If you know me well, you’ll know that I’m obsessed with the colour nude. Clothes, makeup, nails, shoes. I’ll have one of everything in nude, please. So it’s no surprise that I have an entire drawer in my kit dedicated completely to nude lip products. And yes, before you roll your eyes, they’re all different in their own special way, OK!
So, for the purpose of this post, I’ve split down all my favourite into my top 5 lipsticks, liquids, liners and glosses. These are my most reached for products to use on my clients and on myself. I’ve swatched them all from lightest to darkest in natural light and with flash, with a description of the finishes and undertones, so that you’re totally clued up if you’re looking for a new staple nude. They’re all fabulous on their own, but even better mixed together and layered up. Keep scrolling to see the full lowdown…
Lipstick
First is the most obvious choice – lipstick. Pretty much all of the lipsticks in my kit are from MAC cosmetics. I find that they have the widest range of colours and finishes, and the quality never fails. My favourite MAC lipstick formula is definitely Satin Finish or Amplified Crème, as they’re really pigmented and creamy without feeling drying or a bit too matte. I’d say that my absolute favourite is Spirit – it has the same cool, grungy tones as the infamous Velvet Teddy, but because it’s a Satin Finish rather than Matte, it’s more comfortable to wear. It suits almost everyone, but I think it looks especially amazing on tanned skin as a ‘your lips but better’ shade. These are my most reached for shades:
MAC Myth (£16.50) – Satin finish, light neutral nude
MAC Blankety (£16.50) – Amplified Crème, light pink beige
MAC Cherish (£16.50) – Satin finish, peachy beige
MAC Velvet Teddy (£16.50) – Matte finish, deep beige with mauve undertones
MAC Spirit (£16.50) – Satin finish, muted deep mauve
Liquid Lipstick
Liquid lipsticks are a relatively new phenomenon in the makeup world, but let’s face it – they’ve basically taken over the universe so it would be silly not to include them. Whilst I admit I rarely use them on myself as I’m much more of a gloss girl, I love using them on my clients. I love mixing them together to create unique matte shades, which is really easy due to the fact that they’re so creamy before they actually set. I also love applying them as a base underneath gloss to intensify the colour and to ensure that my clients lip colour stays in place for much longer.
If you choose to use a liquid lipstick, it’s really important to prep your lips before with a good scrub and lip balm. I’d really recommend the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme’s as a starting point if you’re new to the world of liquid lipsticks – they’re much more lightweight and comfortable than other formulas, which can feel quite intense as they tend to set very matte and are designed to be longwearing. I pick up most of my liquid lipsticks from NYX Cosmetics, as they have a huge range of nude shades and are super affordable. My favourite has to be Cairo – I love filling in my lips with a darker nude lip liner, and then blending a small amount of Cairo to the centre of the lips to add dimension. Here are my favourite shades:
NYX Cairo (£5.50) – Soft matte finish, light neutral beige
NYX Satin Ribbon (£6.50) – Matte finish, light beige with pink undertones
NYX Athens (£5.50) – Soft matte finish, medium beige with peach undertones
NYX Corset (£6.50) – Matte finish, medium beige with very cool undertones
NYX Liquid Suede Sandstorm (£6.50) – Matte finish, deep brown nude
Lip Liner
Oh lip liner, where do I begin. You’ve changed our lives for the better, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Seriously though, what did we ever do before?!
Lip liner is definitely my most reached for lip product. On a day to day, I’ll use nothing but a little touch of nude liner and some lip balm and I’m good to go. For a night out, I always fill in my lips first before applying a gloss over the top. And on my clients, I’ll always apply a liner as a base, which is sometimes enough on it’s own, otherwise I’ll layer other products over the top. My all time favourite lip liner has to be Stripdown by MAC. It’s the perfect brown nude, slightly darker than most lip colours but not too overpowering, and it blends really well with other colours. Here are the rest of my favourites:
Bobby Brown Ballet Pink (£17.50) – Light mauve
Mac Cultured (£13.00) – Medium beige with mauve undertones
NYX Sugar Glass (£5.50) – Neutral medium beige
Mac Stripdown (£13.00) – Medium beige with brown undertones
NYX Mauve (£3.00) – True medium mauve
Lip Gloss
If you’re a gloss girl like me, you’ll know how important it is to find the perfect formula. Just enough colour but still kinda sheer, not too shimmery but not too flat, not too sticky but just enough to add something special. So when you find something that works, you have to cling onto that little tube of magic for all it’s worth. That why I always stay stocked up on these glosses and buy them over and over again. My holy grail has to be Madeleine by NYX, as it’s totally neutral and just adds a nice hint of caramel to the lips.
I know gloss isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love wearing it lately because it makes the lips look much fuller and softer, it’s super low maintenance as it doesn’t leave anything behind when it wears off, and basically it makes you feel like J-lo and who the hell wouldn’t want that?
Here are my favourites:
MAC Boy Bait (£17.50) – Light peachy beige with pearlescent finish
NYX Fortune Cookie (£5.50) – Light neutral beige
NYX Madeleine (£5.50) – Medium beige with brown undertones
Kylie Like ($15.00/£12.24) – Medium/Dark beige with warm brown undertones
MAC Spite (£15.00) – Medium/Dark beige with plum undertones
I hope you enjoyed this post and have found a new nude little number (or 5) to add to your wish list!
G x
Georgia Tobiasen 