The Terracotta Takeover Of My Makeup Collection

Last year, I fell in love with warm, rusty oranges with a hint of taupe/beige in my makeup routine; shades reminiscent of sun-soaked terracotta pottery. It started with a lipstick… Then I added a few more, and a coordinating lip liner or two. Soon it migrated onto my cheeks with blush — I’m obsessed with the iconic ‘warm soul’ baked blush from MAC — and finally, ended up on my eyes with warm orange shadows smudged all over the lids and below the lower lash line (this Anastasia single shadow in ‘Caramel’ is my go-to for an easy all-over wash of color).

I’ve pretty much ditched pinks and mauve altogether in favor of these warm, spicy colors that play well with my dark hair, golden-undertone complexion and blue eyes. They work year-round, and play well with with my other favorite neutral tones, like bronze, copper, gold and brown, and serve as a great base for pops of bright blue (see: my crush on modern blue eye shadow).

Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyeshadow Single • Anastasia Beverly Hills • $12
L’oréal Colour Riche Ultra Matte Nude Lipstick • L’Oreal • $9.99
MAC Mineralize Blush • M·A·C • $29
L’oréal Infallible Longwear Blush Shaping Stick • L’Oreal • $12.99
Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette • Urban Decay • $54
Nars NARS – Audacious Lipstick • NARS • $34

---

Here are a few of my favorite ways to incorporate these shades into my daily routine:

1. Glowing skin warmed up with a neutral matte bronzer, bare eyes, and a softly-diffused lip; like the terracotta rose shade ‘Jane’ from NARS, or Bite Beauty’s ‘Verbena’ or ‘Cayenne’. My favorite new lipstick trick is one I learned from Katie Jane Hughes: apply the lipstick to your lips straight from the bullet, then use a small fluffy brush (I love this one from Real Techniques) to blend the color all over and soften any harshness around the lip line.

2. Coordinated lips and eyes with a soft wash of color through the crease. I love that this look is matchy-matchy but modern, and Nikki is the queen of it. That glowy skin, tho! In her look, the lip is a bit more defined, in which case I’d go for a lip liner; my favorites are the MUFE Artist Color Pencils (great color payoff/long wear).

3. Bold orange eyes with a light terracotta lip. If you love warm oranges and browns, Urban Decay’s Naked Heat palette has a beautiful range of mattes and shimmers. My go-to beige lipstick similar to this shade is Make Up Forever Artist Rouge Lipstick in the shade C107. The best option on a budget: this drugstore matte lipstick in the shade ‘Utmost Taupe’.