If you follow me on Twitter and you, like me, are generally home alone on Friday nights pretending to have a social life, then you may have read my pleas for advice on how best to color-match the amazing lipstick and nail polish colors in the November 2010 J.Crew catalog.
It immediately reminded me of the photo on the left, an incredible living room featured in LivingEtc that I’ve been obsessed with for ages. Hot-orange-red! Paired with neutrals! Love!
I’d read an snippet of an interview with Jenna Lyons a while back where she mentioned that they used NARS lip pencils in Red Square on their shoots, but after seeing said color in person, I ruled it out as a possibility for the lipstick. After noting that J.Crew sells Essie nail polish in Lollipop on their website, I figured that had to be the nail color.
After a serious misfire with MAC lipstick in Ruby Woo (a lovely color, but far too blue for my complexion and miles away from the inspiration photos), @ClaraJudgypants chimed in to say that she had contacted J.Crew (why didn’t I think of that?) to ask about the colors, and that the nail polish is actually Essie Clambake and the lipstick is MAC Lady Danger. Now, I have a bottle of Clambake, and while it’s definitely an orange-red, it’s also semi-sheer. I love it during the summer, but it’s not right for fall. To my eyes, Essie Lollipop is perfect—it’s basically an opaque version of Clambake.
On to the lipstick! I’m not usually one to wear opaque colors (I almost always wear a sheer gloss, sometimes with a stain underneath), but I’ve really been trying to make Lady Danger work for me. I like the way it looks, but I feel really, really weird wearing it. I kind of feel like I’m in drag, to be honest, and as much as I love drag, I have a hard time pulling off this kind of look in a way that makes me feel comfortable. I’m trying, though! In these photos I’ve sheered it out just a bit with some gloss, because MAC isn’t joking around with their matte lipsticks. They are Serious Business for Super-Ladies, and I am…not that.
I can’t resist throwing in a couple of “outtakes”. I always feel like a super-loser when I take photos of myself, which is why I don’t even bother trying to hide the camera. And now you know why I don’t show my teeth when I smile. I’ve never learned how to do it right! I always wind up pulling a face like a 2nd-grader on picture day.
140 Comments
Love the outtakes Anna.
Great post! I too was struck by the great orange red lipstick in the J.Crew catalog. Last Fall I tried to find a good orange red, and it was difficult. Then when I found one that I thought I liked, I found that it was really hard to wear. I used to wear lipstick a lot, but this one made me feel like I needed to be a lot more pulled together. Like it required more make-up entirely. The J.Crew messy haired model look doesn’t seem to work in real life. Maybe I should try mixing it with gloss like you did.
My hair is ALWAYS a huge mess (I have never looked “pulled together” in my life)! I think the key, actually, is also painting your nails…and wearing just a smidge of eye makeup/mascara.
I don’t use a brush or lipliner or anything, fyi. I just pat the lipstick on with my finger, then dab on a little gloss. I need to keep it casual.
Oh, and that red sofa picture has been in my inspiration file for a long time too. Its so fantastically relaxed looking, while still being minimal.
Sneaky! I heard that it was NARS Heat Wave, that lipstick in J.Crew. I have Lady Danger and wear it all the time.
Orange-reds are good on me so I’ve been wearing them a long time: http://www.polyvore.com/face/set?id=23005113
Okay, I need to check out NARS Heat Wave now. And that T. LeClerc lipstick! And that incredible NARS blush!! I’ve been wearing Orgasm for years, but suddenly I’m feeling adventurous…
that blush would look great on your skin, i think!
I’m feeling a trip to Sephora in my very near future…
you are hilarious.
and cute:)
you pull it off and then some. i feel the same way when i where lipstick, but you’ve inspired me.
wear not where. sorry, it’s been a long day…
I think most people end up looking slightly terrified when smiling with their teeth. Everytime I see a tooth-smile photo I imagine the person has a gun held to their back and is being told to ‘say cheese’ at the same time.
THANK YOU for this post! i’ve been dying to know what the lipstick color in the catalogue was, and i have coloring similar to the model’s so i was really wanting to try out a lip color like that and venture away from my safety zone of glosses/stains…this is so awesome. yay!
