I have always been obsessed with the ‘50s and ‘60s glamour icons Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly…The list goes on and on. I never quite felt comfortable with bright red lips.

Dorothy Dandridge

Since I’m not blonde, I didn’t quite like bright pinks either. Tomato reds, corals — that is where I found my comfort zone. When I discovered these glamour queens of old, I felt like I had acquired a different beauty look.

Grace Kelly

Marilyn Monroe

I’ve compiled a list of the ultimate glamazon-inspired lip shades! These shades range from the palest of corals to the deepest tomato reds. I don’t like it when people say, “Oh I can’t wear that shade. It’s too bright.” With so many variations to choose from, there is bound to be a shade for you!

Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Sunny Citrus ($15.00)

It depends on your comfort zone with color. Pictured below are some of my favorite shades — some lipstick and some gloss. As I tell my clients, “I can’t tell you what you are going to like, but I can make some suggestions.”

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Raven ($28.00)

Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Mistress ($22.00)

Pale and dark skintones can rock bright tomato; if you’re a little timid, go for a sheer gloss. Something I love to do is to mix up my lipsticks. Use a pink lip liner (my favorite is Whirl from M·A·C) and a coral lipstick on top of that — it totally changes the shade and tones down the coral in any lip product.

NARS Lip Gloss in Orgasm ($25.00)

Votre Vu Lip Lustre in Charming ($22.00)

Sometimes I even swipe some pink gloss on top of a peach color, which is great if you want to try neon orange but are afraid of wearing the shade straight from the tube. Using a coral lip brings out that Hollywood movie star vibe to any look. Who doesn’t want to look like a movie siren?

And be sure to check out our photo/swatches of the best red lipsticks for your skintone here -–> Best Red Lipsticks!

Which coral color would work with your skintone? Ready to unleash your Old Hollywood vixen? Let us know by commenting below (you might win a free sample)! Make sure to check out our Pinterest page by clicking HERE! And don’t forget to get the latest beauty and skincare news by following us on Twitter @BeautyStat!

– Erin Sutera, senior writer and makeup artist

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