Marsala (an Italian dessert wine of with a deep red hue) became Color of the Year 2015 last week – proclaimed by Pantone. It’s the color that’ll accompany us through 2015. Pantone describes it as ‘naturally robust and earthy wine red’ that can be used for both accents and on its own. Our take on it is that the color incorporates elements of red, brown, and plum.

 

For the Color of the Year each year international representatives come together to decide upon the color of the following year. They have chosen a yearly color for quite some time now, but in the beauty world, the whole concept stepped into the spotlight when Pantone collaborated with Sephora for Tangerine Tango in 2012 and we all started to wear orange.

Color of the Year 2015, Marsala. Picture courtesy of Pantone.
Color of the Year 2015, Marsala. Picture courtesy of Pantone.

Pantone is a color specialist – the company began as a printing company in the 1950s and became famous for their color cards, the Pantone Guides. The idea behind this was to be able to recreate specific colors at every printers’ shop – color correctness is something really important for every designer and Pantone grew with their color coding system (Pantone Color Matching System). This guide enables every manufacturer to come up with the exact colors of their products. Pantone colors are often used in flags and corporate designs. (Fun facts: Starbucks’ green is PMS 3425 C, the blue of the European flag is Pantone Reflex Blue.)

Marsala was not overly enthusiastically received by the beauty community, but there’s something about this hue that kept us digging deeper, and the more we looked into it, the more we realized how versatile and universally flattering it is. We find that the best way to incorporate Marsala into your makeup is to combine it. It happens to be one of those colors that might still work very well within the same colour family. It also looks great as a focal point in a look paired with other colors of your choice, like golds, earthy hues, taupes … the possibilities are endless.

We both chose products from our stashes and had a little swatchfest:

Marsala swatches on NC 15 (left to right, top to bottom): top row blushes – MAC Small Vanity, Clinique Black Honey, MAC Stratus, Nars Sin. Middle – eyeshadows: MAC Rich Core, MAC Universal Appeal, MAC Real Drama, Kiko 243, Catrice Al Burgundy, Chanel Harmonie du Soir. Bottom – lipsticks: MAC Rusty, MAC Private Party, MAC Offshoot, Chanel Caractère.

 

Astrid's Marsala
Marsala swatches on NC44 skin, top row, left to right: MAC Viva Glam I lipstick, MAC So Very Good Pro Longwear Lipstick (LE), Kiko Velvet Mat Lipstick 609, MAC Notable blush (LE), Kiko Eyetech Look Eyeshadow 105, Kiko Infinity Eyeshadow 234. Bottom picture, left to right: MAC Notable Blush (LE), MAC Super Kissable Lipcolors (LE), MAC Hover Lip Pencil.

 

We deliberately chose mostly products that we already have, though products differ and we couldn’t show you how a specific product looks on both of us. BUT we can show you how to incorporate a color in your makeup routine that you very likely have in your stash already.

Just start playing!

Astrid's look with Marsala
Astrid’s look with Kiko Velvet Mat Lipstick 609, MAC Notable blush (LE), Kiko Eyetech Look Eyeshadow 105, Kiko Infinity Eyeshadow 234.

 

Dorit's Marsala look with MAC Rusty on the lips and Clinique Black Honey blush on the cheeks.
Dorit’s Marsala look with MAC Rusty on the lips and Clinique Black Honey blush on the cheeks (NC15).

We also have a few recommendations for you if you want to try out Marsala for yourself!

Chanel nailpolish in Exception is a good example for Marsala, as is the less expensive Barry M nailpolish in Cocoa. If you want to try out Marsala on your lids, have a look at the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette which has a plethora of eyeshadows in different rosy and wine coloured hues. Looking for a blush in that earthy red? YSL Baby Doll Kiss&Blush Lips&Cheeks in Nude Insolent could be the one for you! For lips, we found Clinique Chubby Stick in Fuller Fig if you want a sheerer coverage, Guerlain KissKiss lipstick in Beige Booster if you’re up for a bit of shine and Esteé Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick in Dynamic for full coverage. Also Kiko Velvet Mat Lipstick 609 is a good budget alternative!