Shop With Style

Here’s the thing about nude lipstick…everyone’s “nude” is different. The nude that’s perfect for your very fair-skinned best friend might leave you looking like you’ve been dead for 3 days. And your perfect nude might make your very fair-skinned best friend look as if she went on a Doritos binge and forgot to wipe her mouth. So finding your nude can be tricky. Luckily, we’ve got a few tips that should make the hunt a little less confusing.

• Texture – There are some options when it comes to texture: sheer, opaque, creamy, matte. If you try a sheer nude, for example, it will allow more of your own natural lip color to show through. Therefore, it’s more of a tinted lip balm than a nude lipstick. That means we’re looking for something opaque to make more of a statement. Next consider finish: creamy or matte? Matte is great when it comes to bold colors like red and fuchsia, but in a nude, matte can sometimes make your lips look chalky and dry. So start your search focusing on a creamy, opaque lipstick.
• Prep – Any lipstick looks better with smooth, exfoliated lips. In fact, you really can’t judge it at all if your lips are dry and cracked. And no, just putting lipstick on over your dry, cracked lips won’t make them any more moisturized. Lipstick doesn’t work that way…if it did, it would be called moisturizer. So before you begin your adventure to find the nude of your dreams, be sure your lips are ready for action. Exfoliate them with a simple mix of sugar and olive oil. Rub in gentle circles with your finger, wipe clean with a cloth and warm water. (Another tip for making any lipstick look better: apply a lip moisturizer beforehand. After you rub your lips together, wipe the extra moisturizer off, or else the lipstick you’re trying will be too gloopy).
• Tone – Know your skin tone. You might be fair, but are your undertones more blue, yellow, or neutral, more cool or warm? Likewise, you might have darker skin, but are your undertones more yellow, blue, or neutral? That’s the tricky bit. The easiest way to know for sure is to head to a makeup counter and get matched for a foundation (it’s free). The makeup person should be able to pinpoint your exact skintone and undertones, which is not only something you will need to know for your makeup in general, but it will also help to find a nude lipstick that’s perfect. Since all lipsticks have undertones (blue, yellow, neutral), knowing yours should give you a range of colors that will work with your skintone, so you might actually be able to find 2 or 3 perfect nudes for you right at the makeup counter.
• Get together – If you are by yourself in your local drugstore, telling one nude lipstick from another can be more challenging. Pulling one color at a time won’t really help much either, since all nudes pretty much look the same when examined on their own. What you need is a contrast. So, pick 2 or 3 colors you think might work for you and hold them up next to each other. This way, you can definitely see if one is more pinky, or one is more orangy, or one looks juuuuust right.
• Try – You know the old adage… if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Finding your perfect nude lipstick is not something you can do without trying on a good number of the contenders. Don’t be afraid to try (and wipe off) multiple possibilities. Hey, you’ve gotta kiss some frogs before you find the Prince, right?
• Add makeup – Any nude lip is going to look 1000 times better with a bit of makeup on the rest of your face, because even the best nude lipstick can completely wash you out if it’s all by itself. A good rule of thumb is that if you are emphasizing your lips, go with a lighter eye, and if you are emphasizing your eyes, go with a lighter lip. Since nude is about as light as you can go with a lip, try putting a little more “oompfh” into your eye makeup. If you would rather do a moderate eye and emphasize your cheeks, then definitely be sure to add bronzer, cheek color, and highlight to really make those cheek bones pop. (Another tip – if you have cool tones to your skin, you might find that a warm-toned cheek color looks amazing. And vice versa, for warm skin tones, a cool-toned cheek color will really balance your makeup out).

There you are, happy and in love, birds chirping, rainbows filling every sky. But then comes that moment…the inevitable moment… when you have to meet the parents. Of course you know that your sweetheart loves you already, but still, first impressions can sometimes make or break you, and meeting the parents can be just plain nerve-wracking. So we’ve got a few beautiful ideas for getting a jump-start on a great first impression right here!

Pencil skirt and blouse – If the parents are more along the “preppy” line, then you can always play it both feminine and sophisticated with a pencil skirt and blouse combo. Be sure that the pencil skirt isn’t skin-tight, and if the blouse is sheer, be sure to layer a full-length (not a crop) camisole underneath. Finish with a demure pair of d’Orsay pumps with a moderate heel (this is not the occasion for stilettos).

