How to choose the perfect nude lipstick for darker skin tones

I was watching one of my favourite YouTubers yesterday and as she was getting ready, she applied some nude lipstick that left me cringing. She usually gets it right but this one time I didn’t find that particular lip colour flattering. If anything, I found that it left her looking ashy. I immediately thought of those days, as kids, when we would lick our lips until they were grey!

A nude lipstick should compliment and even enhance your natural skin tone (Photo: Instagram @kellyrowland)

Nude lipsticks have become popular especially if you’re going for a no make-up make-up look. Our Caucasian sisters seem to have it in the bag when it comes to nude lipsticks. Most of them just have to go for light pink shades that easily blend in with their natural lip colour.

For us dark skinned girls, the challenge of finding the right nude lipstick still remains. This is inspite of make-up brands coming out with what they promise to be the perfect nude lipstick. I, for one, prefer to use a brown lip liner to which I add lip balm because the liner alone can be quite dry.

Below are tips to help you the next time you go out to buy a nude lipstick.

Match it to your undertone too (Photo: Instagram @violadavis)

1. Know your skin tone

Nude lipstick should not only blend in with your overall natural skin tone but with your lip colour as well.

Darker skinned women tend to have pigmented lips. Before applying your lipstick, even out your lip skin tone by using either powder or concealer. This will help the lipstick stand out more and last longer.

2. Undertones

You either have a warm or cool undertone. Golden or caramel shades are best suited for warm undertones whereas richer chocolate brown lip colours look better on cooler undertones.

Pair a nude lip with bold eyes to balance out the overall look (Photo: Instagram @marsaimartin)

3. Try out the lipstick first

Many a make-up artist have spoken against trying out foundation at the back of your hand. This is because the colour of your hands is not a true representation of your face. The same holds true for lipstick.

Try out nude lipstick on your lips to see if it really compliments your skin tone.

4. Define your lips

Lining your lips helps define your lips even more. Do this before applying lipstick but you can apply the liner on your entire lip to deepen the colour of your lipstick.

According to make-up artist Curro Martinez, pair a nude lipstick with a darker lip liner whose undertone matches that of the lipstick you are applying.

Use a lip liner to further define your lips and deepen the colour of the lipstick (Photo: Instagram @gabunion)

5. Balance out your make-up

Because nude lips are understated, you need to create a balance with your overall make-up. Bold eyes in the form of bold eyeshadow or a winged eyeliner will compliment your natural-looking lips.

Once you get your perfect shade of nude lipstick, you are one step closer to perfecting your no make-up make-up look.