Look through the comments, too! There are several other suggestions for what this exact color might be. 🙂
You don’t look a bit like you’re in drag. You look *incredible*, and the orange-red lipstick really brings out your eyes. This blue-eyed redhead with freckles is envying your hair and complexion, HARD.
The orangey-red is definitely working on you.
I also totally feel like I’m weird when I wear real lipstick. I tried wearing red lipstick, and people told me it looked good, but I just felt like a crazy person. I think it might be like white shoes for me. Fine for other people (great even!) but I just can’t. do. it.
It’s definitely a mental thing. I kind of feel like I’m wearing clown nose, and I can’t stop thinking about it!
I’ve been looking for that colour too (for ages, and then extra so since I saw those J. Crew lookbook shots). I’ve approximated it by mixing several shades of matte/creme lipstick together. I believe it’s “ginger fawn” by Tom Ford. I want some but I can’t find anywhere locally that sells it. If I get around to ordering it, I’ll let you know how it is!
ooh shit, I didn’t read through your whole post and I’ve got egg on my face! Anyway, that giner fawn is beautiful too if you like something a bit matte! And some of the lipsticks I mix together are ruby woo and morange!
FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS?!?! Damn, Tom…
Habitually Chic did a blurb on the J Crew colors – I think on Sunday? She said that the lip color was Nars Heat Wave. Check it out – the website and the lip color.
I just found the post you mentioned, and it’s actually about the spring 2011 collection. The color I’m trying to nail down is the one in the November 2010 catalog…there’s a link in my post if you want to see photos. 🙂
You don’t even remotely look “drag.” I LOVE the color on you! Gorgeou <3
Drag is a state of mind! 😉
I thought you looked great in your photos and I’m dying with envy that you can wear lipstick…period. I look dreadful no matter what colour I try.
You look so amazing and fresh-faced in this!
Personal (long-time) orangey-red color faves are:
OPI nailpolish Hey Vito is my car Red-y
MAC Ladybug lipstick
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I’ve worn that MAC lipstick on/off since freshman year of high school. Back in the day when that was the only makeup I wore. Frightening!
Loving the orange living room. Its inspiring me to change up my living room – been trying to figure out how to decorate around the TYLÖSAND sofa for about a year now!!
When I was a wee goth, I wore a thick layer of MAC Film Noir every single day. For years and years and years. I can’t even begin to guess how many tubes I ingested. Gross!
😀 i love this reply!
the “wee goth” bit alone was pure genius.
I made it my mission to buy and wear a red lipstick this year. I did a pretty good job, or so I’m told, but I still feel awkward with it on. I’m wearing the color in my profile picture. I went the drugstore route because I wasn’t ready to commit to an expensive brand–and the many colors those brands offer was just too overwhelming for me. Baby steps! (Raspberry Truffle, Boots.)
Oh my goodness that color looks GORGEOUS on you – I may or may not be rushing out to Sephora right now to get that Essie nail polish and the MAC lipstick…
Sephora doesn’t sell Essie! But you can buy it at most drugstores and beauty supply shops. 🙂
I’m awkward and rude, too. Sorry, I should have started my original comment with a well deserved compliment. You look great, especially in the outtakes!
Compliments are neither required nor expected, but thank you all the same! 🙂
I love love love LOVE this color! I could never pull it off but it looks great on you! I try to wear lipstick but my lips are so thin it’s like I’m a kid playing with my mom’s makeup. :/ Anyway, don’t be self-conscious, it looks awesome. 😀
hell yes! I am a devoted fan of Clambake but not of its super, super sheer-ness. You have done a great service. Off to find Lollipop!
You look ah-maze-ing!
NARS Cruella is my favorite, but very blue-red and too heavy for teaching 2nd graders. Cover Girl Lipstains (of all things) brought lip color back to my day to day – #440 is a red on the orange side…the color holds up and goes on light. Can’t beat it at that price…I think it is actually closer to the model photo above than what you are wearing.
Whatever you go with, red suits you.
That’s great to know, thank you!! I love stains, and I’ve been wondering if there’s one in the orange family that I could try out.
