We've found your perfect nude lip...
The perfect nude lip: that holy beauty grail that we are always on a quest to find. But what qualifies as a nude lip? Let’s face it, with our different skintones, naked means something different to each of us. So while we’re all told the benefits of finding the perfect nude lip – it brightens our face, flatters our skintone and makes us look like us, only better – it can be a real jungle out there in the world of flesh-toned lippies. So let us steer you in the right direction and help you find the perfect nude lip FOR YOU.
If you have…
Naturally red-toned lips: the aim is to neutralize some of the redness. A salmon-pink shade will take away some of the natural red tones and leave lips looking less flushed, more blush. Try Gucci Moisture Rich Lipstick in Carnation, £29
Naturally pale lips: Very pale-toned lips actually need a boost in colour in order to look nude in the most flattering way possible. Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Dusty Rose Matte £17.50 will give just enough colour to do that, without looking like you’re wearing lippie. Basically your lips will look like themselves but on a really good day.
Full lips: Play up the plumpness with a bold but flattering matte number. Unleash your inner Kylie Jenner with Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Crème in Incognito £20 – a fleshy pink that flatters a wide spectrum of complexions. The liquid formula goes on creamy and smooth but sets to a bang on-trend matte finish.
Pale, cool skin tones: you need a pink-toned shade that will warm up your complexion and wont wash you out. Go for one shade darker than your skin colour, to add warmth to skin, and a shade that is pink-based, rather than beige, to avoid any resemblance to a corpse. Bobbi Brown Lip Colour £23 in Blush is warm, rosy and sheer enough to steer you out of that ‘recently deceased’ territory.
Warm skin: With olive undertones you can go pink or beige and you can go for flatter, denser, more pigmented shades than your cooler-skinned friends. Go a shade or two darker with Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Het Loo £18 or go lighter than your skin colour, for a nude that really defines your look.
Black skin: Go a shade lighter than your complexion, for a look that is clearly nude but which complements and brightens the entire face. Glossier formulas like MAC Mineralize Glass in Ray of Sunshine, £21 are the most flattering and natural-looking on black skin.
Dry lips: Avoid matte textures and go for something creamy and hydrating, like Fresh Sugar Honey Tinted Lip Treatment, £20, that will inject moisture along with a flush of colour.
Which is your perfect nude lip colour? Tell us below...