Natural and Nude Lip Looks: A Minimalist’s Guide

There are occasions that call for a bold lip, but we adore a minimalist approach to lip colour with nude shades or natural coverage. Nude lipstick shades are perfect for daily wear or a polished evening look. And when we want to scale back, we can defer to our natural lipstick collections for a pop of sheer colour. In this comprehensive guide, YSL Beauty shares their advice on how to find the perfect nude lipstick for your complexion, as well as how to do natural lip makeup when you prefer to stay true to your natural lip tone.

Why we love nude and natural lipstick looks

When we discuss natural and nude lipsticks, it’s easy to use these terms interchangeably – but they’re actually quite different.

Nude lipsticks: Nude lipstick shades can be darker or lighter than your skin tone. Unlike rich reds or bold berry colours, nude lipstick colours are more subtle and can elevate a simple makeup look into something more elegant. Since there are such a breadth of shades, nude lipstick looks suit every skin tone.

Natural lipsticks: Natural-looking lipsticks are typically sheer and packed with enriching ingredients. With less pigment than a traditional lipstick, they give the lips a dusting of colour without masking the true tone of our lips. YSL Loveshine Candy Glow is the perfect example of a tinted butter balm, nourishing the lips while amplifying your natural lip colour.

How to choose the right nude lipstick for your skin tone

A lipstick novice might think of nude lip colours as a single shade range. In reality, nude lipsticks come in a full spectrum of colours and undertones. These can include:

• Beige nudes
• Neutral beige nudes
• Pink nudes
• Neutral pink nudes
• Brown nudes

Like other lip colours, nude lipstick colours are not one-size-fits-all. Nude lipstick colours are formulated with cool, neutral and warm undertones – all of which can either enhance the undertones in your complexion or wash you out. If you’re not sure which undertone you have, you can find out using our guide on how to choose the right foundation shade. Below, YSL Beauty experts share their advice on how to find the perfect nude lipstick to complement your skin tone and undertone.

Fair-light skin tones

How to choose nude lipstick for fair to light skin tones is about finding a shade that is darker than your natural skin tone while complementing your undertones. Beige nudes can make a light or fair complexion look pallid, so we suggest pink-toned nudes to add warmth to the face. If you have cool undertones, opt for a pink nude like our YSL Loveshine ‘Nude Lingerie’. If you have warm undertones, you might reach for a nude lipstick with a slightly peachier tone like Rouge Pur Couture ‘Nude Stiletto’.

Olive-medium skin tones

People with olive or medium skin tones can embrace warmer nudes with brown, caramel or pink-toned hues. To find the perfect nude lipstick for your skin tone, you can seek out a shade that either matches your skin colour or is a little deeper. For olive skin, our pick is the richly pigmented Rouge Pur Couture The Bold ‘Reignited Amber’, which has a perfect blend of beige and pink tones to complement your complexion. For medium skin tones with warm undertones, we suggest a coral-toned nude like Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick.

Deep-dark skin tones

Deep to dark skin tones can play with contrast in a really striking way. A lot of nude lipstick colours are well suited to deeper and darker skin tones, such a blush pink nudes, true beige nudes, and brown nudes. If you have cool undertones or have a preference for pinks, opt for a luscious nude pink like YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze ‘Showcasino Nude’, which is on the sheer side with a glossy finish. If you’re seeking a lipstick with warm undertones, swipe a warm brown nude across your lips such as Rouge Pur Couture ‘Brun Caftan’..

How to do natural lip makeup

Natural lip makeup embraces a lighter touch, focusing on sheer coverage and subtle colour to refine your daily makeup look. This might come from a tinted lip balm or a lip gloss formula. When the lips are more natural, we can also play up the eyes since your lip colour isn’t ‘overriding’ the rest of your makeup. Below are our tips for how to do natural lip makeup to elevate your daily look.

1. Choose the right lip formula

A true lip gloss or a tinted lip balm with a gloss finish can give you high shine, nourishment and a pop of pigment to differentiate your daily makeup look. The YSL Loveshine Candy Glaze collection has the texture of a glossy lipstick, and delivers 24-hour hydration and powerful shine. If you prefer light colour and the feel of a lip balm, opt for the YSL Loveshine Candy Glow collection, which is infused with maracuja oil, shea and jojoba butters to hydrate and plump the lips.

2. Apply a subtle lip colour

We know that natural lip makeup is closer to your true lip colour than a nude lipstick, but it still adds fullness and brightness to your ‘no-makeup’ makeup look. When choosing your natural lip makeup colour, this can either match your natural skin tone or be a slightly different shade to create a discreet point of difference. Our choice is the YSL Loveshine Candy Glow ‘Nude Lavalliere’ – a delicate pink nude that suits fair to dark skin tones.

3. Elevate with eye makeup

When we pair bold lipstick with dramatic eye makeup, they can become competing forces. The beauty of natural lip makeup is that it doesn’t pull focus, making it perfectly suited to more defined eye makeup looks. Craft bold eyeshadow looks with your favourite Courture Mini Clutch palette or simply smudge out your Crushliner ‘Noir Intense’ for an alluring slept-in aesthetic.

Now that you know how to find the perfect nude lipstick, discover YSL’s tips for long-lasting lipstick .