Seriously gorgeous photos! I think you are absolutely rocking the lipstick.
i love the nail colour and it looks fab on you…..i mean this most respectfully, not sure about the lip colour. i think, even though you seem to have tried it and given it a thumbs down, you need something less orange and more blue? and maybe you need a matte lipstick with a red…i find that red lipstick is harder to pull off when it is glossy. clinique used to make the perfect red glossy lipstick, ruby melt, but alas, it has been discontinued. love the hair by the way, looks wavy and is becoming.
I tried a blue-based red (MAC Ruby Woo), and it was absolutely HORRID on me. I really don’t do well in cool reds at all. Also, this is a super-matte lipstick. I’ve thinned it out with gloss.
This is the only red I’ve ever thought looks good on me, so I’m not looking to change it, but thanks! 🙂
Hmmmm…just looked at my MAC red…Lustre. Probably too blue toned for you, might even be too blue toned for me on some days. I think we should petition Clinic to bring back Ruby Melt. Let’s go lipstick shopping together! By the way, so glad you know about Mario Bedescu products. I have always meant to say something about them to you, but now I see that I don’t have to. And, not to carry on too much off topic, thanks for the tip re: Wrinkle Revenge and Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, love them both!
I’ve since switched to using a Mario Badescu eye cream, but I still love my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer! It’s just the best.
OH how i miss ruby melt. It was my first makeup purchase when I was 13. I keep thinking that I’ll get a bad tube of black honey that looks like ruby melt whenever I buy a new one.
Those J. Crew images made me go out looking for red lipstick too (something I have never worn, ever!) I wound up with Nars pure matte in Vesuvio, which is more berry-red than orange-red, but yours looks great, too! 🙂
Ahhh, the power of Jenna Lyons! She can make us paint our walls black and paint our lips red…
So glad to hear the lipstick worked out for you! I’m perpetually buying the same shade of nude-pink lipgloss in different brands, and you’ve inspired me to step out of my comfort zone. On a tangent — your skin looks flawless in the photos. Please tell me you have awful undereye circles (like I do, regardless of how much sleep I get) and have found the miracle concealer!
I have REALLY bad under-eye circles (the kind that almost look like bruises!), yes. I don’t have an HG concealer, but lately I’ve really been liking Maybelline Dream Mousse topped with Benefit Powderflage. Lasts all day with no caking or creasing. Love it! I use Benefit Stay Don’t Stray on my lids (again, topped with Powderflage), since they tend to get oily if I use concealer on them.
My skin is FAR from flawless, sadly. The lighting in the bathroom at my office is weirdly complementary, which is why I take so many photos in there! 😉
(Thanks again for leading me to this color! I love it!!)
Have you ever tried Urban Decay’s Potion Primers? A-MAZING. I have gigantic eyeballs, therefore I am cursed with crease lines, and since using the potion primer my shadow never, seriously, never creases. I use it on my dark under eye circles as well because it makes my foundation stick and last all day with no cracking or creasing. They make primer for eyes, face, and I think even lashes and possibly lips, but I just buy the professional size for eyes (in a squeeze tube- the old school ones with wand applicators are a joke as you can never get all the product out) for $29 and it lasts me forever.
I used the UD Primer Potion for years, and then about six months ago I got a free sample of the Benefit primer at Sephora, and I like it SO much more. Way less drying/irritating, and a much nicer texture.
Thanks for posting about this. I have the same problem with the skin under my eyes – if I don’t have make-up on I look like a terminally-ill patient.
BTW, I think you look great in the orange-red tones.
I would love to see a list of products you are using right now. I think you made a list sometime last year.
Ugh. Under eye circles are my nemesis. Mine look like bruises, too. I haven’t found an HG concealer, but I use HD Concealer by Make Up For Ever. You do have to apply it with a quick hand and use it regularly, though, because it dries quickly in the applicator and during application. I’ll have to try the concealer mousse. I’m always on the hunt for the HG concealer.
I keep trying (and failing) to make the MUFE concealer work for me. I think it’s just too drying for my skin, because it always cracks by the end of the day.
My goodness, you are so cute!
that orange red looks fabulous on you!
