Thread: Nude Lipstick: Making it Work

I was gonna make a sketchy pun along the lines of "XXX Live Nude Girls" for my title....but it's been a rough week and my wit completely escapes me. SORRY ..l;,

Back to the topic at hand, and back to my eternal quest to finally graduate from Girl School (with high honors!), I LOVE the look of light lipstick paired with dark eyes, and find this much more becoming on me than nasty red/berry lipstick that I typically wear for performances. Dark lipstick makes my lips look small, and makes me feel matronly, as opposed to the svelte and perky little twentysomething that I am ..g.:

However, whenever I try a light lipstick for performance, I look back at pictures and it simply looks unfinished. Like I was on the go and forgot to do half of my makeup. Then, I see it on dancers like Tanya and on a lot of the girls in Egypt, and it looks stunning. Go fig!

My speculation is that a nude lip for BD might require more of a "porn star" application than an everyday application: candy pink lipliner, light lipstick, maybe a layer of gloss, and then something sparkly in the center of the lip for the look of contour. Perhaps, a slightly more intensified cheek would provide more color to the face.

What are your secrets for pulling off this sexy look? Please demystefy for me, ladies...

Lisa

well, come on, people, I want the answer to this, too. :)

I agree with you, lisa - the dark lip and dark eye thing worked for me when I was in my 20s, but now it just makes my face feel so heavy. just one or the other works just right.

lisa, have you tried going to your local MAC counter and asking them for suggestions? I've been experimenting with much lighter lipstick colors lately and I really like the look. I wonder, but it may not be a true nude colored lipstick that is giving that 'nude lipstick' effect. I have a pretty orangey-coral that goes great with my turquoise eye, and a happy easter egg-y pink that I use as well. they are quite different from the pin-up girl and vampire reds I have - they're not nude, but compared to the reds they almost feel nude.

whenever I've tried a lipstick shade that is lighter than my natural lip color, it just looks fake and wierd. so maybe check out some lipsticks that are close to your bare lip tone? you'll look like you, but polished and finished?

and let's here the other comments, please! :)

Ok truthfully I obsessed over the exact same thing an dthis is what I came up with after a LOT of expiramentation and spending $$$. I finally rolled up into the mac store and begged stevie (yes a boy) for help with this. I also am not above stopping somone on the street (or in drag) and asking them how they did their makeup and what they used. I have made a few friends this way. :)

It's not nude you should look at but a paleis pink witha rosey tone that is almost nude. The most important thing is using a lipliner a shade darker than the lip stick and you need to line your lips pretty strongly to make them stand out because nude colors tend to minimize features. However blend the lipliner well.

For the lipstick I like to use a covergirl long wear product (because I love wal-mart prices) called natural blush #621 and then I use a gloss over it to make it stand out.

Also what helps is having the emphasis on your heavier smoky eye makeup and still wearing a blush that well defines your cheekbones as they can get lost withte pale lips.

Visual Examples:




Yes it does require "porn star" application.

Elisa,

I'm experimenting and slowly inching my way toward the answer

The Easter egg pinks do look way better than those scary 1960's fleshtones. I found a great Nars lipliner called Miss Sadie, which is a beautiful candy pink with a slight shimmer. I've been pairing it with their lipgloss in either Orgasm (light peachy gold-pink) or Turkish Delight (pale cotton candy pink). That way, it's still light and feminine, but with some dimension and "pop" due to the brighter pink liner.

I love to pair this with Nars Orgasm blush, as well.

Haven't tried this for a performance yet. I wonder how this would look!

~Satin

Elisa beat me to it. I'm not an expert by any means, but a couple of years ago I finally figured out (with the help of Bobbi Brown's very useful books) that "nude lipstick" actually means "lipstick that matches your natural lip color" not "beige." Go ahead and laugh at me: it was a big duh moment!

On me, beige lipstick = flat, bleh skin tone and no lips. (And it's hard to make my lips disappear -- they're on the full side.)
BB "Brownie" or "Brownie Pink" = creamy, rich, defined, but still understated and natural-looking.

Haven't tried this for stage yet, but my instinct would be to make sure you use lip-liner and top it off with a light or neutral gloss that has some depth and shimmer -- something like MAC Viva Glam V, maybe?

Hoping the pros will weigh in....

Hmmmm. *scratches head* I think I'm gonna have to start looking at pictures of porn stars for inspiration.

Seriously. Adult film stars always have the BEST exaggerated, sexed-up, candy-pink lips!

The photo of pretty Keira K. reminds me that she supposedly swears by the nude-lip shade of Boots No. 7 lip liner, available at Target. I don't know if she really does, but I sure do.

I heart Nars Orgasm blush.

My own experience agrees with everyone above. True nudes only seem to look good in closeup photography. For restaurants and haflas, I can get away with lighter-than-red, but it has to be a little bit bright, and well-lined.

