Watermelon-Colored Lips For The Fashion Fruit Salad Of Spring

I’ll admit it. Lately, I’ve relied a bit too much on wearing an intensely red lipstick with well, just about everything. It’s just too easy to swipe on my go-tos: Ruby Woo from MAC or Dragon Lady from Nars and head out the door. I could be in my pajamas for all I know, but once that crimson pout gets put on, I’m a head turning diva, not to be messed with.

But with the weather rapidly warming up and punchy bright color being all the rage for spring and summer, red feels a bit heavy and overwhelming. But I just can’t seem to part with wearing an intense color on my lips. So, I’ve moved a few notches over on the color wheel to a succulent shade I’m calling watermelon. Juicy watermelon-hued lipsticks are part fuchsia, part orange, and all bold and statement making. It’s an unexpected flash of fun that punctuates the season’s fashionable fruit punch bowl of lime green, lemon yellow and tangerine orange clothing.

This isn’t your grandmother’s pasty pink lipstick, but something to perk up hot weather staples like a white t-shirt and cut offs or a solid colored bikini while laying out. (Plus, it looks pretty great on Emma Stone, right?) So, in no particular order, these are the ones I’ve been testing out:

LIPSTICKS: These are all, unabashedly full-on.

1. MAC Girl About Town It’s an intensely pigmented product that is not for the faint of heart. Make the same dramatic statement with this as you do with ruby red lips for evening.

2. MAC Impassioned This formula is also fairly intense, but not so much that you might feel funny wearing it on a bright sunny day. It’s got a little more coral color to it, so the hot pink is dialed back, but you still get the same dramatic effect.

3. Lola’s Ultra Drench in Nectar $18.50 at www.lolacosmetics.com. I get compliments every time I wear this shade. People can’t tell if it’s orange or pink, but it always adds a vibrant pop of color to whatever I’m wearing. The formula is more matte than glossy, so it goes on pretty heavy. To dilute the color, I dab a little on the center of the mouth then spread out with some clear gloss or lip balm until it’s evenly distributed.

LIP GLOSSES: Feeling a little shy to put on a full bright pink pout? These lip gloss colors are just as juicy and will certainly deliver a wallop of watermelon sheen, without the commitment of an opaque lipstick.

1. Chanel Levres Scintillates Glossimer in Chelsea I mean, who doesn’t want to tote around a candy pink gloss from Chanel in their bag this summer? Chelsea has that sheer, girly pink sheen sans glitter. Perfect for sweltering days where minimal makeup feels and looks best.

2. L’Oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss in Watermelon Crush This stuff just screams summertime. And the super sheer formula never weighs you down. Plus, it smells (and tastes) like candy. Score.

clockwise, l-r: MAC COSMETICS “GIRL ABOUT TOWN” LIPSTICK, $14.50, Mac Cosmetics; LOLA COSMETICS ULTRA DRENCH LIPSTICK IN NECTAR, $18.50, Lola Cosmetics; L’OREAL COLOUR RICHE LE GLOSS IN WATERMELON CRUSH, $5.99, Target; CHANEL LEVRES SCINTILLATES GLOSSIMER IN CHELSEA, $28.50, Chanel.