Beauty: Nude Lipsticks For Light & Dark Skin Tones

Hey beauties! Nude has been a huge makeup rave lately so I decided to put together this post for anyone who may be eager to try a more natural makeup look but is finding it difficult choosing the right lipstick colours.

People don’t know how hard it is to find just the shade of nude lipstick that will blend in with your skin tone and make your skin look divine. Finding anything in flesh tone – be it tights, leggings, underwear or lipstick- is a challenge. Before we carry on, one thing must be clear, nude lipstick is different from lip gloss. I see a lot of people wearing lip gloss and hashtagging #nudelips. They are not the same thing.

There are a few things to consider when choosing the right shade of nude lipstick for your skin colour.

1. Exfoliate 

Dry and chapped lip and nude lipsticks (or any other lipsticks for that matter) is never a good idea. Make sure your lips are moisturised and free of any dead skin before applying any kind of lip colour especially if your are using a matte lipstick. Try The Body Shop Lipscuff which is perfect for dry and flaky lips.

2. Cover Up 

Different people have different lip colours. If you have a strong lip colour naturally, use a thin layer of your concealer under your lipstick to tone it down. The outer part of the lips are usually darker than the inner parts. To even even this out, use your concealer, primer or foundation. Applying foundation or concealer on your lips will create the perfect base for a nude lipstick.  Also, stay away from cooler nude colours with grey undertones because they can make you look dull and pale. 

3. Avoid White 

Like lip gloss, nude lipstick is NOT white lipstick. Many a girl has sported the well-known corpse bride white/ashy lips in the name of nude. Stick to beige and very light pink tones. Examples of different shades of nude lipsticks below:

4. Dramat-Eyes 

A nude lipstick is the perfect opportunity to play up your eyes. A dark smoky eye will give you that dramatic look and will stand out with just the right nude lipstick. Tip: A popping hair colour is also a great accessory to a nude lip. Think Rihanna in her carrot hair days.

5. Smile Bright Like a Diamond 

Last but not least, don’t forget to keep your teeth white and clean! Red lipsticks can make your teeth look so white you might as well be a  spokes-girl for Colgate 🙂 In the same way, a pale lip colour can make teeth appear yellowish so make sure to polish those pearly whites. Or, if you really want to shine, try a teeth-whitening product like Crest Whitestrips.

Now that we know, how to wear a nude lipstick, let’s go about picking the best ones for each skin tone. Don’t restrict yourself to these categories. Even though the suggested colours below are most complementary for each skin tone, some people after experimenting discover that some unexpected colour looks really great on them. So please feel free to play with other nude shades, you may be surprised! 

Fair  to Medium Skin: (think Jessica Chastain, Rita Ora)  

Try – Bobbi Brown Uber Beige, MAC Lipstick in Creme D’ Nude

Light to Dark Olive Skin: (think Kim Kardashian, Padma Lakshmi, Jennifer Lopez ) 

Try – MAC Lipstick in Freckletone, BB Brownie Pink or Brown, MAC Lipstick in Cherish, MAC Lipstick in Taupe

Tan/Golden Skin: (think Beyonce)  

Try – BB Brownie or Beige, MAC Lipstick in Freckletone, MAC Lipstick in Fresh Brew, MAC Lisptick in VelvetTeddy, MAC Lipstick in Half N’ Half

Caramel Skin: (think Halle Berry to Queen Latifah)  

Try – BB Golden Brown or Heather Mauve, MAC Lipstick in Fresh Brew, MAC Lipstick in Siss, MAC Lipstick in Stay in Touch, MAC Lipstick in Touch

Shirley B. Eniang of Meek -N- Mild lists her favourite nude lipsticks and lip liners in this adorable video.

Dark Skin: (think Nia Long to Gabrielle Union)

Try – BB Cocoa, Mac Hug Me, MAC Lustreglass in Trance Plant, MAC Lipstick in Icon, MAC Lipstick in Shitaki, NARS Lipgloss in Hustler, MAC Lipstick in Coconutty

Deep Skin: (think Kelly Rowland, Tika Sumpter, Alek Wek)

Try – BB Hot Cocoa or Chocolate, MAC Lipstick in Coconutty, MAC Lustreglass in Trance Plant, Mac Lipstick in Hug Me

I really love this tutorial by Destiny Godley.

Here are a few other nude looks I fell in love with:

I am wearing The Body Shop ColourGlide Lip Colour #63 in both pics.

Watch this swatch-filled video by Glam-Morena.

I know I haven’t exhausted all the best tips to getting that perfect nude lip. Do you love a nude lip? Do you wear nude makeup often? What is your winning formula? What colours work best for you? Spill all in the comments section below!

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Have a fantastic weekend folks.

Love n Light 

x

Lydie