In Ancient China, court judges wore sunglasses made from cut smoky quartz stones to hide their facial expressions during trials as they interrogated witnesses. And while the design and technology of sunglasses has evolved tremendously since then, we still like to hide behind them, to create a bit of mystery and intrigue. The same could be said of makeup too—especially lipstick. (Remember that Coco Chanel once said, "If you’re sad, add more lipstick and attack!") As such, the combination of a strong lip and a great pair of shades can make you virtually unstoppable.
There's no better time than the playful and colorful summer months to put a little gusto behind your sunglass and lipstick selections. With long beach days, outdoor barbecues, and rooftop cocktail hours abounding, this is when you’re likely to spend the entirety of a social event with your shades on.
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To inspire an eyewear and lipstick pairing worthy of at least one #unfiltered selfie, we selected 12 of the coolest sunglasses of the season and matched them up with equally fun and flattering lip colors (with help from our beauty department, natch).
Graphic Punch
Elizabeth and James sunglasses, $185; shopbop.com. Bite Beauty lipstick in Pickled Ginger, $26; sephora.com.
Cotton Candy Cool
Le Specs sunglasses, $59; shopbop.com. M.A.C. lipstick in Heroine, $17; nordstrom.com.
Newly Minted
Gentle Monster sunglasses, $280; gentlemonster.com. Charlotte Tilbury lipstick in Lost Cherry, $32; charlottetilbury.com.
Bohemian Beauty
Sunday Somewhere sunglasses, $290; nordstrom.com. Marc Jacobs Le Marc lipstick in Sonic Truth, $30; sephora.com.
Midnight Glam
Gucci sunglasses, $395; solsticesunglasses.com. NYX Lip Lingerie in Baby Doll, $7; nyxcosmetics.com.
Cat-Eye Queen
Celine sunglasses, $280; matchesfashion.com. Lipstick Queen Cupid’s Bow lip pencil in Nymph, $22; net-a-porter.com.
Tickled Pink
Karen Walker sunglasses, $300; needsupply.com. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lipstick in Nude Glory, $12; ulta.com.
Rockstar Reds
Saint Laurent sunglasses, $495; nordstrom.com. Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Poppy, $25; sephora.com.
Metallic Match
Dior sunglasses, $382; matchesfashion.com. Urban Decay Vice lipstick in Conspiracy, $17; sephora.com.
Tropic Thunder
Illesteva sunglasses, $290; nordstrom.com. Maybelline ColorSensational Vivid Matte Liquid in Rebel Red, $7; drugstore.com.
Rad and Reflective
Ray-Ban sunglasses, $175; ray-ban.com. Benefit Cosmetics Benebalm, $18; benefitcosmetics.com.
Pretty Pastels
Chanel sunglasses, $340; chanel.com. NARS Satin lip pencil in Stourhead, $26; narscosmetics.com.
