La vie en NUDE: In search of a perfect nude lip

Lately, the whole beauty community seems to be in the search of a perfect nude lip color. Even though there are countless options on the market, not every color will suit every skin tone, and finding the right color, might prove to be quite a difficult task.

For me, it all started quite a long time ago (way before Kylie and her lips) when I finally stopped buying pinks and corals that looked pretty on the display, but didn't suit me. 

My first love was, now unfortunately no longer available, Deborah Rossetto 24 Ore power in 09. 

It was a nude with a warm, red-ish undertone that eased my transition from reds to nudes. With a creamy texture and a matte finish, this quickly became my all-time-favorite lipstick. Due to everyday use, it was quickly running out, and thus began my everlasting mission to find a perfect nude.

Lately, I accumulated quite a number of different nudes in my makeup collection and thought it was about time I share them with you.

MAC matte lipstick in Mehr

This was my first MAC lipstick and I was incredibly glad with the shade I chose. The lipstick is smooth and creamy, with a semi-matte finish. The lipstick is incredibly long-lasting and has a pleasant vanilla scent. The color is what I find to be a perfect nude for my skin tone. With a strong brown undertone, it compliments my slightly darker, olive skin tone perfectly.  Even though it quite expensive, I'd say that this would be a gem in any nude lover's collection.

KIKO smart lip pencil in 712

Before finding the MAC lipstick, this lip pencil was my absolute favorite nude. It was an accidental find while browsing the store and it quickly became one of my favorites. Only after buying the MAC lipstick and trying them out together, I realized that they are more or less identical in color. The lip pencil is smoother and fades quicker, but other than that, they are perfect dupes.  With a very affordable price, the pencil might be a perfect way to find an awesome nude without breaking the bank.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in 101 Celestial

These lip lacquers were highly praised in the beauty community and there are two of the darker shades in my collection that I love and use all the time. I recently bought this shade, and it turned out to be a perfect nude. The lip lacquers are known to be smooth, long-lasting and highly pigmented, and this shade is not an exception. It's a rosy nude shade that gives the lips a high-shine finish. It's very long-lasting for a lip-gloss hybrid, and also stains a little bit, leaving the lips slightly colored for a long time. Even though I prefer matte finishes, this is an incredibly gorgeous product and is a great addition to my nude collection.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 07 Nude-ist

Another one of highly praised product is the Bourjois Nude-ist. I had extremely high hopes for it and was so excited when I finally got it. The product itself is lovely, I'm just not completely sure about the shade. I was hoping for a brown nude, but this is more of a pink/red shade and not so much a nude, at least on my skin tone.  The texture is very creamy and demands a bit more attention when applying. The effect on the lips is extremely smooth and has a semi-matte finish when it dries. It leaves a stain on the lips, and fades evenly. It's not my absolute favorite of the bunch, but is a great option when I want a bit more color on the lips.

Essence long-lasting lipstick in 05 Cool nude

This is the most affordable among these and might be a great product for someone trying to get into nudes.  As the name would suggest, it is a brown nude with a cool undertone.  It is very smooth and applies evenly on the lips. The texture is almost balm-like, but has a better color pay-off. Even though I love the shade, it simply doesn't work on my lips. Still, I think the color is gorgeous for those with fair skin –click here to see a post on the Passing Fancy blog, the lipstick looks absolutely gorgeous on her!

Sleek Matte Me Ultra Smooth matte lip cream in 436 Birthday Suit

The last but not least in this post is the newest to my collection. This was on my wish list for the longest time, and I finally bought it. The name isn't lying; this is the most matte finish you can possibly get. When it dries, it looks almost like your lips are made of velvet. The shade is a warm toned nude, very similar to my natural lip color, but different enough that it makes sense to wear it. When applied, the lips look like a perfect, matte version of my lips. Because of the finish, the lasting power of the lipstick is truly remarkable. It stayed intact through the whole meal and lasted several hours more.

There is no doubt that my nude lipstick collection will expand through time, but I believe that some of these will remain among my favorite lipsticks.

What is your favorite nude shade?

Thanks for reading and see you in my next post!

Rawr,

 your Beautysaur