Nude Lip Favorites

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite options for nude lips. I am including a couple of different formulas and price points, so hopefully everyone can find something that works for them. Some of my personal preferences for a nude lip are colors that do not wash me out and also having a formula that I like. Please note that these are colors that work for my complexion - your nude may be entirely different from mine.

Starting with the glossy formulas, the YSL Glossy Stain is a formula that I absolutely love. I reviewed the formula more here, but I really enjoy that the gloss stays shiny, even though it is a drier finish. I have several of the colors, but my absolute nude favorite is 106 Beige Anarchist.

I picked up a L'Oreal Infallible Mega Gloss Cream in shade 103 Protest Queen at Boots when I was in the UK for vacation a couple months ago.  I really like that it does not settle into lip lines, as many lighter shade cream glosses are prone to do so. The gloss has nice lasting power and a great sheen. I really wish this formula was available in the US.

NYX Butter Glosses are some of my favorites. Tiramisu I feel that the formula is a good quality and very moisturizing. I have a bunch of these glosses and really love the color selection. to me, these are the best glosses for a budget price. My favorite pinky-nude gloss from Nyx is in the color Tiramisu.  

Swatches outdoors in direct sunlight (L-R: YSL, L'Oreal, Nyx):



Indoors:

Onto the lipsticks/balms, The YSL Rouge Volupte Shines are a fun swipe and go lip formula. They are not super long lasting (usually around 2 hours), but they do feel hydrating when they are on the lips. I have quite a few of the colors but shade 09 Nude in Private is my favorite. It is such a pretty and easy shade. It blends seamlessly with my lip tone and is a color that I usually have in my purse. 

I jumped when Charlotte Tilbury launched her Hot Lips Collection a couple months ago. Very Victoria is the nude shade that I picked up. Even though it technically was a re-promote and not a new launch, I really love the color and was not sure how some of the other colors would look on me. I love the formula (reviewed here) and the taupe color is very flattering. 

Tarte Park Avenue Princess is one of their Amazonian Butter lipsticks. It is a paler shade for me and probably the lightest color I can wear before it starts to wash me out. I also like the minty scent (something to keep in mind if you are not a mint person). 

Swatches outdoors in direct sunlight (L-R: YSL, Charlotte Tilbury, Tarte):



Indoors:



What are some of your favorite nude lip colors and formulas?

Bare Minerals GEN NUDE Lips

Bare Minerals recently launched a collection of nude lip colors in three different formulas: a matte liquid, gloss, and lipstick. I purchased two of the Bare Minerals GEN NUDE Buttercream lip glosses on a whim while I was replenishing some skincare items a few weeks ago and also received a deluxe sample of the GEN NUDE Matte Liquid Lipcolor. The most noticeable part of trying to decide on a couple colors to buy was the impressive color selection. It is nice to see a large range of nude lip colors offered because, let's face it, "nude" is not the same shade for everyone. I think that the variety of shades will make it easier for most skin tones to find something they like.

The two Buttercream shades I purchased are Forbidden and Must Have. The Buttercream formula has a nice smooth texture and is not sticky at all. It applies pretty evenly, although Forbidden may be a bit light for my lip shade, as I had to work a little harder to blend that one in. Must Have is an apply and go color for me. Staying power on these is pretty short and I have gotten max an hour and a half of wear time, but usually about an hour before I need to reapply. It is not a big deal to me, as glosses often tend to have shorter wear times. I'm sure the wear time issue is largely due to the glosses being hydrating, but I have other glosses than can last hours, so it is a bit disappointing.

I am not a huge matte lip color lover and do not really use liquid lipsticks at all, but I chose to try the sample of the Matte Liquid Lip color because it was a free Sephora VIB reward option and curiosity got the best of me. I received the color Swag, which is described as a mauve. It has a nice consistency that is easy to blend and apply to lips. It dries down nicely to matte finish and does not settle into lip lines  as long as you do not over apply (made that mistake one day). It is not as drying as some other matte liquid colors I have tried, but if you have dry lips, especially with any peeling or flaking, this is not for you. The color lasted around 3 hours on average for me before fading. Even though liquid mattes are not something I reach for very often, this is a nice formula that I can see myself using. 

Swatches below in order of first labeled photo.

Ourdoors in direct sun:



Indoors:

Swatched on lips:

Since the ingredients are not fully listed at all stockists, here they are for your reference. 

The Buttercream formula:

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polyglycerides, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cera Carnauba/Cire De Carnauba), Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Flavor (Aroma), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera/Cire Candelilla), Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax, Sorbitan Olivate, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Wax, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Butter, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Portulaca Pilosa Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Amethyst Powder, Tourmaline Powder, Nephrite Powder, Pearl Powder, Sapphire Powder, Beeswax (Cera Alba/Cire D'abeille), Glyceryl Caprylate, Diisostearyl Malate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Sucrose Cocoate, Silica. May Contain (+/-): Mica, Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Carmine (Ci 75470), Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Red 6 (Ci 15850), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Yellow 6 Lake (Ci 15985).

