Lifestyle Mirror

Earlier this week, we spotted Kerry Washington’s bold orange lip at Comic Con. We praised the actress for her adventurous stance, assuming it was a for-the-red-carpet choice. Then, the very next day, our fashion team was sorting through photos of Marion Cotillard at the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises and loved her Chopard earrings. But I loved her orange eyeshadow more.

The rule in fashion is that three makes a trend. But thinking back to the fall runways, orange was all over the face. Geometric eyes were strategically painted at Aquilano Rimondi, and brows were enhanced backstage at Prada. 

Sometimes a trend on the runway is, well, just that: something intended for the runway only. While Prada’s may have been a case of fantasy over function, Aquilano Rimondi’s look is surprisingly simple: a winged liner in red with the inner corner of your eye highlighted in orange. Make Up For Ever’s highly-pigmented Aquarelle is ideal for precise, bold application (use a small shadow brush or a liner brush to get that geometric shape), or use Illamasqua’s eye pencil for a simple, fabulous winged tip.

As for Ms. Cotillard’s look, pulling off orange shadow is no small feat. There are a couple of reasons the color works for her. First, her pinkish skin tone can wear orange. Also, her baby blue eyes contrast incredibly with the color. If anything, they are given more life and luminosity with a complementary color as the shadow. Finally, the application is diffused all around the eye, smoked under the bottom lash line and concentrated just above the top, so the pigment is strong. (If it were sheer, it would make Cotillard look sickly.) For strong pigments, try Beauty Is Life’s Perfect Shine Eyes or Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’s Mimosa Colour Concentrate. 

If you’re looking for a more subtle way to incorporate the color into your everyday look, try brushing it onto your cheeks. Sephora and Pantone released a wearable tangerine blush duo, and MAC’s powder in Modern Mandarin is great for layering over bronzer for a bright glow. For a real impact, try Saint Laurent Paris’s intensely orange Creme de Blush.

And for the mascara-and-eyeliner-only girl, be a little daring and give Dior’s Lip Gloss in Orange Pareo a try. The limited-edition hue is fabulous on its own, but even better when it is used to punch up a pink or red lip. It’s the easiest way to wear color without fully committing. —Phillip Picardi (@pfpicardi)