Captured By Coral

Amongst my peach and coral lipsticks are some of my favourite lipsticks of my entire collection. My coral lipstick infatuation began with Revlon's Melonade sometime in the middle of last year and I haven't looked back. Coral shades encapsulate what lipstick is ultimately all about for me: fun and experimentation. A pop of vibrant colour on the lips brightens the whole face and is the colour for the warmer months.

From left to right in the pictures below:

• Revlon ColorBurst in Rose Nectar (sheer pinkish coral with visible gold shimmery particles)
• Sportsgirl Pout About It! in Fruit Tingle (super pigmented, vibrant matte coral)
• Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Honky Tonk (pink leaning coral)
• Revlon Matte in Smoked Peach (warm orange with a bit of a brownish tone)
• Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Color Comfort Lip Color in Sunburst (darker pink coral with subtle gold gleam)
• Barry M Lip Paint in Peachy Pink (bright, matte coral with soft peachy tones)
• Revlon Super Lustrous in Melonade (watermelon coral)

Most these lean more pink than orange, in particular Sunburst (which isn't orange enough to be a true coral but too dark to be a pink), but also Rose Nectar, Honky Tonk and Melonade. Smoked Peach is the most pure orange, followed by Peachy Pink, which is almost a neon orange when applied heavily.

 l-r: Rose Nectar, Fruit Tingle, Honky Tonk, Smoked Peach, Sunburst, Peachy Pink, Melonade

I find this colour spectrum suits my skin tone more than pink, though I'd consider some of these a little too loud for everyday wear. They're the ones I'd reach for if I'm headed somewhere fun and summery, like a festival or the beach, or just hanging out with friends on the weekend. The great thing about bright lipsticks is that you can vary the intensity of colour depending on the application. For a lighter and more subtle look, I'll dab these on with my finger for a stain of colour that's still fresh and pretty but not attention-seeking or overpowering.