Soft & Sensual Coral

Colours of Make Up Design

By Annika Rayman

Coral in beauty and fashion is typically associated with summertime and sunny vacations. The word doubles as both an energetic and fun colour, as well as the name for extremely important underwater ecosystems that grow all over the world. A mixture of pink and yellow, the light-hearted, bright, (historically) socially implied feminine tones of the colours come through in the beauty realm.

Hues of coral can be deeper, with more deep pink giving it a “hot” coral effect that is sported on beaches all over the world on hot days; or they can be much softer, pulling more of its yellow side and found in the latest swimwear—both trunks and bikinis—and vacay accessories. In beauty, particularly during the pandemic, we have seen a rise of influential personalities online and in print experimenting with bolder colours. Neon, pastel, and true versions of coral can be seen swiped across the lips, eyes, and even cheeks of beauty influencers all over the world, and I am here for it!

One aspect of coral that makes it so perfect any time of year for any complexion, to me, is its ability to warm up or brighten colours around it. A more vibrant, deeper coral on fair-skinned redheads will instantly brighten and even their complexion, make their eyes glow, and create the illusion of having great sleep for the under eyes. Alternatively, a more neutral or yellow-centric coral can give the appearance of a healthy tan in seconds, helping to disguise or blur hyperpigmentation or dark patches on people with medium to deeper skin tones. Even on fair skin, this type of coral can amplify bronzing products and add to the beauty of the overall look. Coral is definitely not just for the beach, people!

I have heard time and time again clients claiming that certain colours are off-limits because of their complexion, and that is not true.

I would advise a person whose skin has pink undertones, or whose skin is quite fair/translucent, to have a properly applied base prior to using coral that pulls pink on their eyes (especially versus a person with more yellow, olive, or deeper skin with blue undertones). The effect of the colour on eyes that already easily get red when tired/after crying can give the appearance of that unintentionally! We definitely don’t want our clients walking around like they’re in the thick of the flu.

I personally love a coral blush on most people, again with proper skin prep and making sure their skin tone has been effectively evened out with base products, even lightly. Coral can make for a gorgeous touch on the skin that looks natural, but different enough to be a fun and welcome change to their typical beauty routine. Try suggesting coral to your next clients getting new headshots, having a bridal trial, or to talent in commercial work. It translates beautifully on camera, and for fair skins it does not exacerbate the inclination to turn red the same way an ordinary rouge or straight-up pink might.

Your confidence to utilize colors that are not commonly reached for will upgrade and open up new horizons for your clients.

Your confidence to utilize colors that are not commonly reached for will upgrade and open up new horizons for your clients. No one is too fair or too dark to wear coral, and it is incredibly important that we educate (with our expertise and assistance) our clients on all that their faces and bodies are capable of. Throughout my years in makeup, I have heard time and time again clients claiming that certain colours are off-limits because of their complexion, and that is not true. Are there colours that compliment individuals more than others? Absolutely. But with guidance from professionals like us, our communities can discover HOW to wear the other colours that have been written off (and particular shades and hues of those colours), so that they work for them.

In this digital world where beauty has come so far that a small handheld machine can print our nail colours onto our hands or scan our cheeks for our undertones in a moment, there is no reason our clients can’t find a coral that works for them.

Included here are two examples of coral being used on the face (as blush) and on the lips. As you can see, the coral on our beauty in blue pulls more to the yellow side, and our before-and-after bride is wearing a deeper, “hot” coral. Both are the perfect switch up from traditional pinks or dusty mauves, and really amp up the bronzed, even effect the rest of the makeup is engineered to create.

Even so, the colour is not “entering the room” before the rest of the face, and pairs so well with both an ultra-natural eye like on our beauty in blue and a softer bridal look with a light touch of cool, smoky grays and browns at the ends of her big blue eyes.

Colours like coral that are comprised of two other colours can be altered to suit anyone. So, let’s get out there and get this highlighting, complimentary, and energizing colour on everyone! AR b