Nude And Neutral Lipsticks

I've been wanting to write a series of posts about the different colour families of lipsticks I have in my collection for a long time now. Sinead from The Beautiful Truth wrote about Nude Lipstick for Every Budget recently and it got me looking at my collection of nudes. I didn't realise how many I actually had, I'm obviously a red girl through and through but I think in my quest to find the perfect nude for fair skin I've ended up trying so many of them that I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you in the hopes it might help someone find their perfect shade of nude lipstick. 

I've written about several of these lipsticks before in more detail, Estée Lauder Crystal Baby, Rimmel 03 and 08, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Rosie for Autograph Lady Rose and No7 Spiced Latte. I don't want to repeat myself too much so you can read those posts if you're interested in knowing more detail. I'm aware I look like a narcissistic egomaniac with the amount of photos of me in this post but I wanted to give the best overview I could and compare the shades side by side both on my lips and with the context of my entire face because I think you always need to see what a lipstick looks like with all of your face in mind. 

Givenchy Voluptuous Nude, Charlotte Tilbury Penelope Pink, MAC Crème Cup, Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect, Rimmel 03, Rimmel 45, Clinique Nude Pop, Estée Lauder Crystal Baby (same below)

You can see from the swatches exactly how each shade compares to the others. Voluptuous Nude is by far the palest yellow based shade, whereas Crème Cup is it's blue based equivalent. They are probably my two least worn out of the lot because I do find they can wash me out unless I have done a specific makeup look and used certain colours. The packaging of Voluptuous Nude is gorgeous and the formula is on the more sheer side so I tend to wear this over some kind of lip balm to make it a bit more wearable. I'd definitely be interested in trying another shade from the Givenchy Rouge Interdit range because I love the formula of this. Crème Cup is probably the least flattering, but pared with winged liner and the right shade of blush it can actually look quite nice. It's just not as easy to wear as the others and I'd imagine if you have darker skin than me it could really wash you out.  

Clockwise from top left: Voluptuous Nude, Penelope Pink, Crème Cup and Bitch Perfect (same below)

I was given a gift of three miniature lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury a few years ago and two of those lipsticks were Bitch Perfect and Penelope Pink. As you can see I ended up buying the full size of Bitch Perfect. I love both shades but I just felt Bitch Perfect was a more flattering shade on me. Penelope Pink (which I don't find is all that pink) is probably more of a conventional nude. Again, paired with the right makeup look it can be gorgeous. You can see Penelope Pink in action again here and Bitch Perfect here. 

Clockwise from top left: Rimmel 03, 45, Nude Pop, Crystal Baby (same below)

I'm a big fan of the Rimmel Lasting Finish lipsticks, I have three of their nudes in my collection and they're all flattering, long lasting shades. You can see 03 is more yellow toned and 45 is more cool toned. Nude Pop and Crystal Baby are very similar as you can see above. I actually got this mini version of Nude Pop free with a magazine and along with Crystal Baby which I've had for years, it's one of my favourite nude lipsticks. The formula of both is similar in that it's not fully opaque but has just enough colour payoff. I would say these two would be the most flattering for most skin tones.  

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, Rimmel 08, Rosie for Autograph Lady Rose, No7 Spiced Latte (same below)

I decided to separate the nudes and what I'd call the "my lips but better" shades. These are all probably a lot easier to wear and might serve as nudes for those with darker skin tones than me. Pillow Talk is the most recent addition to my nude collection and you can read a very in depth review here. As you can see it's probably a shade lighter than Rimmel 08 and Lady Rose which are both very similar to each other. These shades are all quite rosy whereas Spiced Latte is again more yellow based. 

Clockwise from top left: Pillow Talk, Rimmel 08, Lady Rose, Spiced Latte

As you can see I have a lot of similar shades, I definitely don't need all of these but some were gifts and some were press samples. I'd say my favourites are Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect and Pillow Talk, Rimmel 03 and 08, Nude Pop, Crystal Baby and Spiced Latte. Those are just the shades I feel look best on my skin tone and have the best formulas for their price. 

It is difficult to find the right shade of nude, but don't be afraid to have a sales assistant try some shades on you if you're in the likes of Brown Thomas, Debenhams or Arnotts. It's not as easy as that with the more budget friendly brands because I wouldn't be putting those samples near my lips but even watching it on your skin can give you an indication of whether it will suit you. 

It also depends on the look your going for, whether you want something completely nude, or more of a neutral or whether you prefer warm or cool tones. I feel like after a lot of trial and error I really know what suits me now, not that I'm going to need to buy another nude lipstick for a while!

What do you think of these shades? What are your favourite nude shades? Are any of your favourites here?

Emma x

*No7 Spiced Latte was a press sample