The coral edition

 

The colour coral can be described as a pinkish, peachy shade somewhere in between red and orange - that doesn't sound very distinct right? For me what is very distinct though, is the association to summer, sheer femininity, fun and playfulness. This summer I've been wearing coral in almost every way possible - clothes, shoes, jewellery and makeup so I thought I would put together some of my coral favourites for this colour edition.

Benefit is such a fun brand! I love their cheeky humorous packaging and they do come up with some lovely items too. The past few years they have really focused on their range of fragrances creating fun, flirty and affordable smellies. My absolute favourite though is the old classic Maybe Baby (EdT). The name is so cheesy but my goodness is it a delicious fragrance. It is described as a warm and inviting fragrance, which I agree with to some extent, but on me at least it still retains a certain cool crispness to it. It's filled with fruity, delicate and lovely apricots and peaches in combination with white flowers and the softest, gentlest musk that smells exactly like White Musk from Body Shop. This is not a complex fragrance that keeps on developing on your skin, but the simplicity of it and the fantastic clear notes that ooze angelic and playful femininity makes it a real gem!

Another product range that Benefit is famous for is their blushers and bronzers, and Coralista has been a fave of mine for a long time. I've never been very good with lip and cheek tints but when I got the Chachatint as a freebie a while back, this was an opportunity to try something completely new. The reason I'd never tried these multi tasking products is that I'd always thought it would be difficult to work with the liquid, getting it all over the place and blending it etc. But what do you know - I was positively surprised! Anyone can see that the colour is a beautiful mango coral that works perfectly with tanned skin, but I had not expected the tint to be so easy to work with. It's better to take just a tiny bit and build it up if you need to, rather than overdoing it and then having to correct - ruining any foundation, but it's really easy to blend although you have to work quickly before it sets and turns into a surprisingly matte finish. Personally I'm not sure about wearing it on my lips at the same time, but if you're packing light for a holiday trip, then why not.  

I use very little eye makeup in the summer and tend to only use one shade that really emphasizes my blue eyes, and for me a golden, rusty peach or corally orange like MAC Eye shadow in Rule is all I need. I'm fairly new to MAC eye shadows so don't have a lot to compare with, but this one is very pigmented - you barely need to touch it with your brush and therfore you don't need a lot of it. You can either wear it as a very bold and vibrant statement, or blend it well for a matte subtle effect. I'm very impressed with the formula and will get some other colours as well, to play with this autumn. 

One of the best coral shade lipsticks I've ever found is Rimmel Moisture Renewal Lipstick in 600 Soft Coral. The formula apparently consists of different moisturisers and vitamins to really hydrate the lips, giving them a well cared for, plump look. This is all great and it does make the lipstick pleasant to wear and longlasting, but when I bought this it was purely for the colour! It's such a lovely, soft and natural coral that adds radiance to you lips, and it's perfect for a delicate, everyday look. 

Swatches from left to right

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick - 600 Soft Coral

MAC Eyeshadow - Rule

Benefit Chachatint

And off course we could trust good old Barry - the King of Nail polishes to come up with a gorgeous, absolute coral shade for the spring and summer collection of the Gelly Nail Paint (Papaya). By now I probably don't even have to tell you about these fabulous Gelly High Shine colours, but I will anyway.

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint - Papaya

With the gelly paints, there's no need to go to the salon and spend a fortune a gel mani when you can get more or less the same effect at home. These nail paints have an incredible high shine finish and with a lot of the colours you don't need more than one coat. However for the lighter shades like Papaya and Dragon fruit, I would recommend that you use two coats for that deliciously ice creamy opaque and glossy finish. These really are amazing and if you haven't already tried any of the gelly paints, you should put one at the top of your beauty shopping list for August.

As we move into autumn, other colours will dominate the fashion and beauty scene, but I'm so sure that next summer we'll see the return of coral again, I might even bet on it!