If you’ve ever tried to find your perfect nude lip color, you know it’s no easy feat. Back in the day, the biggest beauty hack for finding your true nude wasn’t exactly one you could perform in-store: matching your lip color to your nipple color. Thankfully, these days we have more G-rated suggestions you can actually be seen doing.
Using light pressure, just pinch the tip of your finger and start comparing the color to shades.
But is the color you’re left with really your true nude lip shade?
According to cofounder of DIBS Beauty, Courtney Shields, the answer is no, but that’s okay! “To me, this trend helps you find a complimentary shade for your lips, which I love,” Shields explains. “I feel like this typically pulls as more of a rosy pinky/mauve color instead of nude, but this is also such a fun way to get there.”
Because you’re looking at your flushing shade by pinching yourself, Shields sees this hack more as a way to find your perfect rose than a true nude. But the color you end up with is definitely complimentary.
Of course, there is a lot of versatility around what a nude is in the first place. You need to take into account your skin tone and undertones, which may not agree with the rosy tones this hack often provides.
And ultimately, just like the drawbacks to the nipple-matching hack, if you’re actually looking for your perfect nude shade, you’re probably going to do best by looking directly at your lips. Your natural lip color will tell you a lot about where you need to go to find a complimentary true nude.
“Personally I like to look at my natural lip color and try to go a shade or two darker than that for a flattering hue,” Shields explains. “For me our shade 3 Dibs liner is perfect. I recommend experimenting to find your ideal everyday color. With beauty, the more curated the better.”
