Whenever I’m in a warm place, I like to use the opportunity to wear bright, colourful make-up. I do wear colour day-to-day as well, but there are some things that work much better for me when I have a slight tan. Anything coral or orange for example is almost exclusively vacation territory for me. And never have I worn colours as tropical and lush as I did in the recent two weeks in Martinique.

Almost all colour make-up I used is on this picture, including:

For eyes
– KIKO Long Lasting Stick 8 Hour No-Transfer Eyeshadow (seriously, KIKO?) number 43: I love stick eye shadows and this is a great affordable option.
– Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Shadow in Hold Me Tight: another new-to-me eye stick, this time from Korea. Also good quality and the colours are great and non-basic.
– Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colours in Orchid and Gilded Gold: two old favourites, performed well even in extreme climate conditions.
– Tom Ford Colour For Eyes in Siren: I bought this without trying, as it’s not available in Brussels, but it’s exactly my kind of a colour. Unfortunately, it seems to be the worst of Ford’s cream shadows – very sheer and doesn’t stay put either. I did manage to get some wear out of it, though.

For lips
– Lipstick Queen Jungle Queen lipstick: this is a great example of something I would not wear well in my usual environment. I’m naturally pale and most orangey reds don’t flatter me (this lipstick is described as coral, but I don’t see any pink in it). With a tan and light eyes, however, this looks pretty stunning. The formula is not the best I’ve tried, but it’s workable.
– Lancome Juicy Shakers in Berry in Love and Berry Tale: these worked nicely as very low maintenance lip products, especially the latter is a great summer colour for any climate.
– Clio Lip Syrup in Night Out Coral (not pictured): the finish of this reminded me a bit of the Lancome Juicy Tubes, but it’s much lighter and less sticky on the lips. This is a sheer, wet looking watermelon colour on me and I plan to wear it a lot in the summer. Does’t last particularly long, but looks good while it does.
– Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector number 4 (just seen): I’ve written about the formula before and it’s lovely. Rosewood is a better colour for me, but I wanted something different for the trip.

For cheeks
– Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Las Salinas: the formula of this is nothing special, but the pinky coral colour is good for sunny situations, the stick format is great and there is shimmer, so no need for a separate highlight.
– Chanel Les Beiges Blush number 20 (not pictured): I used this almost as a bronzer at first and then as a very natural blush when I became darker. And it’s a stick. Yes, there is a theme.

For nails
– Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Girls Just Want to Have Fun: this is a pretty perfect coral nail polish, especially for toes. Nicely balanced between orange, pink and red, it looks excellent with a tan and works with many looks.

A word on base
I haven’t used my Erborian CC Cream HD much since I talked about it on the blog, because the colour was a bit too dark for me. I hoped that it would be better suited for holiday wear and I was right: after a couple of days in Martinique, this turned into the perfect colour match for me. As it’s easy to apply, lightweight and has SPF25 (enough if you go out in the evening and just need something in case there are some last rays of sunshine), it’s a very good option for sunny climes.

Obviously, all these will work well in case summer arrives in this part of the world at some point. It’s far from certain that will happen, but if you’re planning your Summer Face, the above might be helpful.