For stage, I prefer red. But rosy deep pinks and mauves will work and give a softer, more youthful look, if it's a fairly intimate stage venue.

If you're trying to project facial expressions to the balcony under full stage lighting, I think it might have to be red, or a dark wine.

I imagine peachy colors would be good on different skin tones. (they make my teeth look VERY yellow!)

Oh yeah... I forgot to say... the look is good for film & modeling photos mostly. Or in our world... resturant dancing, promo photos or parties, not onstage.

Nude Lips Onstage = Your Face Blending Into The Lights.

I usually wear classic red lippie, but if I have heavy eyes i tend to go for a red gloss, like a sheer gloss with a touch of raspberry in it. with liner first it works very well for that rosy, plump look. Or you can apply your lippie, blot most of it off, and put clear on.

OK candy pink is not good on anyone, not even porn stars. JUST SAY NO. You want to look good, not like a blow up doll, people!

I think lip liner is the single most important thing when it comes to nude lips, and one of the best nude lips I ever saw was that black liner-nude colour thing Naomi Campbell used to do in the 90s. You have to be *very* light-handed with the liner to make it work, otherwise you end up looking like Mrs Eminem and that will NEVER DO. But I had some success with using eyebrow pencil to create a semi-nude look then. You can kind of shade the lips where you want the colour - a bit more in the corners and on the cupid's bow, barely a whisper on the lipline itself - and then put the pale colour over the top so it blends a bit. Black is pretty extreme, but a deep neutral is going to work too. Again, back in the 90s everyone was all about MAC Spice which is a sort of browny-berry darkish nothing shade and supposedly suits nearly everyone. You do the lining very, very lightly. VERY.

MAC's Syrup lustre is effectively the same colour as my lips naturally, just shinier. I find a rose colour works for me as a "neutral" but I can't wear it alone. That woman who goes around telling women over 40 to wear pink lipstick is wrong. I look 50 with pink lips - it only looks good with a full face of makeup and smoky eyes.

Zum- as for the candy pink, it has to be creamy, very lightly shimmery and semi-sheer or else, yes, you do look like a blow-up doll. Frosty and overly pigmented candy pink? Ewwwwwwwww.

But seriously....Bare Minerals Buxom Lips gloss in Kanani? Unnnnnnbelievably sexy and so beautiful. It's like the color of a Cosmopolitan. For LIGHT light pink, Nars in Turkish Delight is also quite elegant. There really are some beautiful pinks that give a fresh "pop" of color

Then again, I think skin tone has a lot to do with this, too. I am pretty fair, and I think both of the above would look horrendous with olive skin or a deep tan. ..c:: Think Scary Neighbor in There's Something About Mary.

And yeah, I'd warn against frosty gray-pink with eggplant liner. DEFINITELY Mrs. Eminem. ..c:: ..c::

MAC Velvet Teddy is my favorite nude! A gorgeous matte shade...not too pink, not too tan.

I love nude lipstick, but it is tricky. I think it can work well for pictures, but I'm not so sure about performances. Especially if you are on a stage with a lot of different lights (strong stage lights, strobe lights,etc) you will be washed out. Even with the other colors it is hard to maintain your lips.

If you dance in a setting where you are up close with the audience (smaller restaurant, more natural light, such as a 7 pm show nowadays give you nice sunlight ;>)) then it may work. But in either case, darker lipliner is a must (in my opinion) so your lips are somewhat defined.

Lisa, why don't you post some pictures ?

how do people feel about the nice light metallics? like bronze or gold?(not glaringly metallic, light shimmer but good color) i steer away from anything too pinky, which is why i'm asking............too long in the tooth for pinks

Originally Posted by Marianna

Lisa, why don't you post some pictures ?

As a matter of fact, I think I will when I get home from work. I was futzing around with my Arabic eyes and blow-up doll lips last night, and took a couple of pics for future reference. It came out pretty good, I must say! I used the "Sophia Loren" look from Kevyn Aucoin's Face Forward as a reference. Of course, I was making odd kissy faces, too, so I think the pics are hilarious.

Next to my pics, I will post a mathematical equation to show the proportional relationship between glasses of pinot grigio and my stupid faces.

Yeah, it's been a LONG week. .w.:

It is imperative that you find the nude that does not wash you out. Yes, onstage, a nude lip can make your lips blend in with the rest of your face, but for restaurant dancing, more personal stuff, nude lips are just fine when done correctly.

I wouldn't suggest a black lipliner, but a more defined brown if you're wearing neutral nudes or deeper pink if you're trying a rosier nude, is quite helpful in defining the mouth's shape before filling in with color. Make sure to soften the line a bit, though, so you don't have that horribly dated "ring around the mouth" look. Say it with me, girls - black is NOT for the lips! If it is black, it is eyeliner!