The Matte Liquid formula:

Isododecane, Octyldodecanol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Dimethicone/Bis-Isobutyl Ppg-20 Crosspolymer, Nylon-12, Caprylyl Methicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Silica, Polyethylene, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Acetylated Glycol Stearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera/Cire Candelilla), Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina/Cire Microcristalline), Glyceryl Behenate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Diisostearyl Malate, Vanillin, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Silica Silylate, Water (Aqua/Eau), Caprylyl Glycol. May Contain (+/-): Mica, Blue 1 Lake (Ci 42090), Yellow 5 Lake (Ci 19140), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491, Ci 77492, Ci 77499), Red 28 Lake (Ci 45410), Red 33 Lake (Ci 17200), Red 7 Lake (Ci 15850), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891).

One last item to note about the ingredients - if you have any type of gluten sensitivity and need to avoid gluten in your makeup products, both of these items are gluten free.

This seems to be a really great launch from Bare Minerals. The color selection and quality of the products are amazing. I really think almost every skintone is represented, which is wonderful. The products are available at all Bare Minerals stockists. The Buttercream glosses and Matte Liquid color retail for $18 each. The Radiant lipsticks are $20.  Have you purchased any of these? What is your perfect nude?

rms beauty Buriti Bronzer

rms beauty is a new-to-me brand. I only discovered it recently, even though it seems they have been around for a few years now. The Buriti Bronzer is my first purchase from the line. It is a cream bronzer that comes in a small frosted glass pot with a metal lid. I have tried to show a few angles and with different cameras, as this bronzer does change significantly in different lighting. Based on the swatches below, you can see how it wears in various lighting situations.

This is outdoors, but not direct sunlight. Here it is more difficult to see the shimmer.



The following is outside in direct sunlight. You can see all of the shimmer and gold flecks.



Below is the bronzer in indoor natural light. You can still see that there is a shimmer, but the gold flecks are not as prominent.



The bronzer has a great, creamy consistency that makes it very blendable.  I found that I needed to put a small amount of setting power over it in order to ensure it did not transfer onto anything else. Once it was set, it did not budge. If you have oily skin, I can definitely see this sliding around the face a bit, especially if you do not use powder over it. I generally have used a normal setting powder (Laura Mercier, L'Oreal, etc.) to set, but one day I used the Hourglass Radiant Light Ambient Lighting powder to set it and that gave a very nice glow to the skin.

The bronzer does contain coconut oil as a main ingredient. There is definitely some controversy over coconut oil and whether it causes/cures breakouts. Some sites say it can cause breakouts, but the rms website says the that coconut oil can help cure acne. I have combination/sensitive skin that is often prone to breakouts, but the bronzer did not make me break out. If you are worried this may be an issue, you may want do a spot test to see if you are sensitive to it. If you are aware that coconut oil affects your skin in a not so nice way or if you are allergic, you may want to avoid this one.



I paired the buriti bronzer with a nude eye and lip for a more monochromatic effect. I used the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette in shades Suspect and Snakebite and Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencil in Hustle on the eyes. For lips, I wore tarte Amazonian butter lipstick in Park Avenue Princess. Swatches of all shades below.



I really like the buriti bronzer and have used it quite a few times since purchasing. The overall glow it gives to the skin is really quite beautiful and it also layers well with blush or other glowy powders. I am interested in buying more products from the rms line, especially the luminizer. The bronzer retails for $28 and is available at Beauty.com, Beautylish, and Sephora.

By Terry Sun Designer Palette - Light and Tan Vibes

The By Terry Sun Designer Palettes are a new addition to the line for Spring 2016. There are two palettes, but I decided to go with Light and Tan Vibes, as it is the more neutral of the two. If you prefer brighter colors, you may want to purchase the Tan and Flash Cruise palette.



The palette is amazingly beautiful and has a very unique zigzag pattern that I have not seen in another palette. The packaging also has a really nice pattern. It is a plastic package, but it does have some weight to it so it does not feel cheap.



You can try to pick up the colors individually by squeezing your makeup brush, but I really love the look of them swished together. Swatches below of each side of the palette blended. The left has a definite shimmer (the shimmer is much more noticeable in person), while the right is a more subtle bronze. I recommend heading over to Temptalia if you want to see the colors swatched individually and the other palette.

I have been wearing the right side to work quite a bit lately and love the subtle bronze glow. The right side does have a slight sheen, but I find it is more wearable for day. The left side photographs very nicely, especially at night, and gives a great glow to the skin. You can also use it as a highlight. Both sides are very wearable overall and have great lasting power on the skin.



I paired the palette with neutral rose tones the other day and loved the look. I used the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio De Rose Gold and the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in #9 Nude in Private on the lips. Those are swatched below for your reference.

Overall, I love the look of the palette and find that it was definitely a great purchase for me. The palette is $82. I bought mine from Beauty.com, but it is also available at several other retailers. Have you tried this yet? What are your thoughts?