How to find the Perfect Lipstick | The Nudes

Oh, the quest for the perfect nude... If you're anything like me you might find the search can be long and tiresome. There are so many finishes and undertones that its hard to find the right shade that can compliment your skin tone. Get it wrong and the result is no look anyone wants to sport - Concealer Lips!!!!  

Today I've highlighted a few shades and finishes that might help you find, and choose your perfect nude lipstick.

The Sheer Nudes

Left- Mac 'Pattisserie'   Right - Mac 'Peach Blossom'

These finishes are really good for super pale people, go too pink or beige in flat opaque colours and the results can be very unflattering. If you're at the other end of the spectrum and are super tanned, these sheer shades also look gorgeous and compliment a healthy tan perfectly.

The Peach/Brown Nudes

Left - DHC Premium Lipstick 'Rose Gold' (*)   Right - Mac 'Shy Girl'

These shades are great for fair skinned girls as the warm pigment separates the lips from the rest of the face and avoids looking corpse like! The shades also compliment skin tones with olive and yellow undertones - but try picking shades with a gloss or sheen to them so they don't look flat, and not going for a shade the same colour as your skin. Go either lighter (on darker skin types) or darker (on lighter skin types), so the shade doesn't erase all the life out of your face.

The Pink Nudes

Left - BeautyUk 'Son of a Peach'(*)   Right - Mac 'Crème Cup'

This picture shows what happens if you go too light and matte with your nude lip. 'Son of a Peach' is a pale cooled toned pink, that for my colourings is far too pale and is definitely a contender in the perfect concealer lip category!

Flat nude shades are never that flattering so its always good to choose a shade that has a slight sheen, opt for a satin finish oppose to a flat out matte shade. Pink undertones can compliment both fair and darker skin types with a yellow/olive undertone, but pale girls with redness and pink in their skin may need something a little warmer to liven up their complexion.

The Pink/Beige Nudes

Left -Apocalips 'Nude Eclipse'(*)   Right - Illamasqua 'Rosepout'

These shades sit somewhere in the middle of the pink and brown spectrum, your skins natural undertones will either bring out the pink or brown pigments in the lip shade. These can be a little tricky to wear as they can mimic your skin tone and make you look washed out  if you don't pick the right shade. The main thing to remember is that if you're pale you need to go a shade darker than your skin tone, and if you're darker you need too go a shade lighter than your skin tone, his will stop the face looking like a blank canvas and give it some structure and definition.

I hope this has helped you out a little and steered you into finding your perfect nude lip shade!

Let me know what your favourite nude lipstick is!

*Pr Samples. All thoughts are of course my own.