Makeup Matters: How to Wear Coral Like a Pro

In case you haven't heard, the 2019 Pantone color of the year is....CORAL! I am really pleased with this selection from the color authority because coral looks beautiful on just about everyone. It complements my blue eyes. Light washes of coral are a lovely choice for fair skin and bolder, brighter selections of the hue look lovely on those with a deeper complexion than mine.

If you are still unsure about how to work this color into your makeup routine, I have pulled together a bunch of options for you.

First, I will share a look that I created complete with step by step instructions.

The Eyes:

As usual, I prepped my kids with an eye primer. This will really help the color stand out, and prevent creasing.

I used a couple of different palettes and shadows, but use anything in your collection that looks similar.

I began with the very popular Yes, Please palette from Colourpop. This super affordable palette has a great selection of colors and textures.

As a base for my look, I picked up the light peach shadow from the palette on a Real Techniques #200 Bold Metals brush. If your skin is deeper than mine, use the slightly darker more orange toned color next to it. The brush I chose has a nice large brush head allowing me to coat my lid with color in one swipe. After applying this shadow to my eyelid, I used a Coastal Scents BR-C-S06 brush to blend out any edges.

Next, I wanted to create the appearance of a shadow on the outer corner of my eyelid and trace out my crease. For this step, I switched to the Jeffree Star Cosmetics Thirsty palette because I wanted to use the color Subtle, a cool brown. If you prefer a warmer brown for this step, there is a good one in the Colourpop palette I used earlier.

I recommend using a pencil brush for this step, such as the Royal & Langnickel Revolution BX-95 brush. This allowed me to easily draw my crease exactly where I wanted it, I deal for those with hooded or uneven eyes.

Now it is time for the coral! Sticking with the Thirsty palette, I used an ecotools smudge brush to apply Biiiitch! (A bright coral) to the outer corner of my lid, the upper crease, and the lower lash line. I highly recommend this ecotools brush. It is great for all eye sizes and shapes, and really allows for precise placement.

To create a natural looking gradient on the eye, I applied Taste Buds (matte salmon) from the Thirsty palette to the center of my lid using My All Over Shadow brush from MyKitco.

Another brush that I highly recommend is the Furless Cosmetics PPM1 brush. The small size really helps with getting into the inner corner of the eyelid.

Picking up a single eyeshadow from Urban Decay called Freelove, I sprayed my Furless brush with Mario Badescu facial spray to intensify the shimmer. I applied this color to the inner corner of my eyelid, and lower lashline.

Don't forget to keep blending your shadows together and buff out any harsh edges.

As I get older, I am favoring matte colors under my brow more often. Parched (matte ivory) from the Thirsty palette worked perfectly for this. I applied it using my Sigma Short Shader - E20 brush.

I wanted a softer eyeliner for this look, so I picked up my Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes palette and combined Just Ripe & Chocolate Dipped. I stamped this mixture along the upper lash line using a Sigma Flat Definer E15 brush.

For my waterline, I opted for a chocolate brown liner. My go-to is Dominatrix from Jeffree Star Cosmetics. This pencil is technically a lip liner, but the vegan formula is completely eye safe.

To darken my lashes, I used Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara. As I am sure you may know, this brand is now cruelty-free!

The Cheeks:

Tarte makes some of the most beautiful blushes. I opted for their Amazonian Clay 12-hr blush in the color Magic. I swept this matte coral blush on the tops of my cheekbones using the Kat Von D #2 Powder Contour Brush.

For highlighter, I used the peach shade from the Lime Crime Hi-Lite Opals palette. The Real Techniques Setting brush is perfect for applying powder highlighter like this one.

The Lips:

I am so happy with the lip color I chose for this look. I used Wet n Wild Coral Corruption Liquid Catsuit, an affordable and comfortable matte liquid lipstick. For lip liner I used Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics in Grandma (discontinued).

Some other great coral lip colors are:

Too Faced Melted Coral Liquified Long Wear Lipstick
Buxom Plumpline Lip Liner in Confidential
NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Peony
Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick in Miami
Becca Beach Tint
Urban Decay Lip Pencil in Wired
Nuance by Salma Hayek in Coral
Milani Lip Intense Liquid Color in Fiery Coral (more of a pinky-coral)
Tarte Glamazon lipstick in Bold
Physicians Formula Lip Gloss in Natural
NYX India
Covergirl Coral Cat
Milani Crystal Gloss
Buxom Matte lipstick in Naturally Daring

The Face:

The rest of these items are not coral colored, but they did contribute to the overall look. I started with Aveda mineral tinted moisture applied with a Kevin Aucoin Foundation brush. To hide my dark circles, I painted on some IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Waterproof Concealer with a Christopher Drummond Concealer brush (discontinued) and blended it out with my E.L.F. Total Face Sponge. For bronzer, I applied Petal Essence Face Accents in Bronze Glow from Aveda with a Royal & Langnickel S.I.L.K. Pro Powder brush. For extra coverage, and to blend out my bronzer, I used Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in Light Warm, applied with an E.L.F Complexion brush.

Here is the final look:

If you are looking for more coral eyeshadow options, here are some of my favorites:

Makeup Geek Mango Tango
NYX Love in Paris / Merci Beaucoup has a lovely coral.
Mixing Just Peachy & Peach Punch from the Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes palette is also a great choice.
Jane Iredale PurePressed Eye Shadow trio in Brown Sugar has a lovely lighter coral for those who are super fair.
Try Kitten Parade from Sugarpill for something with more shimmer.