Nude lips are basically a makeup look where the lip shade matches your skin tone. The key is to find a tint that makes lips appear nude or blends seamlessly with your skin color without having the lips go missing from the face. You still want your lips to look like they are there, it is just a more toned down or muted lip look.

There are some who believe darker skin tones cannot wear a nude lip, but regardless of your skin shade always remember that nude lips will not look right if you do not find the right color. In my own beauty escapades it took quite a few attempts in order to find a shade that I liked. For me, mixing browns also helped me to achieve the look that I felt came across “nude.” Here is how I achieve this look:

1. Exfoliation: Dry, flaky lips will be VERY visible with this look so be sure to use a toothbrush to gently massage away any dead skin.

2. Lip Liner: I like to line my lips with a brown pencil that is a shade or two darker than than the lip color I plan to use. The liner not only keeps my lip color from running away, but the contrast of light and dark makes my lips really pop.

3. Fill Em’ In: I use a brown lip pencil or even brown eye liner to fill my lips in so that the lipstick will have a good base to adhere to and stay put. Yes, I have many brown eyeliner pencils that I use for my lips, cheeks or you name it. I find some products work in a multi-purpose way so why reinvent the wheel especially if the color looks great on you?

4. Color: Apply the lipstick or lip color you feel matches your skin tone best making sure the color extends even to the corners of the mouth. The nude effect will only look natural if all areas are matching your skin.

5. Shine Like a Diamond: If your lip shade is not specially formulated to add lustrous shine a simple swipe of lip gloss will do the trick.