5 tips to pull off nude lipstick

MANILA, Philippines – Right after the Maleficent collection made a ruckus among makeup and Disney fans during its launch in late May, MAC’s Alluring Aquatic collection silently made its debut in stores, much to the delight of makeup lovers that are longing for a nude-based lipstick collection.

Reminiscent of what a beautiful mermaid might have in her makeup kit for a day at sea, the collection features intense, dimensional eyeshadows, bronzers, and nude-based lipsticks with tinges of color ranging from pink to peach, to purple.

But are nude lipsticks really safe to wear or are they kind of tricky to pull off? Rappler speaks to Odessa Andal, Retail Sales Executive and Senior Makeup Artist for MAC, who gives tips on how to wear the nude-based lipstick trend.

1. Know your undertone

Nude lipsticks are not confined to being just a plain imitation of varying skin tones – it varies these days to go well with the skin tone of those wearing it and to avoid being boring, with hues such as pink, mauve, peach, and even purple, being mixed into the shade.  

Knowing your undertone is the easiest shortcut to knowing what shade looks good for your skin. 

Andal says women with warm undertones look best with nude lipsticks that have a tinge of peach and coral while cool-toned women will look great with pinkish and plum nudes. 

2. Even-colored lips

Andal also recommends using lipliner as a base for your lipsticks especially if there’s discoloration, or uneven tone.

3. Go dimensional

Do you find the nude lip color too flat or too boring? Does it wash you out? Andal recommends going for a 3D effect on your lips – the easiest way will be going  ala Kim Kardashian and dabbing gloss on the middle portion of your lips. 

Another way is to use a frosted nude lipstick over your favorite lip color. Start in the middle then blend it outward. You can also reverse that  by using a darker shade on the sides of your lips and going towards the middle.

Such makeup tricks will give the illusion that your lips are fuller and more plump.

4. Ease into the trend

Are you a newbie when it comes to going nude? Andal says that’s okay. You can always ease your way into wearing the trend. 

Use a frosted lipstick over your favorite lip color to see how you like it. If you want to go paler, decrease the amount of your preferred color and add more of the nude next time, slowly easing your way into just wearing the nude shade.

5. Define your eyes, enhance your cheeks

Bolder, well-defined eyes look great with nude lipsticks. Andal says wearing a darker color adds drama to the eyes and balances out the pale lips. 

However, she adds that these days, there are hardly any rules when it comes to makeup. It’s all about confidence and whether you can pull it off. If you’re confident wearing a light lip color and eyeshadows or bold lips along with dramatic eyes, that shouldn’t be a problem.

But for those who want to go for a safer look, Andal recommends earth toned eyeshadows – browns, creams, and nudes – or maybe a subtle smokey eye. They give enough drama without going overboard. 

Adding a bit more blush or bronzer to your cheeks will also prevent you from looking washed out and will give you a healthy glow.

What do you think of the collection? Are you ready to try the nude lip trend? Let us know in the comments section below. – Rappler.com