Colour theory: How to mix and match this season’s lip and nail hues

11 February 2016
By Fashion Quarterly

Colour theory beauty trend

Take your cues from the catwalk when mixing and matching this season’s lip and nail hues.

Forget what you know about the science of colour because gone are the days of hard-and-fast rules dictating which lipstick to wear with what nail lacquer. Tried-and-true combinations will always have their place – a turquoise nail still finds its perfect partner in a tangerine lip.

But as we learned at NYFW, that tangerine lip will look equally as hot with a coral nail (à la Jeremy Scott), while a coral nail will also pop with a fuchsia lip (à la Marchesa). And although nothing screams summer like bright-on-bright, this year’s spring/summer runways saw plenty of nude-on-nude, as well as nudes paired with brights, bolds and metallics.

Don’t get stuck in a strictly candy-coloured rut. Dare to be a little different and your lip and nail look will appear off the (colour) charts.

Beauty colour trends from the catwalk
Beauty colour trends from the catwalk
Beauty colour trends from the catwalk

Beauty colour trends from the catwalk

1. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick in Sultry Sand, $19.99. 2. L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Le Vernis nail lacquer in Vendome Emerald, $9.99. 3. Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer in Cherry Pop, $46. 4. Essie lacquer in Mezmerised, $22.99. 5. MAC lipstick in Saint Germain, $40. 6. Revlon Nail Enamel in Pure Pearl, $16.50. 7. Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Lipstick in Neon Azalea, $59. 8. Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy in Jokers Wild, $18.50. 9. Faby lacquer in Keep on the Sunny Side, $20. 10. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Rebel Bloom Lipstick in Coral Burst, $19.99. 11. Essie lacquer in Limo-scene, $22.99. 12. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Ultra Violet, $49. 13. Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy in Casino Lights, $18.50. 14. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in Pink Vibrations, $49. 15. Faby lacquer in The Vagaries of the Stars, $20. 16. Maybelline New York Color Sensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick in Brazen Beige, $19.99. 17. Yves Saint Laurent La Laque Couture lacquer in Rose Romantique, $48. 18. L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche 30th Anniversary lipstick in Androgyne, $23.99. 19. CND Vinylux Weekly Polish in Glacial Mist, $19.95. 20. Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Matte Lipstick in Furious, $59. 21. MAC Studio Lacquer in Delicate, $26. 22. Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Nylon Nude, $45.

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