How to find the perfect Nude Lipstick
It goes without saying that the perfect nude can really tie your whole makeup look together, if done right.
Finding the perfect shade can be somewhat challenging because you don’t want a colour that will wash you out and you also want something that will complement the complexion of your skin in the best way.
Starting off with natural looks can be a fantastic way to build your makeup journey.
A nude lip is versatile in that it goes well with both natural and more extravagant makeup looks. It’s just an all-rounder to be honest.
So, without further ado, here are a few tips and tricks to finding the ultimate perfect nude:
- Discover your skin tone
Understanding your complexion in depth is key to matching your nude lipstick perfectly. Are you more on the warm or cool side? Are you quite fair or do you have olive-toned skin or really dark skin?
Knowing where on the spectrum your skin complexion lies will make it a whole lot less complicated in finding the correct shade; and believe me, it can get overwhelming especially when there are hundreds of shades and brands to choose from.
TIP: If you’re just starting out with makeup, I recommend starting with brands that are more affordable just in case you purchase the wrong shade, finish etc. This will save you tons of money and besides, you’re still experimenting to see what you like/don’t like so if you end up hating what you bought, at least you won’t be able to say that it was a waste of an investment. Then, when you’ve found the shades you love, you can look into investing into more luxury products and brands.
- Find those veins
This may seem like a bit of an odd recommendation but look at your veins. Examining the colour of the veins in your wrist is a sure-fire way to determine your skin’s undertones.
Here’s a quick guide:
- Purple and blue à cool skin tone
- Green à warm skin tone
- Unsure à it’s probably somewhere in between which means you have a more neutral skin tone
- Decide on finishes
Now, the size of your lips and your personal preferences play a part in this decision. You have the options of matte, satin, shimmery and glossy lipstick finishes, and it really is based on what you like for yourself.
Some like to play up the curvaceous shape of their lips while others prefer to keep a more subtle and muted look. It can also depend on the look that you’re trying to achieve. For example, it’s quite common to do a nude, matte lip look with a very smoky, shimmery eye – that’s a classic. Or you can do a shimmery (lipsticks with microscopic glitter specks) or glossy lip to accentuate your olive skin tone and barely-there eye makeup.
This is where the fun comes in because you can experiment until your heart’s content and stumble upon your favourite combo while doing so.
Now bear in mind, there are a few key rules to play by when choosing a nude lipstick shade.
For fairer skin tones, you want something that has even the subtlest hint of pink because you don’t want to appear ghostly. That pop of pink will bring life back to your face and really define your lips – see image of Zendaya (above right)
The ladies with more mocha/olive skin tones, you want lipstick shades that have warmer undertones or shades that are somewhat darker than your own complexion. This is to avoid looking drab. Experiment with shades that have peach or brown undertones as seen on the image of Rihanna above.
With darker skin tones, you want to play up shades that are milk chocolate or dark chocolate in nature. Matte or glossy will both work here depending on the look you’re going for. It can be something editorial as seen on Duckie above or something more understated.
In all three pictures, you will notice that the lip ties the whole look together. You want that when you put on a lip, your makeup feels complete and there is nothing left to be done.
Ultimately, go with your intuition. You may be new to the makeup game, but I promise you that you will know when something does not look right. If all else fails, wipe it off and try again. That’s the beauty of makeup.