Naughty and Nice: The Pink Nude Lip
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There’s nothing that straddles naughty and nice as well as the perfect “sex-kitten” pinky-nude lip. (Just take it from Kim Kardashian.)
It’s more wearable than a true-nude because the hint of pink/peach adds a little warmth and doesn’t make you look like death warmed over. It’s more “Mod” and stylish than the typical MLBB (My Lips But Better) Pink. It works with barely-there makeup and a full-on smoky eye. It also works on both deeper and paler skins.
There are a myriad of shades and textures available, but the most popular tend not to be visibly shimmery. I personally think MAC is probably the brand with one of the biggest ranges of nude pinks, and Creme Cup (pictured above) is one of my favorites.
Some of the more widely-available and well-known pink-nudes are swatched above. It’s by no means the exhaustive list of course! These just happen to be the ones that I have in my collection.
- The first 2 (Please Me and Pink Plaid) are mattes, and the last/bottom is a gloss (Colorburst).
- Shades like Creme Cup and the infamous Angel - which Kim K’s has single-handedly put on the makeup map - work on both fair and tanned skins but it can tend to work better on those with golden undertones.
- Shades like Please Me and Tea Rose are warmer and rosier, so if you have much deeper toned skin, these would work better for you than paler/whiter shades like Angel.
- If you’re looking for a pink nude gloss instead of lipstick, always pick one that is a tone lighter than the shade you want, because your darker lip color will show through beneath. Good ones include Revlon Crystal Lilac (subtle shimmer) and NARS Turkish Delight.
- If you are extremely pale and every color shows up strong on you, go for a sheer like Maybelline Watershine Pure in B24 (I think this might only be available in Asia) or Revlon Colorburst Crystal Lilac lipgloss.
Tips:
- If you’re going for a lipstick, choose one that is quite highly-pigmented. Because this shade is lighter than most natural lip colors, wearing something too sheer can mean having pigments settle and show up in your lip lines.
- If the lip color is showing up uneven, or your lip color is showing through in an unflattering way, blend a tiny bit of concealer around the outer edges of your lips first to mute the color.
- Condition your lips well. Any flakes and cracks can show up quite obviously.
- If you own a nude and a pale baby pink, just mix both for your own nude-pink.
