A nude lipstick is a great weekend or casual lipstick colour to own and wear as it doesn’t make a big statement, and you won’t notice so much when you eat it off.
A nude lipstick is also great to wear when you’re doing a more defined or smoky eyeshadow in a darker palette if you don’t want to look super ‘made-up’.
But how to choose a nude lipstick colour?
When you think about your natural lip colour it can be lighter or darker, more brown, red, pink or purple depending on your underlying skin pigments.
Each of these colours could be considered ‘nude’ for someone who has a lip colour that is very similar.
Notice how different they are – some are lighter, darker, more blue based, more yellow based, more violet, red, orange, pink, burgundy.
That’s the key to nude lipstick. It’s finding a colour that is similar to your natural, underlying lip colour.
Lips vary greatly in their natural state. Some of us have very pale lips, others quite dark and rich coloured lips.
Discovering what your nude undertone is will help you choose a good nude lip colour.
Look at your existing lipsticks, the ones that really suit you best, that you wear and wear and note the undertone.
- Is it warm or cool?
- What is the base colour?
Base colours commonly are:
- pink
- coral
- brown
- mauve
- burgundy
Consider the depth (value) of your lips and the skin inside your mouth then match this depth along with the base colour and undertone to find your best nude lipstick colour.
Should it be matte or have some pearlescent sheen?
This relates to your natural level of sheen (which I’ve written about here and here). In general, if your skin has natural sheen or shine, go for a lipstick with shine. If it’s more matte then choose a lipstick that doesn’t have a pearlescence to it.