Nude but not the naked kind!
I’ve got a glam event to go to like a wedding or a celebratory girls night out. You know the kind, full eyelash application, a smoky eye, drama all over your face and all you need is a smooth nude to finish off the look. Not too yellow or your teeth will look like they’re crashing the party and not too dark or it’ll clash with the eye-work you just completed. Which nude is the right nude?
What is nude?
Well, according to Merriam-Webster, it is Devoid of natural or conventional covering or the appearance of nudity or having a colour that matches the wearer’s skin.
That last one hit the nail on the head! Let’s talk about what NUDE isn’t and no I’m not talking about that beach with the hairy overweight man that we shouldn’t have visited in the first place…eeewww! 😫
For as long as I can remember, nude was that peachy “flesh-tone” colour in my pencil crayon case that I was told to use if I was colouring in people during class. No one in the class was this colour but it was the colour used for White people and then somehow all representations of people whilst I was colouring. For some reason it was that way in the Cosmetics Industry as well. Nude meant wearing a colour that DID NOT translate as an “appearance of nudity” on any people of colour even if your colour was barely there. For people like me with a rich Mocha-Chocolate skin tone and yellow undertones, it meant that my lips looked ashy or dry if I decided to wear ‘nude’ and that I had to wear a brown something advertised as a brown something in order to find my nude. So let’s recap: Nude even for white people is NOT that peachy stuff that makes your lips look like they need hydration, it is a colour that matches your natural colour to give the appearance of not wearing anything at all.
But NUDES have developed and come a long way since then, THANK GOD! For people with two-toned lips like me, this is a God-send and it makes finding a nude so much easier. Nudes are not just what matches your skin tone, but also shades in that colour spectrum that could. What a world of possibilities! See some of my discoveries from both drug store and luxurious brands below.
First on the list was this beautiful coral brown by Juvia’s Place called Libra. It is a creamy matte that I thought may be wrong until I wore it with confidence, and isn’t confidence what we really need to wear anyway?
I decided to continue with lipsticks in the traditional sense, but make no mistake, these hippies only give the appearance of tradition. I applied Hot Cocoa by Bobbi Brown. This satin finish is one of my faves and I’m sad that it’s almost at its end. It is moisturizing and has a finish that is more of a shine than that greasy look one might obtain after biting into fried chicken.
This next one is the one I was really scared about. I have flashbacks of my school-age years every time I pick it up. But what is great to remember is that your lips are YOUR lips, so mix and match and see what happens. This next combo is a mix of L’Oréal’s Utmost Taupe in a matte finish on top of Bobbi Brown’s Hot Cocoa. The slight ombré effect makes the taupe much more attractive and because it’s lighter in colour whist being heavier in texture, I get my ombre look to last a little longer than it would have in just a satin finish.
This next one is very similar to the last two and yet seems to be different. L’Oréal created a colour in a satin finish called Toasted Almond. I love this colour for a quick and easy finish to a subtle look or to add to the smoky eye I’m playing with here. It is more of an Orange-Peachy shade, but it’s a shade I don’t mind reapplying and it looks great with my Summer glow as well as with my Winter fade.
This next one surprised me when it joined the drawer and me a few weeks ago. When the sun was still providing us here in Canada with warm rays and not just daylight indicators, I bought Somebody to Love by NARS. This is a liquid lipstick that is also mask-proof-take that pandemic! Instead of having to carry the lipstick and hope for a chance to apply before that zoom call, you can just appear ready. In the store, this was a match for my top lip, but as I tried it in different lighting I began to see the depth of the plum undertones in this brown. This one goes on easy and is not heavy nor does it crack the lips because it isn’t too drying even as it dries. This nude is a winner for me.
Lipli by NYX Lingerie is the closest match I have ever seen to my top lip. Now I told you in Post #1 that I have two-toned lips, well usually I’m just trying to find something that will make both lips agree on a look for the day, but I don’t usually find a match.It almost looks like my lips could disappear or be totally naked while being fully covered. This one also feels velvety. Win-win for me!
Did you know that pink is a nude?! It is on somebody and it is for my bottom lip. I get to have fun with this one because it’s kind of a cheat. Because I know that certain pinks are a match with my bottom lip, they get a pass as my nude. Which lippies help you cheat successfully? I love this one my Paba Cosmetics called Pout. And rightfully so!
Now I could not leave out the Superstay Matte Ink collection by Maybelline. For a few years now, these three colours have been my go-to teacher-appropriate-nudes. Just for the record, I am an appropriate teacher in any shade, thank you very much! As mentioned in previous posts, I have a lot of this collection because it proved itself in staying power and pigments. This will always have even coverage and will blend in or stand out in any look. The colours are Amazonian, a beautiful brown, Seductress, one I usually use to blend for ombre effects in the centre of my lips with either of these shades, and lastly, Fighter. Fighter is a burnt orange-brown that pops while being nude.
Last, but certainly, not least is Malt by Anastasia. This liquid lipstick is bold while being nude. There goes that confidence thing again. It calmly yet sure-footedly stands out without stealing the show. It is soft and has quite a bit of staying power. I couldn’t have picked a better way to end this post and I also can’t believe these were just some of the nudes in my lipstick drawer. Yes, I have more and I’m not ashamed, ha!
Well, how do you wear your not-so-naked nude? Let me know by tagging me on Instagram @thelipstickblogger I’d love to learn from you too! Whatever you wear, whether really in the nude or just the lip wear kind, #wearitlikeyoumeanit my love! Stay safe out there!
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