LATM: Nude-y lips – a little comeback

I’ve been quite quiet during the past weeks… uhm, months.  It’s been a tough year speaking in job terms, and all my activities have left me little space for blogging.  Anyway, this might be a last post for year, hoping to resume blogging during 2015. 

What’s my current lucubration? Well, nude-y lips… and I’m sure this may sound weird, since nude-y lips is kind of the most neutral and probably the simplest thing for most make-up aficionados… yet, it’s the worst nightmare for someone with pigmented mauve lips.  For someone with natural dark lips, going for bright, red or even vamp lips isn’t such a change, you almost feel it natural.  However, attempting for something lighter than your lips without erasing your mouth is a great challenge –and that said by someone whose latest achievement was a half-marathon.  Anyway, will go back to races later, for the moment let’s talk about what I’ve been using lately for my attempt to nude-y lips: lip liners.

Source: https://www.prettylittlething.com/blog/keep-it-in-the-lines/ 

Many of us who whitnessed the 90’s are probably still afraid of the “dark liner, frost gloss” trend that prevailed along with the brown lips during the decade.  However, we should also confess that most of us all owned a brown lip liner and a frosty gloss –in my case, those were both Dior and the frosty gloss was champagne colored.  But, we all prefer to pretend that never happened and just be afraid of lip liners… unless you have pigmented lips and definitely need a lip liner to achieve a nude-y lip.  The ones that have got my current love in this matter are the following:

The slight frosty nude: Chanel Stylo Levres Mordorée Nude & Natural + Glossimer Blizzard

Do not get misleaded by Nude Mordorée’s name, it’s a fairly dark mauve nude that will work for people with pigmented lips (it’s a true MLBB shade on my lips), but the rest of the market will see it as a shade to achieve the Kylie Jenner dark lip.  But, in combination with Natural (the true nude shade in Chanel’s lineup) you can create a nice dimensional full nude lip: fill in with Nude Mordorée on the upper lip and corners of the lower lip, while use Natural on central lip… apply a bit of gloss on top, he one I use the most often, Chanel Glossimer Blizzard –the modern day version of my former, and beloved, Dior thick frosty champagne gloss.

I wear this combo almost on a daily basis, including for weddings some days ago, as you can see in the following pictures.  I barely remember the exact products I used, but I do remember I intended to do a soft look for a day wedding using Laura Mercier’s Free Spirit palette, and I probably used Nars Maldives multiple on cheeks (since it has reached a HG status).  Just in case you wonder where the pictures were taken, it’s at “Las Mañanitas”, a hotel in Cuernavaca (a city about an hour from Mexico City) where I had breakfast before attending to the wedding.

The Coral-y Nude-y: Laura Mercier Clover + Burberry Cameo

I think this lip liner was LE, but seriously hope it’s not unless I can find a dupe for it –if anyone reading this knows of any, please let me know.  It’s defined as “warm pink brown” that surprisingly goes coral-y on my lips when I apply it.  My lips tend to get that reaction with brownie-shades, since I get the same result with Couleur Caramel No., which is not an exact dupe but may work while I get a dupe.  I usually apply this as I apply Nude Mordorée, and leave a bare center lip.  I apply gloss right away, the one that has worked wonders with this particular shade is Cameo by Burberry Beauty.

This one is the second most used LOTD I’ve been wearing lately, as in today’s FOTD.  I did a pretty free version of Charlotte Tilbury’s “the uptown girl” which is by far my favorite of her 10 iconic looks –I know there are plenty of more glamorous ones, but this is the one I feel I can wear on a daily basis without getting bored of it.  Anyways, on eyes I used Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick in Bulletproof Beige all over lid and Guilt Grey on socket to add some depth.  I then applied Laura Mercier matte eyeshadow: Dawn all over lid and Cashmere over Guilt Grey to blend. I did a slight winged eyeliner with Burberry Beauty Poppy Black Khol.  I’m also testing Max Factor Extreme Volume Mascara –I will hopefully share some thoughts later.  Cheeks is Nars Maldives.

The ones that got away: Nars Rosebud & Mac Spice

I used to own both, and somehow got lost in twilight zone that hides in my purse, or simply decided to fly away.  Anyway, from the top of my head I remember Spice was kind of similar to LM Clover, but I much preferred Clover… oh, and that a closer friend used to pair Mac Spice lip liner with Chanel RCS Boy.  Apart from that, I don’t feel like I miss Mac Spice much, and that’s probably the reason I haven’t repurchased.  Rosebud is a different story, I got it as a recommendation of a Nars MUA (in those times when Nars was sold in Saks Fifth Avenue Mexico) and loved it, I used it as a base for almost any shade (even darker ones) and one day, it disappeared.  I haven’t repurchased mainly because I still believe I will find it during my next major clean up –wishful thinking.

Waiting to try and current lemmings

I’m on a major nude-y lip kick and I don’t intend to leave it in the near future.  Yet, there are several that are in the bucket list to try or I already own them and I’m figuring out how to make it work –the fact that I paused blogging didn’t mean I paused loving makeup: 

Bobbi Brown Art Stick Dusty Rose: I already own two bright ones (Electric Pink and Sunset Orange) and these wear like iron but don’t dry my lips.  I actually applied a bit of Sunset Orange before a 15k race (9.3 miles) and it was still there after I crossed the finish line –fact that made me fall for these.  I decided to give a try to the neutral Dusty Rose to see if it works like the brighter ones.

Nars Soleil d’Orient lipgloss: I tried the new formulation of Nars lipglosses –less sticky and less stinky- and I totally loved it.  I just got the last one of this shade my nearest Sephora had, since… it reminds me my old Dior frosty champagne lip gloss –did I ever tell I tend to get that kind of shades because no matter what, a part of me is still in the 90’s?  Anyway, I still need to figure out which shade should I use as a base layer for this one, since it doesn’t show on my lips on its own.  Some ideas so far include Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Floralies (light apricot, which I own), Biscayne Park (pink guaya that I don’t own) or Isolla Bella (peach beige that I don’t own).

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Ingénue: a nude lipstick that I happen to own.  I got it when I got Chanel Natural lip liner, but I feel I haven’t used it that much, probably I still need to get used to the lightest nude I can probably wear before going to the forbidden land of concealer lips.  Seems this is something I need to explore a bit more.

Burberry Beauty Lip Cover Cameo Pink: I got a mini of this when I got Cameo lipgloss.  I’ve read a quite positive review of it from The Beauty Look Book, which made me consider trying it for a couple of days before deciding whether to get the full size –and the gloss.  So far, I had never been really interested in other Burberry mini lipsticks I’ve got.  I guess Rosewood (Lip Cover) felt too much of my natural mauve lips while Cooper (Lip Mist) is just too sheer to show up on my lips.

Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Liner Brown n Nude: I saw this when I got the mascara, and I actually regret not getting it.  Seems like and interesting shade and after I read at Indian Makeup and Beauty Blog about it, my lemming increased.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to get it and try it soon.

So far, this is my current successful experience with nude-y lip shades, and what I’m expecting to try.  More impressions, and the Spanish version of this post, soon to come.  I apologize with all the Spanish speaking readers, if there are still any, for the inconvenience… I’ll try to get the translated version as soon as possible.