Going Nude: Finding the Right Nude Lipstick

Nude lipstick can be tricky. Depending on your skin tone a colour can look great on one person and totally unflattering on the next. I used to think this was a look reserved for the JLo’s and Kardashian’s of the world. Every time I tried on what classified as a “nude” lipstick I ended up looking like a ghost. Not cute. Probably not a good thing that I started off with MAC’s Myth, which if you don’t know is almost white. With the right makeup it looks stunning, but on me I looked ridiculous lol. So I returned it and over the last few months I have been trying out nude lip colours in a variety of shades and textures.

I still haven’t found one that I completely love, but I’m getting closer! These are the top 4 I have at the moment, if you have suggestions for a nude lip colour you love please let me know!

Limited Edition MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2

I’m not sure if this shade is still available in stores but it might be! It’s from the Lady Gaga Viva Glam collaboration in 2010, though I recall still seeing it at MAC a few months ago.

This MAC lipstick is a light warm beige with an Amplified finish. Amplified means that it’s semi-matte and is more creamy and pigmented  than other MAC lipsticks. It’s not very warm (meaning there’s not much pink in this baby) so it may be a little unflattering on some people with cool skin tone, but you just have to try it on!

It is a little streaky so I had to really work at it to get it smooth, and I found it quite drying. I would suggest applying a lip balm first to keep your lips looking hydrated! This is my least favourite because I think the colour just blends into the rest of my face. It’s almost too close to my skin tone. Maybe with a really smokey eye I cold pull it off? I’m still not sure.

theBalm Plump Your Pucker Tinted Gloss in Cocoa by Coconut

This lip plumping gloss is a sheer nude shade that is perfect for someone looking to experiment with a neutral lip without jumping right into lipstick. It offers a nice wash of colour without being too pigmented and the formula is great.

It contains vitamin C to hydrate and reduce the look of fine lines and menthol to give you a tingly sensation that helps the circulation to your lips. Some say the increased circulation can create a plumping effect though I never experienced that.

This gloss smells like chocolate and coconuts, which is an added bonus! This isn’t my favourite out of the bunch but I could see myself wearing it over a stain or a pink lipstick. Alone I think it sort of washes me out, which is not what I’m going for! : )

MAC Lipstick in Hue

This lipstick is a Glaze finish which MAC explains as “Low-colour impact with sheen-style finish. Glazes the lips, makes them shine.”

This shade is considered a pale pink but most reviews I’ve read call it a pink nude. This one is more sheer than the Viva Glam Gaga 2 and definitely has a more glossy finish. This is the most pink out of them all, and for that reason it’s my favourite.

It’s the one that doesn’t make me feel like I look totally washed out, and it’s a bit more moisturizing than the Viva Glam Gaga too. I am really happy with this one!

TOO FACED Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude

This neutral nude is the most pigmented of all. Too Face explains the melted lipstick as “The shine of a gloss, lasting power of a stain, and pigment-packed color of a liquid lipstick, all in one high-impact formula.”

In the store this looked like a straight up nude but after swatching it against the others it looks much more copper. I am obsessed with the formula of this gloss, it’s on the thicker side but it applies like a dream. I found there to be no streaking at all and the sponge applicator was easy to work with. It’s very long lasting, though it did dry my lips out a bit. I’d throw on a chapstick or balm underneath just to keep your lips moisturized.

This colour is the most 90’s (aka I could totally see Buffy Summers wearing this shade) but I don’t even care. This is my second favourite!

Left to right: theBalm Plump Your Pucker Tinted Gloss in Cocoa by Coconut, MAC Lipstick in Hue, TOO FACED Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Nude, Limited Edition MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 

Which is your favourite? Do you have a nude lipstick that is your go-to? Let me know in the comments : )