For a totally sheer dupe of the MAC Lady Danger (and in a superior formulation for lip health, if you ask me), I highly recommend Lipstick Queen’s Saint Red. I love the Saint Red’s orange-y note, and it’s the only red I’ve really been able to wear, and I’m also quite pale with very dark brown hair. Anyway, the whole Saint line of LQ’s is 10% pigment (vs. most lipsticks which are 70-90%) so you can apply a real layer of it and get a lower impact of color. I really can’t recommend it enough.
Hey, I designed Poppy King’s book cover! 🙂
I think I may have a tester of that color around here somewhere, actually. Hmmm…
No kidding, I loved that cover! I should have guessed.
Thanks! It was a lot of fun. I did a ton of comps for it initially with hand-drawn poppies and a lot of patchwork-style imagery. They didn’t get approved, but I loved working on it—Poppy is just so inspiring!
I was really happy that the publisher agreed to print the jacket on gold foil paper (hopefully it’s the hardcover edition you’ve seen!). I think it came out looking really luxe.
i can’t believe you think you look like drag. you look amazing! i love it! seriously, i love that color on you!
i LOVE LOVE LOVE that lip and nail color on you! i’ve been noticing as well jcrew’s use of it recently and have tried it out myself… but do you ever feel it makes your teeth look a little yellowy? (not that it’s getting on your teeth but it just brings out some warmer tones) it often makes me too self conscious to wear it.
Yellow teeth are one of those things I just never think about when it comes to makeup. I know orange-based reds definitely bring out yellow tones in theory, but if you don’t think about it (and smile with your mouth closed!), who cares? 🙂
Lady Danger is the BEST Mac orange-red, for sure. And the match with the nails is perfecto mondo. You look great in red, Anna, but I understand the angst. After many years of doing red lipstick when I was blonde, I found it hard to wear red as a brunette thinking I looked too schoolmarmish and/or in my mid 30s. Now that I AM in my mid 30s, I’ve caught up and am loving wearing red every now and then.
Momo, you’ve always been my red lipstick QUEEN!! And you know how to smile with your teeth showing and not look like an idiot. 😀
I never comment on your site (I don’t think) but those colors look AMAZING on you! As a dark haired, dark eyed person, bright and intense colors pop on you.
-jealous light eyed, light haired, light skinned person who can’t wear anything bright without looking like a cupie doll.
You look fabulous. Will you share where you got that fabulous scarf as well?
Old Navy!
Thank you! I never seem to find stuff like that there. Clearly, you are talented.
how funny. I just put lollipop on my toes tonight. I absolutely love the colours essie is doing for j.crew.
yowza! i love that colour! wouldn’t work on my face, er lips, but on my fingertips, soitenly!
I think that orangey red looks amazing on you!!!
Sidenote: where do you find foundation and/or concealer that fair? I’m in the same boat of being very fair, and even British brands are too dark. I have to resort to translucent formulas.
My skin isn’t actually THAT fair (I think it’s an illusion caused by my hair being so dark and my brows being comparatively light), but I have a hard time getting a good color match because the lighter shades of foundation often tend to be too pink-toned. Take a look at foundations from Make Up For Ever, Cover FX, and Becca. They all have a HUGE range from very fair to very dark, and have a lot of variation of tone within both ends of the spectrum.
Awesome, thanks for the tip!
i love this post. i love lady danger. i now am wondering if it would work well on a blonde. namely, me. something to ponder. or at the very least, visit the mac store.
p.s. i love your hate-free disclaimer. you rock.
I think it would look great on you, Victoria! You’re very warm-toned, and I bet your eyes will look ELECTRIC in contrast. Go for it!
You are completely inspiring me to wear lipstick again. You look gorgeous – I think the hair really pulls it together!
i love all your vanity posts miss anna! having worked for sephora at one point in time, i have amassed many of the nars velvet matte lip pencils. when i was looking at the j. crew catalog recently, i thought it looked like red square for sure. i also love the dragon girl one. in fact, you can mix the two together if you are in that kind of mood.
Ahhh, Pantone Warm Red. My favorite.
I think that lipstick is amazing on you, perfect with your coloring, I have been obsessed with Lady Danger and finally ventured out last Saturday night with it on… arrived to the restaurant and one of my friends also had red lippy on, a different shade but while hers remained perfect all night mine just wouldn’t stay on!! I tried lip liner underneath but for some reason it still wore off and every time I looked at my friend hers was perfect!!
