The word ‘Nude’ pops up in many beauty conversations… Nude, meaning barely there, or skin tone like, and in texture talk, feeling as light as makeup can be, these all describe the word nude when makeup is concerned.
By Michael Brown
The overall nude trend in makeup has hit it big the past few seasons. We are all wearing lighter coverage foundations, lighter textures and lighter tones in cheeks and eyes, creating a more contoured, shape defining makeup look.
When it comes to lips we are seeing either extreme bold looks, with plums, reds and fuchsia hitting it big on red carpets and runways internationally, or extremely nude shades, leaving the in-between shades at the bottom of makeup bags everywhere. But how do we master the nude lip trend without looking dead?
Take Julianne Hough’s look (pictured above) from the recent Golden Globe awards red carpet. This is the perfect nude. It doesn’t look like there’s nothing on her lips and balances evenly with the amount of focus on the eyes – it’s all about her lash line! Not everyone can wear nude well, some women need that little bit of colour to give them a lift, but for some nude can be brilliant for calming down sensitive or red/pink based skins.
First thing is to look at your skin tone and see what colour you can see MORE of… If you are more yellow tone, and sometimes being a dull yellow base, you may look better wearing a brighter lip and less eye makeup for that perfect balance but if you are dreaming of a nude lip look for your next occasion, choose your nude lip wisely!
Try a peach or slightly pink nude, rather than a straight beige, this will still give a hint of freshness to your overall look and team with a matching hint of blush on the apple of the cheek to keep everything youthful.
If you are seeing a lot of redness, blotchy parts or just pink based skin, sometimes a straight beige nude, like Julianne’s pictured, is perfect to balance out and tone down the look of your rosy skin tone. Adding anything pink or too bright to this skin tone can be a disaster, causing more focus on a skin tone that most want tamed.
There are two types of beige nudes, a slightly golden nude or the grey nude. The grey being a pretty much ‘nothing’ look on the lip, it is slightly duller and is a hit on many runways and Kim Kardashian is often sporting this look. It can work on someone like Kim K, as her skin tone has warmth through it already, plus her heavier eye makeup and shading gives a balanced focus to her overall look. But, someone of Julianne’s skin tone really needs the extra pop of the golden nude to give warmth and a slightly stronger depth to wear it well.
MB Pro Tip: Don’t just buy any nude you see advertised or if your friend is wearing it. Think about your skin tone and think does my skin need some brightening, or does it need to be toned down? You will then find the best shade of nude for you.
My new love of nudes was found when I used a Burberry Beauty Nude lipstick on the Gorgeous Jesinta Campbell for Wednesday night’s David Jones Autumn/Winter Collections Launch. I normally always use bold lipsticks on Jesinta, but we both felt it was all about a nude lip for her overall look. Burberry Beauty Lip Cover in Nude Beige No.1, $49 is a real beauty, imagine that in your hand bag for touch ups!
Now that you know how to pick the correct nude for your skin, find a lipstick texture that suits you and play around with the different styles of nude for day to night.
So how do we make it look good once our shade is chosen I hear you ask? Well, as always, start with a primed, moisturized lip! This does not mean the lip surface needs to be all glossy with lip balm, as this will cause the lipstick not to attach correctly, giving no long wear. It just means the lip that day of application has had a boost of moisture, making it plump and not dry.
One tip I always think works a treat, for any lipstick really, is to apply a light layer of concealer or foundation on lips before you apply your lip colour. For me, so many lips I see come in all different natural shades of pink, some high colour and some low. As we all normally test lip shades on the back of our hand, a lot of lips are not the same shade as the back of our hands, so lets make them more skin tone, by adding the light layer of concealer/foundation over them before application.
If your lipstick is too nude for a certain occasion, then skip this step to lift the nude a little. I have been known for some fashion shows over the years to just use concealer on the lips only, as the designer required the ultra nude lip, just adding a slight highlighter in the centre for some life.
As you may already know I am a big fan of applying my lipsticks with my fingertip, to really press and melt in the pigment into lips. This works incredibly for bold pigments to stain the lip for lasting results, for nude it can only stain so much being the shade it is, but I prefer the effect of a pressed in lipstick than that of a brush as the product does not sit on top of the lip, but is infused into the lip, creating less transfer.
MB Pro Tip: Add a slight amount of highlighter on cupids bow of the top lip, this creates more pout in certain light, giving more shape to the top lip. Also, a small amount of gloss never goes astray when it comes to a nude lip as a matte nude can give off a ‘dead’ impression, matte works best on bold shades.
The last point to remember when wearing a nude lip well is to team it with other contouring, shape defining products.
A nice contoured cheekbone giving lift and a definite defined eye will be the perfect balance!
Create a strong lash line by adding a few lashings of mascara, add a kohl pencil to the lash line and smudge upwards into socket with a wash of a bronze shade of shadow across it.
Nude by itself can look very nothing, but when teamed with a brushed up brow, strong lashes, a contoured cheekbone and socket, your look is winning, just like Julianne’s pictured in this post.
This NEW Benefit ‘Bronze of Champions’ kit (RRP $59) is perfect for anyone wanting to try this look.
It contains everything I have mentioned above from a nude lip, a warm nude gloss, mascara, shadow and a bronzer to start you on your way to success with the nude trend. Take a peek;
So ladies, remember, try before you buy and make sure you find the right shade of nude for you!
Stay Nude!
MB xx
Twitter: @mbrown_beauty
Facebook: facebook.com/michaelbrownbeauty
Michael Brown is speaking at the Rescu. Me! Event in June 2013! Book now
