Watching tons of makeup videos has brought one thing to the spotlight: there is no single perfect nude lipstick shade. People love to throw around the term “the perfect nude” but one person’s nude is another person’s concealer lips, all thanks to colour theory and relative contrast. Finding one’s favourite nude lipstick shade completely depends on their skin tone and undertone; understanding both is the key to a successful find. Read on to understand what nude lipsticks mean, how to understand your skin, and what lipsticks to reach out for.
What Exactly is a Nude Lipstick?
A nude shade is basically a lipstick colour that near perfectly matches the natural colour of your lips. Think your lips but better. It fits perfectly with a heavy eye look or a clean girl aesthetic and is the easiest choice to make when you’re wrapping up your makeup look.
How to Figure Out Your Skin Tone and Undertone?
Before you go shopping at your closest makeup store, let’s understand the basics of skin tone and undertones:
Skin tones:
Skin tone refers to the colour of your skin, which is determined by the amount of melanin in your body. Skin tones can be light, medium or dark and all the shades in between. Looking for the right nude lipstick shade according to your skin tone is important: a bold brown could be one person’s perfect nude, but look way too dark on another because of the lighter tone that surrounds the lips.
Undertones:
Skin undertones are the shades of colour underneath your skin tone. This could be warm (red/pinkish), neutral (like olive) or cool (yellowish). You can figure out your undertone by checking the colour of your veins. If it’s green, it’s warm. If it’s blue, it’s cool. And if it’s both, you’re neutral. Looking for the right nude lipstick shade according to your undertone is also important: a warm pink may be perfect for one undertone but could completely wash out another. However, neutral undertones can probably rock either options.
How to Find the Right Nude Lipstick
Now that we’ve understood the basics, let’s understand some tips on how to find the right nude lipstick:
- Go for a nude lipstick shade that is the colour of the outline of your lips. This is generally darker than the rest of your lips.
- If you have two-toned lips, find a pigmented lipstick to even out the tones.
- Some say pinching your pointer finger or examining the colour of your nipples can show you your perfect nude.
The Best Nude Lipstick Shade According to Your Skin Tone
Light skin tone:
For very fair skin, you might want to consider a pinkish nude lipstick shade to match naturally pink lips. Warm undertones can go for peachy shades while cooler undertones can go for a more cool pink. If you want a brownish colour, try beige hues instead.
Smytten’s picks:
Medium skin tone:
People with medium skin tones can opt for slightly more yellow (for cooler undertones) or orange (for warmer undertones) hues to match the skin shade. Going for a slightly darker pink (mauve or light berry), brown or beige ensures that it suits your skin and doesn’t wash you out.
Smytten’s picks:
Dark skin tone:
Lipsticks with red and berry colours work best for those with dark skin with cool undertones, while terracotta and oranges are for those with warmer undertones. For brown options, ensure to go bold and pick up a lipstick shade that is at least one colour darker than the skin tone.
Smytten’s picks:
How to Use Your Nude Lipstick
Using a nude lipstick shade is an easy task with simple steps as follows:
- Exfoliate your lips to even out your lip’s colour as much as possible. Wear SPF-infused lip balms to prevent further pigmentation.
- Prep with a lip balm to moisturise a few minutes beforehand.
- Wipe off the lip balm and swipe the lipstick across the bottom and top of your lips; you can use a lip liner of the same shade or slightly darker to give the look some depth.
Finding your perfect nude lipstick shade might seem like a daunting task, but with the right knowledge about your skin tone and undertone, it becomes a fun and rewarding journey. Remember, makeup is all about expressing yourself, so don’t be afraid to experiment and try out different shades until you find the one that feels just right. Whether you’re rocking a bold eye look or going for that effortless, everyday vibe, the perfect nude lipstick shade is out there waiting for you. So, go ahead and explore, swatch away at your local makeup store and hunt down “the perfect nude”!
