The color for hot summer lips is definitely coral. This color has long been touted as the only color that looks great on any skin tone, with any eye color and any hair color. It’s the color to choose when you’ve been up too late and have dark circles, partied too hard and have sallow, yellowy skin or if you just want to add color to a natural palette. Now that you have the color, here’s how to put it on so you look your best in evening wear or your swimsuit.    

Although coral can be very subdued, it is still a bright color and there are rules to wearing bright lip color. The cardinal rule is to never ever have flaking skin. Bright colors are a magnifying glass for dry skin on and around your lips. Use a gentle exfoliant on your lips and on the skin around your mouth. If you don’t have a very gentle exfoliant designed for use on your lips, try a wet toothbrush – works wonders. Always apply a lip balm with SPF before your lipstick for extra protection. If your lipstick choice is matte, they are extra drying so you’ll need to carry lip balm and reapply to keep your lips looking healthy and smooth.

The kiss of death is to have lip liner showing. But you want to have well-defined lips with bright colors. The solution is clear liner that defines the edges of your mouth without leaving a line. Clear lip liners also disappear with your color when you blot your lips, eat or jump in the pool. If you love lip gloss, chose one in a shade of coral or add a clear gloss to the inside edge of your lips when wearing lipstick – it will work its way out. Especially if you’re wearing gloss, you also want to dust a thin layer of loose powder around your mouth to set your color in place.

Bright colors, especially those in the pink families, need to go on sheer and light to look their best. Remember the ‘80’s when you couldn’t get enough frosting on your lips? Those days are gone. A light touch is all you need with this season’s corals. They are bright enough to make a statement even when the color is slight and sheer.

Coral is a warm color. Make the rest of your makeup match it so your lips don’t look mismatched. Bronze is a great compliment to coral. You can add shimmer to your lips with a touch of bronzer or chose a lipstick with bronze flecks already mixed in. A light bronze shimmer on your eyelids look very sexy too. Just don’t overdo it!

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