I still love it and will defo wear it again, it’s just hard work!!
Beyond all of the tips and tricks you see in magazines to make lipstick last longer, the real trick is learning to live around your lipstick. I used to wear thick, dark, opaque, matte lipstick every single day (MAC Film Noir), and the keys to making it last were (a) not pressing my lips together after the initial application, and (b) opening my mouth farther when I put food in it. It sounds crazy, but after a while you really do learn how to avoid messing up/rubbing off your lipstick. It’s like walking in heels…
I think it looks great, not drag at aaaall.
And btw love your blog!
-a shout out from the otherside of the atlantic
Maybe try putting Lady Danger on with your finger as a lip stain. In fact, that’s what it looks like in the catalog photo. That way it will be harder to come off, leave less stains on glassware, and maybe you won’t feel like you’re wearing “lipstick.”
That’s exactly what I do—see my reply to Sasha up at the top. 🙂
I wear “Morange” from mac mate lipsticks. its a bit bore…dah, orange. but i feel like it makes my teeth look so much whitier.
That looks 100% fantastic.
Oooh, I almost died when that J.Crew catalog came out with the red-orange nails and lips! Thanks for posting the lip color! I’m a little nervous trying out the color on my lips. I recently purchased Sonia Kashuk’s Nail Polish in Rescue Me at Target which is pretty close to the Essie color.
So much fun! Love the colour! It’s daring and fabulous!
I think it looks really pretty on you, and I like it against the grey/black outfit too.
Thank you for this post. That color works really well on you. I have been searching for this shade, too. When I first saw the J. Crew photo, I had to have it. I have been buying every “drugstore” brand to see if I could get lucky enough to find a less expensive color that worked. I have found some I like, but none that match the J. Crew look. All of these tips are very helpful. Sephora, HERE I COME!
Sephora doesn’t sell MAC or Essie! For MAC stuff, you need to go to a counter at a department store (or a freestanding MAC store, of course). Essie is available at most beauty supply shops, many salons, and some drugstores.
Thank you! Somewhere through all the comments I got NARS Heat Wave and MAC Lady Danger mixed up. I want to check out both of them in person. 🙂
I think it looks amazing on you! And figured it would when you twitted about it! Not too many people can pull off red lipstick! You’ve done it right with the simple eye make-up.
I’ve been wearing red lipstick (and pink) since I can remember and have recently fell in love with coral-type shades like the one you’re wearing. I say, keep wearing it! You might feel self conscious about it at first (as you might with any “new look”) but I really think it’s a great look that would also look amazing with dresses AND it suits you perfectly! 🙂
Wow, so awesome! You look smokin’! Red lips are one of those things that always feel alien to yourself, but makes everyone else look at you. In a good way.
No time to read all the comments above but I had chatted online with a JCrew person and they told me it was Lady Danger by MAC on the lips and clambake by essie on the nails. I have been obsessing over this look. Amazing!
Meghan, you don’t need to read the comments to find out the colors…just read the post. 😉
That’s really funny. I got the j crew catalog in the mail, and the next day went hunting for the orange-red nail polish! I also noticed that the women on mad men wear that color a lot. It does look great with neutrals. The lipstick looks great on you!
oh, I’m using Revlon, all fired up. I had it on for over a week, and not a chip!
Oh I like it, I do!
I have a dress that color w/a ruffled neckline (also called lolipop).
I’ve been enjoying my new orange lipstick. It’s surprisingly pretty and flattering. But matching nails!!!??? swoon and thank you
I wasn’t the only one! I LOVED that look on J.Crew catalog, altho I don’t think I can pull it off like the model or you did. But I’m going to have to check out MAC Lady Danger lipstick!
I think you look absolutely amazing in that color. And as always, those bangs. Love those bangs. This pale, freckled gal with baby fine hair cannot pull off either look… I used to wear a deep red in high school but I can’t seem to jump back into it. Too many years of MAC Lipglass I guess. But your post about your uniform inspired me to buy my first pair of skinny jeans (while pregnant no less!) so who knows what the future holds for this kisser… 🙂
Pale + freckles + bright lipstick is my favorite look EVER!! I am so jealous of people with freckles.
