The Nude Brigade

I think 80% of my year is spent in a nude lipstick - 15% in lipbalm/lipgloss and 5% in a bright lipstick. And unlike my everlasting hunt for the perfect skincare routine or the perfect foundation, I was lucky enough to stumble upon my 'nude brigade' as I like to call them,  so I thought I'd share them if only to spark some inspirations! (I partly say that because 2 of them are limited edition.. I know, I'm so helpful.)

(I couldn't get them all to be in the same lightness, so please recognise the difference in skintone, especially for the Nude Delight picture!)

Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 03 (top left)

This is a recent favourite as it has a bit of a pink hue but is also relatively brown/nude toned. The formula is smooth, pigmented and it lasts really well. This is the kinda darkness that I can use any time of the year so it would suit a wide range of skintones ranging to NC/W 35, maybe even NC/W 40.

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Faerie Glen (top right)

Unfortunately this is limited edition, but I'm led to believe it's quite similar to MAC's Blankety. It's also quite pink toned and pulls especially so on my warm toned skin, but it's really quite pale. As soon as I hit the NC30-ish mark, this starts looking a bit concealer-like and ashy so I'd recommend this for the light to medium skintones. This was my first ever MAC lipstick, and I absolutely love it - the formula is smooth, creamy and pigmented, and I'll never get over the scent!

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 700 Nude Delight (bottom left)

I couldn't for the life of me, get this shade to show very well in the swatches, so please understand that it's quite a lot darker than the photos, but not as dark as the one on the right.

I feel slightly justified to start banging on about this one, because I really haven't for a while! But for those of you who have been with me for a while know this is my all time favourite lipstick. It has a heavy peach tone to it, which I love for the summer when I'm going for a lot of warm tones in my make up. It's a no-go/90's look when I'm any paler than NC30 though, because it'll pull slightly brown/beigey, but it's a perfect nude for anything darker than that. The formula is pigmented, smooth and it smells like sunscreen!

MAC Amplified Lipstick in Warm Me Up (bottom right)

Another limited edition, but I hear this is dupable by Maybelline in the US with a lipstick with the exact same name, and a permanent line MAC lipstick called High Def. This is my mid-summer nude lip - it's relatively dark, so works as a nude when I'm about NC40, but it works like a my-lips-but-better shade during the year. This is mainly because of its undertone which is like a corally beige, which really sets it apart from the other nudes in the brigade! The only thing about Amplified is that, well.. they're amplified! So I find they can get everywhere sometimes, but a little goes a long way which is always a good thing :)

Ranging from palest to darkest, I'd say MAC Faerie Glen, Rimmel 03, Rimmel Nude Delight and MAC Warm Me Up. The pinkest to peachy-est is MAC Faerie Glen, Rimmel 03, MAC Warm Me Up then Rimmel Nude Delight.

What are your favourite nude lipsticks?

<3yu