Slick on a light coat of golden or even clear gloss on top of your nude color and your lips will look full, pouty and glam.

Makeda

so awesome to read all of the tips! thanks everybody!

something popped into my head the other night when I was fiddling with my makeup kit for the nude lip... does anybody remember watching when monica lewinsky gave the Big Interview on barbara walters? I was mesmerized watching her mouth as she talked (and NO not for THAT reason!!), as were hundreds if not thousands of other people across the country, as the network was bombarded with emails asking for what color lipstick monica had on. I wondered the exact same thing so I was glad I wasn't the only one. it was *exactly* the same color as the inside of her mouth and tongue.

I don't remember the name of the lipstick (maybe it was by nars, or 2 colors blended or something like that?) but it didn't matter for me because the inside of my mouth is a different color than monica's apparently and it didn't work when I tried it on. anyhow. I see yet another trip to the MAC counter for some tongue colored lipstick...

Great ideas in this thread:)

When I do understated lips;
I reach for Mauve Brown nr.5 lipliner by Shiseido.

Fits many,many women as it´s very neutral...love it!
No orange,yellow or even brown/red tones-also looks good on redhaired/auburn ladies.

Try it-you´ll thank me!:)

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, not beige or mocha... *smacks forehead in a v8-like motion* thanks bhuz!! heheheheheh.

Originally Posted by elisagamal

does anybody remember watching when monica lewinsky gave the Big Interview on barbara walters?

Yes! How funny! Supposedly that's when sheer lipsticks with a hit of color really took off. People were just fascinated by her lipstick, and her makeup artist gave interviews nonstop for at least the next month. All the makeup was from Club Monaco. Here's a useful quote:

The lips! I used a lip pencil called Bare and drew around her lipline and filled in the entire lips keeping the outer line soft. I then used Glaze lipstick over the top of that. The Bare lip pencil used added a yellow brown dimension. I did that purposely because the lipstick is sheer and I wanted that kind of look. It's very important to use the Bare lip pencil all over the lip to create the same effect. And it's a great trick. It is also a great trick to help your lipstick last longer. If you're going to be in a situation for an extended period, the wax from the pencil keeps the lipstick from dehydrating or wearing off. As well as that's something that I like to do almost all of the time because with that, even when your lipstick does wear away, you won't have that awful, awful outline left behind. That is my biggest pet peeve! And you never end up with a pencil that doesn't match your lipstick. They pull each other together. They are never sitting side by side to each other, they're layered.

I had to revisit this thread because I am totally having a nude lipstick phase right now and went to the Mac store to buy another tube of Velvet Teddy and I also bought one called Underplay - a little more brown-nude. Then, while shopping for light bulbs at Target, I bought a Boots No7 lipstick called Bare, a darker pink. Not sure if I would call it exactly a nude, but definitely a very neutral color that I imagine would look good on a variety of skin tones. Lola makes a great color called Cashmere that is a lighter pink-nude - I am almost out of it and have to make a trip to Ulta for more!

Oh and last week, I bought a color from Studio Gear called Divine Luxury - a pale, slightly shimmery nude.

Damiena, have you ever tried MAC Lipglass in Lust? That is nude PERFECTION if you're in the market for something shiny ..g.:

No, I have never tried that one. Hmmm...another trip to Mac might be in order!!

It sounds like the gloss equivalent of Velvet Teddy: not too brown, not too pink, just a great sophisticated go-to kind of shade for all occasions. Quite shiny, but I bet it would layer nicely on top of the Velvet Teddy for impact and staying power.

Yes, I foresee a trip to MAC in your near future, Damiena. Be very afraid ..g.:

OK I have tried to dance with gloss on my lips but failed miserably. My hair just won't cooperate and it ends up getting stuck. I can't imagine doing that to myself anymore - especially lipglass, that stuff is sticky

Gloss drives me nuts, too: even though my hair is not particularly long, it ends up in the gloss and then applies the gloss to my glasses in attractive streaks. And that's when I'm not dancing! Anybody know of a gloss that's truly not sticky? Or is that just its nature? I know Lipglass claims not to be, but though I love it (Viva Glam V rocks), that's hooey.

I just found a great nude color for me today... Mary Kay's "Shell". It's the perfect tan-nude for me! Woo-Hoo!!

I think "nude lipstick" could be a whole workshop topic!! I finally found my shade as well. Took like, 2 years?!

I wear what I consider a nude shade most of the time--but it's not a tan/brownish thing...it's kind of a low-key berry-wine color.

I also find mellow color liners that match my lip color, outline and fill in my lips and then go over with a little shimmer of gloss. I have kinda big lips, so it's easy to have too much of a good thing with any lip color.