Beyond always thinking you look great in the pictures you post, but more importantly hoping you feel great, who makes that couch? Love it!
Thanks, Stephanie, and I wish I knew the manufacturer! The credit in LivingEtc just said “vintage”, I believe. I actually SAW this couch at an antiques fair a few years ago, and almost had a heart attack from the lust that overcame me.
I went to several Beauty Brands and other beauty stores looking for Lollipop today – they all told me the color was discontinued! I guess I might just try to order it from J.Crew…
Really?? What a shame! If you’re in NYC, all of the Duane Reade stores seem to still have it.
I’d better stock up…
You can also order directly from Essie…
you look wonderful!, beautiful! nuf said
aw, this makes me sad for my dearly departed/discontinued Mac Redwood.
Lady Danger looks really good on you.
I’m sure everyone has already said so, but the color is really fetching on you. And not draggy in the least. My only concern (for myself) is that orangey lipsticks make my teeth look yellow. Otherwise I would have that lipstick on in a heartbeat.
I’ve decided to just never show my teeth. Problem solved! 😀
you look beautiful in these colors! lipstick is lovely on you – not everyone can pull it off, but you totally can. i know what you mean about not feeling super confident in it. i used to totally feel like a clown when wearing red lipstick. i started out with a sheer red lipstick and now i’ve graduated and i wear it at least 3 times a week. it’s my favorite. give it time – you’ll get there :).
oh…and p.s. i love that you don’t do anything exciting on friday nights either. way to keep it real :).
Hi there!!! I’ve been following your blog for sometime now (LOVE love love your black..white…grey home) it’s quite lovely!
I thought I’d throw in a comment bc I too was fully obsessed with the orangy red nails/lips from the Jcrew catalogue.
Aren’t we all searching for that perfect red?!? Well….I work in an Aveda salon and saw one of our clients wearing the MAC red you have…..it looked AMAZING on her. Amazing like she walked out and we all talked about her lipstick for 5 minutes..
Back to my piont 😉 I urge you to try the matte lipstick matte…..it’s much more modern that way…i’m more than sure you can pull it off!!
Another option i’ve been obsessed with is Kat Von D’s lipstick in ‘Stiletto’
or for a sheer gloss…Aveda’s new ‘Cherry Blossom’ which is universally flattering.
Ok….I’m done I promise!!! I love makeup, can you tell!
Thanks for sharing!!
as wordy as that last post was…i forgot to say (you look super cute…gloss and all)
and another option (should i be embarrassed for how much i love a red lip?) is Clinique ‘Red Red Red’..you may have seen it in that red headed ‘how to do a simple updo’ spread from Real Simple i believe….
ok now im really done. goodness. 🙂
I understand, Katie, I really do!! Cosmetics are some of my favorite things to talk about. 🙂
You’re gorgeous. That is all.
Oh geesh… You just had to say it looked good on pale, freckled gals didn’t you!! Let me welcome myself to my newest obsession… 🙂
Hi, I wrote JCrew the day I got the November catalog to ask what color that lipstick was. They were very helpful and made sure which model I was asking about and told me it was A Go Go by Kat Von D. I have it now, and it is very matte. I like wearing it with Fresh Sugar Plum lip balm on top, it makes it a touch less matte and brings the orange down a slight notch.
How funny that they gave you a completely different answer! Several other people called them to ask, and they were all told it’s MAC Lady Danger. I wonder if there are different shades on different models?
Yep, I’ve seen Lady Danger and Heat Wave on a few blogs, no ones mentioned A Go Go, maybe its it, maybe its not. Hard to know.
there is no way i could even THINK about wearing that lip colour with my complexion – but that nail colour…heart. i think i have to go and try it – i love bright colours like that with my complexion – especially during warmer months…..
& since i’ll be in india….
(I can’t smile/show my teeth in pics either….looks totally weird!)
LOVE your blog, Anna! 🙂 I actually thought of this post when watching this video: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/video/2010/nov/11/cee-lo-green-forget-you. NOT because of the lyrics, but the fantastic band! Hot-orange-red catsuits.. That’s for the brave! 😉
Lady you look good in that lipstick…you should wear it all of the time.
Fab orange. Go for it!
