Sephora and Pantone Universe Team up for Tangerine Tango Makeup Collection

This collection features on-trend yet highly accessible shades and formulations to transform any beauty look

Credit: Catherine Tse

Sephora+Pantone created a limited edition makeup collection with the colour of the year: Tangerine Tango

Sephora and Pantone Universe collaborate on a new beauty collection inspired by 2012’s colour of the year, Tangerine Tango

When Pantone says Tangerine Tango is the colour of the year, you can bet we’ll see it everywhere from the runway to art exhibitions to home accessories.

And when Sephora teams up with Pantone to create an entire makeup collection based on Tangerine Tango, you can bet we’ll be wearing at least one tangerine-toned product, and looking deliciously pretty.

I know you’re all thinking, “Orange! No way!” But don’t be scared by Tangerine Tango. 

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, describes it as a vibrant red-orange that reflects optimism and warmth. Who wouldn’t want to look optimistic and warm?

“Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenalin rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Tangerine Tango for All

Yes, it’s definitely orange, but you’ll find shades and hues that are surprisingly wearable, if not transformative. And coming into warmer summer months, the colour is beach-bunny perfect, giving your complexion a bit of warmth and brightness.

“This collection allows for on-trend, uninhibited expression while being exceptionally wearable,” says Gilbert Soliz, lead artist for Sephora PRO. “Whether she is looking to create a bold look featuring Tangerine Tango, or if demure trend expression is more her style, the collection allows for customized wearability.”  

The packaging is sleek and minimal, and is designed to allow the colours to take centre stage. The lipsticks, eye shadows and blushes are embossed as a nod to the voluptuous, rounded shape of a tangerine and its layers.

Sephora + Pantone Universe Colour of the Year Capsule Collection

This collection contains a little bit of everything. Overall it’s a very modern and pretty collection with colours that are definitely wearable and not the least Oompa-loompa-esque.

Tangerine Tango for Lips

The lip collection includes a set of four shades of liquid lip gloss ($24) in colours Luminous, Vivid, Glaze and Opal. Luminous is a semi-sheer bright orange with shimmer.

Vivid is perfectly named as it’s really bright and opaque. For those who are tangerine-phobic, this would work extremely well as a stain, so just pat it on and blot it off to leave a hint of colour on the lips that will last for hours. Glaze is a soft peach shade with shimmer. And Opal is a translucent shade of apricot (more orange-red than Glaze) that is likely flattering on all lips.

This collection also includes a crème lipstick ($22) that uses a gel-based formula to deliver high-impact, buildable colour while remaining light and comfortable on the lips.

Tangerine Tango for Eyes

The collection for eyes includes an eye shadow quad ($34) of powder shadows that can be used wet or dry, and a set of three automatic pencil eyeliners ($26) that come in Tangerine Tango (yes, orange eyeliner), brown and black. When using the Tangerine Tango eyeliner, it would be wise to ‘anchor’ it with the black or brown eyeliner, using it more as a highlight or a pop of colour, rather than as the main colour.

Tangerine Tango for Nails

This four-piece set ($29) includes four polishes with different finishes (shown in the above photo, from left to right: glitter, shimmer, crème, and matte). They’re more or less the same colour with slight variations due mostly to the finish. They definitely grew on me the longer I had them on, although they’re all three-coaters.

Even after two solid coats, most were streaky. And for the glitter polish (like when using glitter eye shadow), the product is best applied using a tapping motion; if you pull the brush down the nail as you normally would, you’ll end up pulling off the glitter as well.

Tangerine Tango for Cheeks

After nail colour, blush is probably the most accessible way to incorporate Tangerine Tango into your makeup routine. The prisma chrome blush ($19) has a warm colour and luminous sheen that will impart your cheeks with a soft glow. There’s also a blush duo ($31) with two complementary colours.

Tangerine Tango Accessories

If you prefer your Tangerine Tango on the pragmatic side, Sephora offers a brush set ($82) that includes five brushes (powder, foundation, concealer, crease and shadow).

The brush heads are a vibrant orange colour while the handles are made of clear, tapered square Lucite that sit in a custom white acrylic stand.

The set is beautiful, and for the person who collects beauty items for their aesthetic qualities, this is definitely one to buy.

This makeup bag ($34) is a woven, luxury cosmetic bag that conveniently fits all your beauty needs whether you are at home or on the go.


This stunningly vibrant eyelash curler ($22) will make it a cinch to identify and grab among your brushes and other beauty tools.

It also comes with its own luxe box that doubles as a stand.

This collection also comes with a faux lash set ($34). This collection includes four fabulous sets of Tangerine Tango-inspired lashes that look absolutely amazing. They could rival Shu Uemura for drama and drop-dead gorgeousness.
 

Tangerine Tango: The Ultimate Set

And, of course, if you can’t decide what to get, get them all (or nearly all). This covetable collector’s set ($82) includes the Tangerine Tango eyeliner, eye shadow quad, prisma chrome blush, blush duo, crème lipstick and lip gloss.

The Sephora + Pantone Universe 2012 Color of the Year Capsule Collection will be available April 2012 at Sephora stores and Sephora.com for a limited time only.