Cropped boyfriend jeans and a fine knit sweater – If your “meet the parents” date is a bit more casual, a pair of cropped boyfriend jeans and a fine knit sweater would be a perfect outfit. Boyfriend jeans have a slightly more relaxed fit, so the sweater can also be loose, but not so baggy as to look sloppy. A delicate long necklace, diamond stud earrings, and a boyfriend watch will add the perfect touch of bling. And keep the outfit casual-cool with some leather low-heel ankle boots, like these Chelsea boots.

A-line dress and tights – An A-line dress has got to be one of the most versatile and flattering pieces of clothing you can own. It looks fabulous on every body type, equal parts fitted and flowy, and is perfect for so many occasions…especially this one! Be sure that the top is not too tight or too revealing, and that the skirt is not too short. Pair it with opaque tights and flats or a wedge pump. If it’s chilly, layer on a cute cropped cardigan.

Circle skirt and turtleneck – A circle skirt flatters the same way an A-line dress does, nipping in at the waist and flowing away from the hips and thighs. But be sure to keep the length of the skirt no shorter than mid-thigh. No matter if the turtleneck is a chunky or fine knit, just be sure it is not too tight, because what it lacks in skin-exposure, it can make up for in form-revealing. Here too, tights work well, and you can add some interest by going for opaque or thin, plain black or a complimentary hue for the rest of the outfit. For shoes, think low-heel ankle boots, flats, or even brogues. Skip a necklace, but add on a delicate pair of dangling earrings, a chain bracelet, and large-face black-strap watch.

You’re seeing it everywhere right now. The dark lip trend is in magazines, on the runways, even strutting up and down the city streets and sipping at the local coffee shop. You might be thinking, “That trend isn’t for me. I’ll never be able to pull that look off.” But guess what? You soooo can!  And here’s how…

• Pick the right shade – Rest assured, there is a lush, dark hue for each and every skin tone out there. If you have fair to medium tone skin, try versions of purple-based merlot colors. For those with medium to olive skin tones, try hues of burgundy with a more terra cotta base. Deep tone skin can really push the boundaries of deep and dark, so try a merlot with a bit of black or brown.
• Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate – You’ll hear this tip in almost every lip color guide…because it honestly makes a huge difference to how color glides on and looks. If your lips are dry, cracked, and flaky, any lip color will get stuck in the cracks and crevices…but a dark lip color will look positively atrocious. Scrub gently with a product like Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, or Bliss Fabulips. You can also use something simple like olive oil and sugar. Then wipe with a warm, damp cloth and follow with a non-waxy moisturizer.
• Check your upper lip – You may not think it will make a difference, but trust us, it will. Wearing a dark lip color will draw attention to…yep, you guessed it…your lips. Not only can the dark color get snagged on the tiny hairs, but the hairs can also cast a shadow on that upper lip. Both of which will draw the wrong type of attention. And bleaching the hair won’t work. So, go the distance and remove the hair completely.
• Let your skin glow – Dark lips will tend to highlight any blotchiness or imperfections in the skin, so even it up and make it glow as much as possible. That means scrubbing and exfoliating your face, removing any little patches of dry skin, then applying a skin brightening BB or CC cream, which will also help to even things up and get you glowing. After all, you want a clean, even canvas for those bold lips!
• Even the base – Everyone’s lips have some sort of natural hue, and sometimes, that hue can throw off a perfectly wonderful deep Winter lip color. So after applying foundation, dab on a bit to your lips and blend. You’re not looking to completely white-out your own hue, you just want to tone it down a bit so that the lip color reads true when you apply it.
• Strategically line – Lining when applying a dark lip color can be tricky. If you make a mistake, it will be very The best way to line a dark lip is to start with a nude color. Line just outside your natural lip line and blend away from your lip. The will not only help to keep the lip color from running, it will also make the color itself pop. Next, apply a liner in a similar shade to your lip color to just the area of your cupid’s bow and the middle portion of your bottom lip. Next, apply the lip color with a lip brush, to give you more control over color placement.

And there you go! Perfectly luscious, perfectly beautiful deep, dark lips for the Winter season.