Natural Lip Color Lipstick (Part One)

There are make-up trends, and then there are personal obsessions. My current focus has been the search for the most natural-looking defining lipstick. Sure, I could toss on some ChapStick® (or another lip balm that I may have talked about in a previous post) and call it a day, but sometimes I want to take my natural beauty (the way I see it) and amp it up. Cue my quest for the perfect nude lipstick!

Natural lips have different colors, especially in different states of hydration and in different lighting. Even one's inner lip is often a different color than what's visible with a closed mouth. It only makes sense that a lip's color is complex since it's made up of multiple layers of skin (and I'm sure with the current "contouring" fad, we'll see many more "lip contouring" tips spreading like wildfire). I personally like to try to get away with a one-step lipstick, especially on days at work. With this in mind, I look to the barely-inside part of my lower lip to compare my lip color, to find one that is closest to my natural pale-pink-brown-mauve color. Here's what I discovered:

A lot of "nude" lipsticks like to lean towards a bright pink/orange hue, which is flattering but not true to my natural lips. With a pale cool skin tone and hair that's frequently dyed shades of red/auburn, I was specifically looking for a lip color with more of a pale mauve tint to contrast. The three closest lipstick colors that I've discovered are Cava by Bite, Pale Pink (21) by Bobbi Brown, and Sugarcane by Bite.

Pale Pink is a creamy color very close to my natural lip color, with a, well, pale pink tone. This is the first Bobbi Brown lipstick I've bought and, while I do like the color and consistency, there's a certain unpleasant waxy scent that is enough to keep me from reaching for the tube often.

I'm a big fan of Bite lipsticks. Sugarcane is a sweet color that makes my lips look very natural with a little pop of pale rosy-apricot. (It's actually very close to the Bobbi Brown lipstick.) Cava tones my lips down a little with a pale, cool lilac color that isn't unnatural, but doesn't flatter my natural easily-reddened skin tone. (It works well with medium-to-full-cover foundation and dramatic eye make-up!) Bite lipsticks have little to no scent, and they're opaque and defining without being overly heavy. The only downside is that they aren't the most moisturizing lip products, so I tend to need a lip balm prior to application if my lips are extra-dry.

I still have yet to find that perfect swipe-and-you're-done nude lipstick, but my next post will share a few other natural lip colors that I've tried.