GOING NUDE?

How to find the perfect shade of lipstick

Finding the perfect shade of nude lipstick can be harder than first thought. Hit a wrong note, and it can be hard to face the makeup counter again. When most people think nude, they think pale, cream colours, which can spell disaster for your makeup look. Unless you work as a clown or are going to a 1960’s theme costume party – when eyes were extremely heavy and lips were neutralized with skin-coloured shades – cream nudes should be dropped from your makeup kit immediately.

In reality, this must-have look can be easily accomplished. A nude is important in your makeup bag because it transcends seasons, matches any outfit, and it can be worn at any age. Nudes are generally soft blush, mocha or rose colour. They can be more peach or more brown, but they are never too much of either.

We have put together a guide using the gorgeous Chanel Rouge Allure ($50) and Chanel Rouge Coco ($50) lipstick ranges to help you in what can be quite a daunting task. Get to it!

Fair Skin

For the fair skinned ladies, look for warm toned rose or blush colours. A more brown nude can work just as well as a peach nude and a soft warm pink rose can be worn as easily as a tawny deep shade. We love Rouge Coco No. 43 Avant Garde and No. 78 Peregrina. Team with a soft colour to the apples of the cheek in Chanel’s No. 99 Rose Petale, a soft brown shadow on the eye and simple mascara.

Medium to Olive Skinned

Medium to olive skinned girls are lucky and can wear almost any shade of nude. We love Rouge Coco No. 79 Plumetis which is a slightly more brown nude or No. 5 Mademoiselle which is one of the most versatile shades in the range. Team with a sweep of Chanel No. 59 Imprevu blush on the cheek and try a deeper smoky eye, black liner and two coats of volumising mascara.

Olive to dark skinned

The olive to dark skinned ladies should avoid any shades that are too light for the complexion. Deep rose and mocha shades are the most flattering and are a sultry take on the nude lip. We love nude shades with a deep plum undertone like Rouge Allure No. 108 Determinee but for our best picks try Rouge Allure No. 77 Intuitive or for a slightly more pink shade Rouge Allure No. 06 Silhouette. On cheeks, we recommend Chanel No. 63 Plum Attraction, a strong black liner and a lengthening mascara to make lashes dramatic.    Do’s and Don’ts when wearing nude lipstick:  DO line your lips. Depending on your lip line, some shades of nude can appear to blend into the skin. This can happen especially with darker skin tones where the pigmentation of the skin blends into the lip line. You want to make sure you have defined a lip line with a matching pencil before using any lip colour.  DO enhance your eyes. If your lips are understated you can play up eyes. Try a smokey eye with blacks, deep browns or aubergines or even try metallics for an edge.  DO wear blush and warm the face with colour on the cheeks.  DO wear a lip gloss. Nudes can look flat without a gloss so try using Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss No. 67 on top to make any nude subtly pinker, or Sweet Beige No. 297 to enhance brown undertones.

DO NOT wear nudes with frosty finishes to avoid looking outdated.

DO NOT wear a matt nude unless your lips are in impeccably plump and hydrated. Flaky lips will look ghastly with a matt finish.

Image courtesy of Chanel and the Wikimag