The Color Edit: Spring Brights
Having painted for years without any formal training, when I got to college, I wanted to take a painting class. Well, in my undergraduate institution, they wouldn’t let you take a painting class without first having taken at least two drawing courses. So I did, and loved drawing so much that I got a little lost in that for a while before I finally made my way to the painting courses and realized how much I had missed color. Color has always come intuitively to me – without having taken any courses on color theory, I could mix any color my teachers gave me to reproduce. So in some sense, probably because I was good at it, color became this wonderful thing in my life that I understood, that was my place of solace and my place of joy, and the happiness that I drew from it withstood the changes in my life. Over the past few years, as life and work got busier, I had less and less time to paint and suddenly, makeup became one of the few refuges for color in my life. While many people use makeup to look (and feel) good – as do I – being able to play with color on a daily basis through makeup is the real hook for me. I can’t paint everyday – but I can play with makeup on my face, indulging my creative senses and satisfying, just a little bit, my yearning for the dance of color on canvas.
In this post, I want to share some of my favourite, brightest, lip and eye combos. As a non-makeup artist, regular person, do I have to muster up some courage to wear them out in the real world? Maybe. But these are statement pieces – like a fabulous pearl necklace or larger than life earrings – which, paired with the right, understated outfit, can really turn the heat up a notch. And let’s face it, a little bit of audacity should be a quintessential accessory for the modern woman.
The Beach Vacation: Jade Green and Strawberry Pink
Givenchy’s Khol Couture in Jade and Chanel’s Rouge Allure in Rouge Splendide make a dashing couple on a beach vacation in Tahiti. The jade is dark but bright enough to pop as an eyeliner and the pink is a creamy, luminous, corall-y strawberry pink with just a touch of cool undertones. A boat ride, a big, sunny lunch, dancing in the evening – wears well through them all. I would wear this combo all day, every day if I was on vacation and not get tired of it!
Bright but Classic: True Red and Royal Blue
Red and blue is a classic combination and while it can look a little too classic in clothing, I think it looks perfect on the face. Dior’s iconic 999 red shade – a true, bright red – in their new velvet matte formula, can be paired with a perfectly drawn blue line on the eyelid – using Marc Jacobs’s Highliner in Out of the Blue or with a more messy, smudgy eye using Mac’s Pro Longwear Waterproof Color Stick in Frisky Blue. A white shirt, blue jeans, and a semi-casual dinner on a small outdoor patio in New York – pair that with this look.
A Modern Take on Retro: Pastel Pink and Burnt Orange
The makeup artists in shows like Mad Men, Ratched, Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, and more recently The Queen’s Gambit do a phenomenal job of recreating some of the exact looks of a bygone era and in a way, inspire us regular people at home to try and recreate them. The challenge is to make them functional in the world we live in today. Shu Uemura’s Drawing Pencil in Sweet Pink – a cool-toned, pastel, bubblegum pink – and Gucci’s Matte Lipstick in Louise Orange – arguably the best, raw sienna-inspired, burnt orange shade ever – come together to bring the retro to 2021. This is a look you can take anywhere – a coffee, a picnic, errands, even the office. Bright, but not shocking, fun, but without a hangover.
The Lisa Eldridge: Electric Fuschia Pink and Warm Yellow/Orange
Famous makeup artist Lisa Eldridge loves color, that much is clear. Having watched her videos for almost ten years, you would not be surprised that when she came up with her own makeup line, it would be centered squarely around her favourite thing – the magnificent, enormous world of color. Skyscraper Rose is a brilliant, charged, bright fuschia pink – with just the right amount of depth to make it less pin-up and more James Bond. On a late summer day, on the brink of Fall, pair this with warm canary yellow or a rusty orange on the eyes using Glossier’s Color Slides, a causal summer dress, and bare legs to bask in the golden glow of a setting sun on frosted glasses of rosé as the grass gets slightly chillier. Skyscraper Rose is really a mood.
The Summer Lunch Staple: Teal Blue and Hot Red
Possibly one of my most worn bright color combos, the Ratched-inspired teal blue and hot red is a summer staple. Make it modern as an eyeliner with Marc Jacobs’ Highliner in Whirl(Pool) or a smudged I partied-a-bit-last-night eye with Nyx’s Shadow Stick in Cold Fear. Patrick Ta’s matte lipstick in She’s Not From Here is a blazing, hot, orange-red shade – perfect for summer. Pair it with sandals, an outfit of primary colors, and something crisp – maybe a shirt, maybe a tight ponytail, maybe a sharp white wine – and you’re all set for the essential summer lunch.
