In the same way that Miranda Priestly utters those memorable words in Devil Wears Prada “florals, for spring?  Groundbreaking”  I feel the same way when I hear that bright, bold lips are going to be big for spring.  For me spring is marked by dusting off the Revlon Lip Butter in “Lollipop” and following suit with the likes of MAC “Candy Yum Yum” and the Rimmel Apocalips in “Stellar”. 

I’m a self confessed lover of a bright lip,  , I’ve had friends who’ve looked disgusted at my intention to wear a nude lip on a night out because “you just don’t look like…you”.  Ginger hair and a bright lip seems to go together like wham a lama a lama .  I was once sat at the train station when a little chinese boy came up to me, took a photograph of my face (probably looking startled) and gave me a thumbs up before saying “orange hair, bright lip” and walking off. 

With my love of a bright lip in mind, it was with the greatest excitement when I heard that despite “Radiant Orchid” being the Pantone “Color of the Year”, orange would be the lip colour of Spring 2014.

A few years ago the thought of orange lips would have brought me out in hives but my penchant for brights means that it delivers some much needed sunshine into my daily face (especially on a work day when I need all the help I can get).

As with all beauty bloggers (and most people) when introduced to a new trend it’s human instinct to rush to the shops waving our hard earned dollar at shops assistants or flashing our plastic despite having the exact same thing at home.  And that’s what can be said for me and orange lipsticks.  I was well on my way to hot foot it to Boots to checkout the latest in lip releases to quench my orange crush craving before grinding my heels to a halt.  Before I go adding to my already 30+ collection of lipsticks maybe I should check to see whether I already own an orange lipstick before being completely frivolous.  Make that 6 (on first inspection) and you’ll see why such reckless spending on my part should be avoided when I could simply shop my stash.

Rimmel “Kiss Me” / Rimmel Moisture Renew 660 “In Love With Ginger” (review) / 17 Lasting Fix “Hot Chilli” / Miners Moisture Effect*”Kiss Me Quick” / Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense “40” (review) / Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain “Rendezvous”

“How To”: The Orange Lip
(other than “chuck it on and go”)

• It’s the age old “if you’re getting out the legs, don’t get out the boobs” rule.  Bold lips usually look best when paired with minimal makeup elsewhere.  Make your lips the focal point by wearing with a flush of blusher or bronzer, some subtle highlighter and mega fluttery lashes.
• If you’re a bit shy about making your lips too tango-d why not ease yourself into the trend with an orangey/coral gloss instead to give the lips a wash of colour.
• Have FUN with colour.  I get so tired of hearing people say “if you have pale skin you can’t wear this colour” “if you have red hair you can’t wear that colour” – yes, I agree that some colours are more flattering than others but that doesn’t mean you can’t wear them.  The only lipsticks I steer clear of are nudes because they completely wash my face out, generally speaking, if I like a colour I make it work for me. 

What are your favourite orange lippies?  Are you going to be shopping your lippie stash (like me!) or shopping for new? Let me live precariously through you.