As women, it seems we’re always encouraged to wear a bright lip color to bring out our own bold radiance. But if you’re not feeling courageous enough to wear those brash colors, it’s perfectly all right to keep your color natural. In fact, it’s super sexy to sport a nude lip when you do it the right way. First, a nude or neutral lip looks best when lips are in great condition. That means virtually no chapping allowed to let the natural gorgeousness of lips show through. Start by lining lips with a shade of lip liner that almost matches your lipstick – go just a bit darker to give yourself a discernible line around lips. Fill lips in with liner pencil if you really want your color to last. The color you use is really up to you – be sure to keep it a shade lighter or darker than your lips because anything more could leave your skin looking sallow.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to tones and finishes. If you like a super glossy lip, then choose a gloss or a matte color with built-in gloss, like Cover Girl’s Outlast, which has color on one end and gloss to add once the color dries on the other. Matte lipsticks and stains do last the longest if a long-wearing lipstick is important to you, and they’re hot right now. If you like a traditional lipstick, then you can go with a color that’s frosty or one that is more creamy. Great selections for most skin tones include Smashbox’s Be Legendary Lipstick in Nude Mood, which is a great peachy-pink nude. Or try starting with NYX Cosmetics’ retractable lip liner in Natural, topped off with NYX’s Velvet Matte lipstick in Beach Casual, which has a satiny finish. Going nude can be hot, so give it a try