After checking out the recent New York Times article, “How To Wear Nude Lips Without Looking Washed Out” we were intrigued. We reached out to celebrity makeup artists, beauty experts, bloggers, and BeautyStat.com readers for tips and their take on how to wear the trend. From fair skin to dark and every shade in between, we’ve got you covered.
We asked, Sam Fine, Celebrity Makeup Artist and author of Fine Beauty, “how can women of color rock the nude lip”? He says, “Nude lipstick is a trend that’s here to stay! It’s the perfect way to bring emphasis to other features – brows, eyes, lashes, cheeks, etc. – while allowing lips to appear effortlessly enhanced. Women of color come in a range of shades, so selecting the perfect nude will take trial and error.” Having worked with several celebrities who enjoy the look, he follows this approach:
- Select a brown lip liner, one or two shades deeper than your skin tone.
- Don’t simply line the mouth, feather the liner towards the center of the lip, so it blends effortlessly when applying lipstick.
- Choose a color one shade lighter than your complexion. Look for shades with a hint of pink, so lips always look inviting and not too cold.
- Make sure the lipstick provides good coverage (many women of color have varying shades of lip color, so this tip is important!)
- Layer a coordinating gloss in beige or gold to add “life” and “dimension” to nude lipstick which can go flat when used on deeper skintones.
Sam Fine with supermodel Chanel Iman
Supermodel Iman wearing a beautiful nude lipcolor
We also wanted to know how the stunning Christina, of The Makeup Blogger, wears her nude lip. “As I have gotten older I find that a nude lip is sexier, and helps me to pop my eyes with a sultry shadow without looking overdone. Nude lips are sultry, feminine and easy to wear. I always start with a nude, waterproof lipliner such as IT Cosmetics YLBB in Blushing Nude and then top it with a gloss from Jouer or Hourglass cosmetics.”
Kristin Booker, of FashionStyleBeauty.com loves a nude lip and told us, “I’ve always been a fan of nude lips, and by “nude” I mean an amplified version of your own lip color rather than the actual color of your skin (that part of the 90’s needs to stay gone, in my opinion.) I’ve been wearing nude lips more often due to the demands on my schedule, and it makes putting my face together after a workout much, much easier. For me, I ride and die by NARS Lip Gloss in Stolen Kisses : it’s been my personal perfect nude for eight years now. It’s soft, beautiful, and doesn’t settle into fine lines. If I feel like I want to make more of a statement, I love Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Strip, which is still a nude but slightly more present. Either way, I think nude lips paired with a little complexion corrector, a gorgeous glow and a good mascara is absolutely elegance with minimal effort.” We love this nude on Kristin!
NARS Stolen Kisses, $26; narscosmetics.com:
Jeannine Morris, Beauty & Wellness Expert (JeannineMorris.com), always looks beautiful and below she wears a lovely nude. “Occasionally I’ll wear a nude lip and love Tom Ford Lipstick in Blush Nude. The pinkish undertone goes nicely with my skin tone and keeps me from looking corpse-like.
Tom Ford Lipstick in Blush Nude, $50; tomford.com:
Fair skinned beauties like Charlize Theron look best in a soft dusty pink hue. Too dark and you risk looking washed out. Here Theron used Dior Addict Lip Glow, and Dior Rouge Nude Lipstick in Indiscrete #228 at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards.
Medium skin tones, like Jennifer Lopez look amazing in a pink-toned nude that is lighter than the skin to add separation between the lip and skin. At this year’s Golden Globes Makeup artist Mary Phillips was the genius behind the singer’s ultra-glam makeup. She kept the focus on the beautiful smoky eye by leaving the lips nude (created with Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Lip Pencil #1 and the L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pro Lip Color in Neverending Nutmeg). Her eyes were comprised of L’Oréal Paris Infallible Smokissime Powder Eyeliner in Brown Smoke with a touch of the taupe, gold and brown hues from the Infallible Eye Shadow Crayon.
Kerry Washington at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards looked fabulous with Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in #23, a pretty satin beige.
And hey, you don’t have to be a celebrity to perfect this look. We asked Sherrie and Anne, two BeautyStat.com readers (and nieces to Ron Robinson, BeautyStat.com founder) to show us their take on the look. While Sherrie (top) wears MAC Cosmetics Amplified Lipstick in Saint Germain, a more pinkish shade, Anne wears a more neutral tone with MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Jubilee and both look amazing.
MAC Cosmetics Amplified Lipstick in Saint Germain, $16; maccosmetics.com:
MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Jubilee, $16; maccosmetics.com:
Don’t underestimate the power of a nude lip. It is versatile enough to be paired with a smoky eye or with a minimal makeup look that still looks sexy – far from boring! From a neutral brown to the palest peach, there are a variety of ways you can steal the show with your pout.
You can purchase all products reviewed and mentioned on BeautyStat.com!
What is your favorite nude lip color?
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– Allycia Wilson
You can follow Allycia on Instagram and Twitter @lisalacquer
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