Mmm, that MAC blue red sounds nice… but has it got crushed Carmine beetle in it? Apparently 70,000 female beetles have to be crushed for a pound of red dye. Or red colour is synthetic. Since I”m a blue red lippy girl, I’ve got to rethink my red lippy and make sure it’s synthetic. Any thoughts?
Anna, you are too cute! Thanks for the rec on Lollipop! I’ve been dithering for week over whether to get it, but I’m definitely going to buy it now.
I’m a huge fan of red-orange. I have MAC Morange but it’s hard to make myself actually wear it. I feel like bold or dark colors are best in winter, so maybe I’ll try to trot it out again soon. My all-time favorite nail color is China Glaze – Japanese Koi, but it’s a little too neon for winter. In bright sun it looks amazing and tomato-ey, but in blue winter light it just looks like a traffic cone.
(Unrelated, but please tell Bruno that I adore him!)
I just did. I lifted his little ear and whispered, “Sarah adores you”! 🙂
So..Lollipop is like Clam Bake, just not a jelly? From what I’ve seen of swatches online I thought it was a more cool-toned red. I chose Jelly Apple over that one, it looks ‘just red’ on me, neither blue nor yellow. Ah the calamities of online shopping…
Clambake and Lollipop are almost identical, color-wise. I have both, and the only discernible difference is in the opacity.
Another idea to make the bright red less draggy and more natural is to smudge out the outlines. Apply very close to the edges of the lip but not actually on the edges and then use a q-tip to blend and smudge it out. it looks more lived in and natural then freshly put on lipsticks.
So spot on! Wish I would be able to see what colours suit me, but when it comes to lipsticks on myself I’m colour blind. Love the bangs too, used to wear mine like that, now I want to change them back right this minute! And I’ve been ogling a similar scarf in a shop, but haven’t seen how great it looks on. Now I won’t try to resist it anymore.
Your hair and makeup is perfection! I always feel so self-conscious when wearing lipstick plus when I do wear it, I’m quickly reminded of just how often I lick and bite my lips. And my fingernails. There’s no way I can reapply that often so rarely have I ever made it to a destination wearing it. Oh well, one day I will conquer wearing lipstick. One day!
I have a question about your hair that I hope you don’t mind answering. I absolutely love your hair in these pictures–do you mind sharing your hair type/texture? If it’s similar to mine, I might show this to my hair stylist. I have super thick hair (as in a lot of hair but the individual hairs are fine) that I usually wear layered. I also prefer a low maintenance style and yours looks like it can easily be styled wavy or straight. I know that’s more information than you needed to know but I’m hoping you say your hair is like mine so I can have my hair look like yours. 🙂
My hair is somewhere between fine and average in terms of texture, I guess. Definitely NOT thick. It’s more or less naturally straight, unless I let it air-dry and there are layers cut in it. I think my hair probably looks thicker/fuller than it is because I never brush it and I use a lot of hair spray. Hair dye makes it look thicker, too…
Anna- Thanks so much for answering my question. I think I’ll show it to my stylist and see what she says. My hair currently has no style so I really have nothing to lose if I try it.
You know, I find myself feeling like I am in drag whenever I put on make-up, but I think that’s just because I’m not used to looking at my face with make-up dolling it up.
You look spectacular in orange-red! Especially since you seem to favorite black and dark grey. Your features POP! <3
Ah! Thanks so much for identifying this lipstick! Somehow, in my universe, it never occurred to me that this was a real shade I could go out and get at a store two blocks from my apt! I got it today, I can’t wait, it will throw Boston City Hall for a loop! Thanks!
I know, I kind of imagined it was custom-blended or something!
Anna, you look so lovely! I’ve been wanting to see you in red lipstick for some time, so this really fits the bill for me. Love, love, love the orangey-red paired with the gray scarf.
Anna, this color looks AMAZING on you! Since it’s such a bold color, I was just wondering what (if any) eye shadow shade(s)you pair this with.
One more reason I love your blog Anna! I too, never smile with teeth. It just looks wrong on me. Maybe some faces aren’t constructed for it? I look either like a small child ordered to smile, or kind of sneer-y and condescending somehow. Thank you for showing the outtakes. I love how you manage to be stylish, fabulous, and genuine simultaneously.