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Now that it’s officially summer, it’s time to enhance that natural sun-kissed glow with the perfect shade of nude lipstick. But how do you find the perfect "my lips but better" shade without looking completely washed out?
Clinique’s Colour Pro Makeup Artist Stephanie Flor shared some tips on how to choose the right nude lipstick. "The trick is going one to two shades darker than your natural lip color," Flor explains. "If you’re going for the natural lip shade, skip anything with shimmer or pearls. Nudes work very differently on different skin tones. The one thing you want to veer from is a hue with too much pink, which can wash out very easily. A good nude makes your eyes pop." For lighter skin complexions, Flor recommends shades that have a little pink and rose, which will bring out your inner glow. For darker complexions, a caramel-yellow undertone is best, she adds.
"My favorite thing to do is use a lip liner that matches my lip color and then apply a clear gloss on top and/or add a protector balm that mixes with the liner and gives a natural healthy glow. I love using Clinique Quickliner for Lips as a liner and then follow with Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint Moisturizing Lip Colour in Coming Up Rosy, which gives the lips a very soft natural lip. The Chubby Sticks moisturize and bring out the lips' natural tone adding a sheer lightweight formula with a hint of color."
And now for your natural-pout pleasure, we’ve rounded up some of the best nude lipsticks, balms and pencils—guaranteed o make your lips shine.
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Clinique Pop Lip Color + Primer
Lighter complexions should choose Bare Pop or Beige Pop for pink and rose undertones. Darker complexions should try Nude Pop for caramel-yellow undertones.
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Clinique Chubby Stick Baby Tint Moisturizng Lip Color Balm
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Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector
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YSL Rouge Volupté Shine
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Burberry Beauty Lip Mist
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Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel
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Buxom True Nude Lip Foundation
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Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo
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Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat