Nude lipstick is a trend that works for anyone at any time. You can wear it day and night, from the office to the nightclub, and with literally any combination of hair and makeup. Are you convinced you need to try it yet? Good. Now, how do you go about picking out the best shade of nude lipstick for your skin?
First, you need to determine what complexion and skin tone you actually have. The two things may sound the same, but they are actually different. Complexion refers to whether you are light, medium, olive or dark skinned, while "skin tone" refers to whether you have warm, cool, or neutral undertones in your skin. Figuring out complexion is fairly straightforward — the darker your skin tone appears in natural light, the darker your complexion. Determining your skin tone is a bit more involved, but will only take a second. Take a look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. If they're blue, you have a cool skin tone. If they're green, you have a warm skin tone. If you can't tell whether they're blue or green, you have a neutral skin tone.
Got it? Good.
When choosing a nude lipstick, it's important not to go too light or too dark. On the one end, you'll look like a corpse, and on the other you'll look like you're trying to pull off brown lipstick (which is very popular at the moment, but a totally different look!). Match the shade to the color of your lips instead of your skin for the best results.
Here are some picks for the best nude lipsticks for every skin tone.
1. For Warm, Fair Skin
Surrat Lipslique Lipstick In Chuchoter, $34, Sephora
Choose a nude shade with a bit of pink in it to draw out the warm undertones in fair skin. Otherwise, you risk looking like you're wearing concealer on your lips!
2. For Cool, Ivory Skin
She's A Doll Maven Matte, $22, Motives Cosmetics
Yes, girls with pale skin — you can wear a nude lip! Pick a product that goes on soft and sheer, and avoid anything white-based or overly caramel because it can wash you out.
3. For Olive Skin With Golden Undertones
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Nude Kate, $34, Nordstrom
Leave it to world famous makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury to come up with the perfect shade of nude. For olive skin, use a shiny beige like this one with more pink than yellow in it to compliment your natural undertones.
4. For Medium Tan Skin
Kardashian Beauty Lip Plumping Shimmer Gloss In Boosted Beige Nude, $6, Amazon
To bring out your natural tan (you lucky lady), try a shimmery, sheer nude that will make your lips look sun kissed.
4. For Caramel Skin
Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss In Almost Pink, $26, Sephora
Choose something sheer and peachy, which will give your skin a warm glow.
5. For Mocha Skin
NARS Lip Gloss In Stolen Kisses, $26, Sephora
Choose a rosy shade with metallic flecks — like NARS's "Stolen Kisses" — to complement the richness of your skin tone.
7. For Dark Skin
Cover Girl Queen Collection In Mocha Locha, $12, Amazon
Cover Girl's Queen Collection has a lot of fabulous nude shades, but this one is especially gorgeous because of its shimmery golden undertones.
Images: Courtesy of Brands
