned coral, there’s Kosas Lip Color in Thrillist ($37, online and at Kiss and Makeup). It’s bold and statement-making, and packed with antioxidants and moisturizing ingredients.

 

10. Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in Coral Crush

Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in Coral Crush ($9.99, at select drugstores and mass-market retailers) is creamy, pigmented and gives an expensive-looking satin finish.

 

11. Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick in On Point

Ultra-matte lipsticks give a touch of drama for an evening look, but it’s hard to find one that doesn’t make lips look dry. Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick in On Point ($34, at Sephora) does the trick and is a beautiful orange-toned shade.

 

12. Elate Clean Cosmetics Universal Crème in Bliss

Who doesn’t love a product with multiple uses? Better still if it’s clean, vegan and cruelty free. Elate Clean Cosmetics Universal Crème in Bliss ($29, online and at independent stores and salons) gives coral colour to lips and cheeks, lasts all day, has a dewy finish, is moisturizing, and is made in B.C.

 

13. Bite Beauty Multistick in Papaya

An easy, chic way of getting a monochromatic coral look is with Bite Beauty Multistick in Papaya ($28, at Sephora and Bite Beauty). Made in Toronto, it goes on like a cream and finishes like a powder, and can be used on lips, cheeks and eyes.

 

14. Nudestix Nudies All Over Face Color Matte in In the Nude

Light, but super-pigmented, we like that Nudestix Nudies All Over Face Color Matte in In the Nude ($33, at Sephora) is shimmer-free, so gives a natural boho look to lips, cheeks and eyes, and comes with a brush for easy blending.

 

15. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Multi-Colour in Deep

The perfect product to give darker skin tones a coral flush is Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Luminous Multi-Colour in Deep ($75, limited edition at Chanel counters). You can use it two ways. For a subtle highlight, sweep the half-moon brush across all shades and apply to areas of the face that catch the light. To accentuate the cheeks, use the tip of the brush to apply just the brightest shade to cheekbones.

 

16. Cloud Paint Blush in Beam

When hip NYC brand Glossier landed in Canada last year, its Cloud Paint blush ($18) was at the top of everyone’s wish list. It comes in a tube and you dab it on with your fingers for a lit-from-within flush. Beam is the perfect coral peach for medium skin tones.

 

17. Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in Coachella Coral

We adore all this Brit makeup artist’s glam-but-practical beauty products, but our desert-island fave is the lipstick, which has a creamy, moisturizing texture and light-diffusing pigments that give a satin finish. Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Coachella Coral ($39, at Charlotte Tilbury, Holt Renfrew and Nordstrom) is a warm pink-toned shade that suits anyone. Bonus: You can check out how it looks on 10 different skintones on the website.