how to: orange lips

I’m planning a number of orange lip looks for spring and summer, and I’m clearly not alone. Orange lips are trending.

Here are two recent makeup tutorials I liked, each outlining what to keep in mind when going for an orange lip and offering some good product options.

Lisa, of course, we love every time:

And this look by Nic from Pixiwoo is great, too, underlining what a killer pairing a bright lip and bold (yet not overly defined) brows can be.

There are so many species of orange – so many shades, so many textures and grades of opacity (here are a few of my favorites, and I have a few new oranges I’ll share later), this look is a lot more versatile than it sounds in the abstract.  If you go for a bolder shade, things to think about when wearing any bold lip apply. Going to go for it?

I think it’s worth considering. I quite like Nic’s suggestion of just wearing a new look around the house to get yourself accustomed to the idea. No one has to know! (see 2:34) Little by little it doesn’t seem so outrageous anymore.

image via lisaeldridge.com

belt it

IMG_0113

I like a herringbone pattern, especially in charcoal.  I got another faux fur collar as I wanted some contrast here (and generally find it difficult to resist white things).

IMG_0132

IMG_0147

IMG_0153

IMG_0160

oxblood suede (♥!)

Yes, my coat has perfectly functional buttons, and I do like that boxy boyfriend look achieved by simply buttoning it as well as the casual look of not buttoning it at all, but why not add a belt? You know? Just why not?

I’ve been randomly adding a belt here and there where no belt is needed, and it opens whole new world of possibility. Many of my favorite uses of the belt are entirely cosmetic. I am coming around to investing in a really excellent belt (in any style, but with something a bit special about it), which belt can then carry the day, regardless of what it is in fact belting. I’ve observed that a nice dress with a supbar (cheap, plain, ragged, uninspired, etc.) belt yields a supbar effect, while a subpar dress with a luxe belt yields a luxe effect. I think the conclusion here is obvious.

Did I already talk about this? This feels familiar…but perhaps it was only in my mind. Perhaps I am building on the initial idea to invest in a belt and going on to say that I would then wear that belt in all manner of unconventional contexts. Belting a coat that has no need of a belt (or which already has a belt!), belting a scarf, belting a sweater or anything bulky, having a belt slung at the hips independent of any assigned loops, wearing multiple belts.  Much like the artful placement of a superfluous zipper (or like jewelry, which realm of decor a pointless belt approaches), a purely aesthetic belt can immediately up the style factor, especially one that is well chosen. Indeed, the more out of place it is, the better it will function as a feature of interest. It can also up the femininity factor, the waist being a definitive part of the female silhouette, and the highlighting or exaggeration of the waist a much-considered matter in the fashion and beauty industries (not to mention all of the feminist and body issues bound up in it and the zones above and below it by association, i.e. ratios). The waist is powerful, and so is the belt.

IMG_0089

Alorna herringbone coat (thrifted), faux fur collar (eBay), bon chon gloves, Old Navy sweater, Express leggings (I was skeptical about these at first but I think if I wear them and stare at them a bit more I’m going to like them), Cole Haan pumps, Michael Kors belt (thrifted). On the lips: MAC RiRiWoo. Oh, and here are the textured gold sphere earrings I was waiting for. They are heavy but they will do.

IMG_0141

 RiRiWoo (♥!) Like I said, the color is stunning, ultra saturated and ultra matte. 

IMG_0075x