Natural and Nude Lip Looks: A Minimalist's Guide

There will always be occasions that call for a bold lip, but when we want something minimalist, we seek out a nude shade or a natural lipstick.

Nude lipstick shades are perfect for daily wear or a polished evening look. And when we want to scale back, we can turn to our natural lip makeup collections for a pop of sheer colour and barely-there feel.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll be sharing our expert advice on how to choose nude lipstick to complement your skin tone and undertone, alongside three of our favourite natural and nude lipstick looks that you can recreate with your YSL Beauty kit.

Nude lipstick vs natural lipstick: what's the difference?

The terms ‘nude’ and ‘natural lipstick’ are often used interchangeably – but they’re actually two different types of lip products.
• Nude lipsticks closely resemble your natural lip colour and can be darker and lighter than your skin tone. Unlike rich reds or bold berry colours, nude lipstick shades are a more subtle option, but they’re still perfect for polished makeup looks – especially if you’re already drawing focus to the eyes. Since there are a breadth of shades, especially in the YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher collection, nude lipsticks are versatile enough for all skin tones.
• Natural lipsticks are typically sheer, derived from natural ingredients, and offer a comfortable feel on the lips – much like lip balm. With less pigment than a traditional lipstick, natural lipsticks are more akin to ‘your lips but better’ – great as a low-effort, everyday option or a no-makeup makeup look . YSL Loveshine Candy Glow is the quintessential example of a nude lip balm: nourishing the lips while amplifying your natural lip colour.

Types of nude lipstick shades

A novice might think that all nude lipsticks are created alike; but in reality, nudes come in a full spectrum of colours and undertones. These can include:

• Pink nude – soft, rosy, muted pink tones
• Beige nude – a classic, neutral tone that’s often described as a “true nude”
• Brown nude – richer than a neutral nude, with warmer tones
• Peach nude – blends soft coral hues with either beige or pink tones
• Mauve nude – a moodier shade with purple and pink undertones

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.

How to choose a nude lipstick for your skin tone

Whether your goal is to enhance your natural lip colour or seek out a richer shade that complements your undertone, YSL lipsticks perfectly encapsulate the kaleidoscope of nude shades at your disposal.

Read on to find out which cool and warm-toned nude lipsticks are best suited to light, medium, and dark skin tones.

Fair to light skin tones

Choosing a nude lipstick for fair to light skin tones is about finding a shade that is darker than your natural skin tone but doesn’t make your complexion look pallid.

• Cool undertones: Pink-toned lipstick shades add warmth to cool undertones, so our pink nude lipstick pick is the YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher in ‘Nude Lavalliere’, which adds a softly blurred, rosy hue to the lips.
• Warm undertones: If you have a warm undertone, orange-toned nudes are a perfect match, so you can reach for a lipstick with a slightly peachier tone such as the YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher in ‘Sassy Peach’.

Olive to medium skin tones

If your skin tone sits anywhere between olive and medium, you’ll probably notice an inherent warmth in your skin tone. This means similarly warm nude lipstick shades are often a good match – either close to your natural skin colour or one that’s a little deeper.

• Cool undertones: The general cool undertone rule is embrace pink – so you can seek out pink-brown nudes or a muted plum nude lipstick like the YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher in ‘Mauve-Haze’ to bring out your natural undertone.
• Warm undertones: Coral-toned nude lipstick shades will amplify your warm undertone, so we recommend the Rouge Pur Couture in ‘N10 - Nude Stiletto’, a vibrant nude that blends hues of pink, orange, and red.

Deep to 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 as blush pink nudes, true beige nudes, and brown nudes.

• Cool undertones: If you have cool undertones or a penchant for pinks, opt for nude pink like YSL Rouge Pur Couture in ‘N5 - Tribute Nude’.

• Warm undertones: Warm nude browns are perfect for deeper skin tones, so the YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher in ‘3AM Espresso’ is going to complement your warm undertone beautifully.

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.

Natural and nude lipstick looks

Now that you’ve chosen your lipstick colour , it’s time to experiment with some natural and nude lipstick looks. We love a simple, effortless lip look that still looks put together, and we’ll guide you through three of our favourite techniques below.

Blurred nude lipstick look

If you favour a lip look that’s artfully undone over precise, then this is the ideal lip trend for you. Embodying the appearance of “just kissed” lips, all you need to master blurred lips is a matte nude lipstick.

For a simple blurred lip effect, take your favourite shade of YSL Lovenude Lip Blusher. This lipstick already has a soft matte blur that’s going to do the hard work for you.

Apply your nude lipstick to the centre of your lips, lightening your touch as you move towards the lip line. Then, using either the tip of your finger, a small lip brush, or cotton bud, gently blur the edge of your lipstick for a diffused effect.

Ombré nude lipstick look

An ombré lipstick look might sound on the maximalist side, but it’s actually quite a straightforward application process. The nude ombré look uses two tones of nude lipstick to create a gradient effect: a dark nude or brown lip liner, and a nude lipstick.

For your lipliner needs, the YSL Lovenude Kiss Shaper lets you shape, sculpt, blur, and smudge to your heart’s content – all in one creamy, buildable, high-pigment formula.

Line your lips with your darker YSL Lovenude Kiss Shaper shade, then use a cotton bud or lip brush to gently blend the line inwards. This is going to remove any harsh lines and create the trademark gradient effect of this lip look.

Then, fill in the centre of your lips with your light nude lipstick from the Lovenude collection, blending again as needed. You can either keep this as a matte look or finish with the YSL Loveshine Plumping Lip Oil Gloss in ‘Radiant Glass’ for glass-like shine.

Subtle natural lipstick look

A nude lip balm with a gloss finish can give you high shine, nourishment and a pop of pigment to differentiate your daily makeup look. This is perfect for anyone who favours low-effort looks but still wants to elevate beyond bare lips. 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 and shea and jojoba butters to hydrate and plump the lips.

At this point, you’re probably well-versed in nude and natural lipsticks, but how well do you know your lip formulas? Next, explore our definitive guide to lipsticks, lip stains, and lip glosses.