Beauty | The Best Nudes

To celebrate National Lipstick Day, I'm shining the spotlight on nude lips, one of summer's hottest lipstick trends! 

In theory, it shouldn't be difficult to wear nude lipstick, right? After all, it's a barely there color that should subtly blend in with the rest of your makeup. But finding the right shade of nude lipstick is actually a lot harder than it seems. And that's because according to my good friend and PR Director at City Color Cosmetics, fair and lighter skin tones look best in nude colors with a pink undertone while warm and darker skin tones should stick with corals and caramels. And Ciate London Founder Charlotte Knight advises to also take into consideration the natural color of your lips. If you naturally have a lot of pigment in your lips you may find a nude with a hint of a peach undertone works well. This will help to balance the blue undertones in your natural lip color and will appear lighter on your natural lip tone. She also recommends giving the lips a good scrub before application as chapped and crusty lips show up all too transparently with nude lipstick.

As someone who's fair with a warm undertone, I've searched high and low for the perfect shades of nude and am excited to share my top five nude hue staples with you. I hope this can shed some light on helping you find your perfect shade!
Before applying nude lipstick (or any lipstick), I prep my lips with the Sarah Happ lip scrub and lip balm duo so my lips are free of dead skin and stay hydrated. I then apply my Buxom True Nude Lip Foundation in Naked. If you have thin lips, I recommend using a lipliner first to really bring out the shape of your lips. My personal fav is the Lorac Pro Matte in Nude.
For a statement pinkish matte nude, I use Lorac's Minimalist, a highly pigmented lipstick that stays on matte and is super long-lasting.
For an everyday nude, I like City Color Cosmetics City Chic Love at First Sight. It has a coral hue that works so well with my skin tone and miraculously compliments every shade of makeup I put on.
 For a a more sheer pink nude, I like Ciate London's Pretty Stix in Sweetheart. The lipstick is kind of a lipgloss hybrid as it's super moisturizing and gives off a subtle sheen.
 For a true nude, I love Ciate London's Pretty Stix in Vintage Blush. It's a warm shade darker than my natural skin color!
For nude after dark, I like the City Color City Chic in Head over Heels. It's a taupey nude that can really dress up a nighttime look.