Nude Lipsticks For Brown Skin and Pigmented Lips

Here are my favorite nude lipsticks for brown skin.

Before I jump into my curated collection of nude lipsticks, I want to clarify what “nude lips” actually means. Nude doesn’t mean a beige/cream/nude colour; it actually refers to the effect of lips appearing nude when you wear a shade of lipstick that is very close to your skin tone.

There is no such thing as a universal “nude” lipstick that works for every skin tone. Depending on your skin tone and undertone, you have to look for a lipstick that achieves the nude lip effect in a way that you like.

I have medium brown skin tone with neutral / golden undertones and I also have very dark/pigmented lips, which means to achieve the nude lip look I have to find lipstick shades that have:

• Deeper pigmentation  i.e. rich with colour to even out my lips
• Warm undertones such as peach, rose, coral to complement my skin tone and undertone

Each of the lipsticks listed below create a different kind of nude look on the lips and I’ll do my best to explain what it is, why I like it, and how to pair it with other makeup.

Affordable Nude Lipsticks For Brown Skin
L’Oreal Color Riche Matte Lipstick – 296 Maple Boulevard

A recent addition to my lipstick collection, L’Oreal Colour Riche Matte Lipstick Maple Boulevard 296 is the perfect dusty rose lipstick shade to achieve a soft, rosy nude effect on the lips, which is one of my favourite ways to wear a nude lip. It adds that barely-there hint of colour and looks very natural, making it perfect for daytime looks. I’ll pair it with some mascara and a soft rosy blush.

L’Oreal Color Riche Matte Lipstick – 297 Terracotta 

The L’Oreal Colour Riche Matte Lipstick Terracotta 297 is a muted, brick-toned shade and creates (what I like to call) a very matte and flat nude lip because the tone matches my skin tone almost perfectly. When compared to the other lipsticks, it looks the most cool-toned. I like to wear this kind of nude lip with a brown smokey eye and bronzed cheek — a monochromatic matte look that can work day or night.

L’Oreal Color Riche Prince’s Trust Limited Edition – Kaushal’s Nude

The L’Oreal Color Riche Kaushal’s Nude lipstick is created by the popular YouTuber Kaushal. The colour is a lighter dusty rose when compared to L’Oreal’s Maple Boulevard shade and it achieves that “my lips but better” look on the lips. The L’Oreal Color Riche formula is creamier than the L’Oreal Color Riche Matte lipsticks so it looks a lot more natural and can be worn on its own. It doesn’t really have to be paired with a specific look.

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High-end Nude Lipsticks For Brown Skin

MAC Matte Lipstick – Kinda Sexy

This matte lipstick is one of my holy grails. MAC Kinda Sexy is a warm, rich peachy lipstick and it makes my lips look truly nude. I like to contrast this kind of very colourless nude lip with a heavy glam eye look because it looks very sultry. I also use this lipstick in the centre of my lips on top of deeper shades to create dimension.

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Interview

This is another muted, brick-toned shade lipstick and achieves a similar flat and matte nude look on the lips as the L’Oreal’s Terracotta shade. Since the shade of the Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Interview lipstick is slightly deeper, I think it can be worn with any kind of makeup look that emphasises the eyes such as a winged liner and bronzed cheek.

Related:

How To Create An Easy Smudgy Smokey Eye With Nude Lips for Medium Brown Skin Tone