How to Find Your Perfect Nude Lipstick, According to a Makeup Artist

As a brand made for and by women of color, Mented always gets it right. You won’t need to worry about any ghostly looking shades with their adaptable colors that feel like butter on your lips. 

Pro Tip: If you have a deeper skintone, avoid anything too pale, peach, or with a pink undertone. “Deeper skin tones go gray,” Cantello says. 

This lipstick is named after supermodel Christy Turlington, so you know it nails that ’90s nude lip look. This luxe formula is not only beautifully packaged, but a true matte that, unlike most, actually keeps lips moisturized. 

Pro Tip: Don’t apply too much lip balm on before applying your lipstick. “Put lip balm and exfoliate them with a toothbrush before—that’s the first thing you should do before you start the skincare routine,” Cantello says. “Leave that, and at the very end take it off with a Kleenex. It should be moist enough. If you want a matte nude lip with a lip balm underneath, it’s just going to slide off.”

If clean, green ingredients is a big concern of yours, look no further than Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty. The brand recently introduced liquid lipsticks that are highly pigmented and last up to eight hours. 

Pro Tip: Don’t apply foundation before lipstick. You might’ve seen YouTube tutorials where a vlogger covered up her lips with foundation as a lip primer—Cantello is not a fan of this technique. ”These were makeup artist things we did back in the day but now the technology’s changed so much we don’t need to,” she reasons. ”Concealer or foundation [under lipstick] cracked.”

I’ve tried many nude lipsticks in my day, and none have impressed me as much as Flesh. This lipstick is super sheer but deposits just enough color to enhance my natural lips, plumping them up without getting too sticky like some glosses.

All you need is one swipe of this bullet to get intense color payoff. En Fuego, with its tinge of rose, is a hue that works particularly well on richer skin tones.

Kim Kardashian has made nude lipstick her beauty signature, so you can bet she knows how to create a great nude. Her always-sold out nudes come in eleven shades, so there really is something for everyone.

If you’re not much of a lipstick person but down for a tinted balm, it doesn’t get any better than Gucci Beauty’s balms. Penelope Plum looks deep pink in the tube, but once it goes on you get a moisturizing sheer veil that leaves lips looking uber kissable.

Rub, wipe, eat, make out—no matter what you do this lip color is indestructible. For long days or big events, Maybelline’s SuperStay formula is your best bet. Poet looks lovely on fair skin, but there are 20 shades in the range for everyone to find a color.

Like the shade name suggests, this pencil is nothing but sweet. It gives your pout just enough blush to look full and juicy, without being too pigmented and compete with makeup elsewhere. Plus, the crayon shape makes application a breeze.

NYX’s “Lip Lingerie” line includes 24 shades of barely-there lip colors for when you’re looking for subtlety. The silky liquid dries down matte and soft. 

This cream, matte lipstick promises rich color and hydration. It’s a tried and true drugstore staple, so you know you can get it even if you forget to pack a nude on your travels (a nightmare!).