Usually my makeup-related posts are aimed towards Black women and I absolutely loathe it when youtubers, makeup artists, and such give makeup recommendations and say it's for all women of color because that's rarely the case. But this time, this post is truly for women of color. The brown girls, and I literally mean that. If you're skin is some shade of brown, this is for you. Especially my dork chocolate and milk chocolate girls.
I've dedicated myself to building and curating an impressive brown/nude lipstick collection and so far so good. When you've spent so long researching and buying makeup products online, you get to a point where you just know what's gonna look good on you and what's not. Once in a blue moon I'll miss the target and buy a chalky lipstick, but that's neither here nor there.
I rotate everyday between these lipsticks sticks and I literally keep half of them in my makeup bag because I like to have options, despite the fact that they're all very similar to each other. But again, that's neither here nor there.
I'm going to split them up into different categories because different strokes for different folks. Even though many nude lipsticks tend to look the same, often times the undertone is different. And undertones matter. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot.
Lipliners: A Necessity
Because they are essential, especially if you're darker and/or have larger lips. You doing life all types of wrong if you don't have at least one brown lip liner in your collection.
Colourpop Pitch $5 - This lip pencil is quite dark (but doesn't look as dark on dark skin) so I'd only suggest this if you have dark skin, like a dark lip, or if you like to line your lips with a darker liner on some modern day Chola shit. I don't really like to mix this with lighter colors cause this pencil is so dark, it can really just ruin the lightness of a nude and make it muddy and a bit too dark. So I only use this with brown-based nudes or if I want a 90s lip with dark, overlined lips.
- Colourpop BFF 3 $5 - This is great on its own or if you're someone with dark, two-toned lips like myself, it would make a great base to blank out your lips and neutralize them instead of using concealer. This would also be good for the lighter brow girls who need something to deepen their lip colors and help them blend it in better.
- NYX Urban Cafe $8 - A reddish brown color that's creamier and warmer than Chestnut by MAC, I'm not the biggest fan of this because of it's consistency but at the end of the day, it gets the job done. It was the only liner I had when I thought I'd lost my Chestnut for a whole month.
- MAC Chestnut $17 - Me holy grail. Would definitely repurchase again and again until the end of time. It's the perfect shade of brown that's dark enough for me, but not too dark. And it's warm, but not too warm to where it's obvious that you've lined your lips, like Urban Cafe. It wears great throughout the day and has the perfect consistency that's pencil-like the way it should be, but also not too dry.
- NYX Slim Lip Pencil in Brown $3 - I love to wear this lip pencil alone or under any lipsticks I have that I wanna tone down and neutralize a little bit. It's sort of like Cork by MAC, a medium-toned brown.
Top to bottom: Pitch, BFF 3, Urban Cafe, Chestnut, Brown
For my #PeachyBrown girls
Lime Crime Cindy $20 - This color is bomb, okay. Bomb. I know this company is lowkey trash but girlie listen... Lithen. Their velvetines are so good. The pigmentation, the wear, even the smell is good. They don't get dry and crusty on the lips during the day, it doesn't feather, noneadat. This color is perfect for springtime cause on darker skin, it's a warm peachy color with brown undertones, it'll compliment your skin nicely. Promise.
Ninethreebeauty Ivy $9 - If you truly do not fuck with LC, this company is definitely a way better option. It's black-owned and SUPER affordable. I knew it was black-owned when I opened the tube and it smelled like grape kool-aid. This is a satin liquid lipstick so it probably won't last all day but it's very pigmented so a little goes a long way and it's very moisturizing. Since you don't need to use a lot, it'll last you a while.
Top to bottom: Cindy, Ivy
For the #Sheer girls
Glossier Generation G Lipstick in Leo $18 - Forgive me for not having a swatch of this in the picture below cause I done lost the damn thing, but you can see a swatch of it in a review I did on my old blog. This is my go-to lip that I (try to) keep with me at all times to keep my lips from looking dry and crusty, and to add just a hint of color. On dark skin it's not much, but if you're lighter or have lighter lips, it'll definitely show up and it'll sort of be like a light but warm, cocoa brown. *monotoned voice* And not to be annoying but I'm gonna be annoying and give y'all my link to get 20% your first order.
MAC Touch $16 - A luster lipstick that isn't necessarily sheer, but it's still one of those lipsticks that you can just swipe on real quick and it'll give you some color and sheen. It's a nice pinky brown color on the lips despite how dark and brown it looks on my arm. My arms are lightskin and the swatches don't look the same as they would on my lips. It's just betrayal all around, really.
For the #Pinkybrown girls
On my arm these swatches look brown, but on my lips they show up more pink just fyi.
- ABH Ashton $20 - My fellow blogger and very good fren Zayna put me on to this after dubbing it "the perfect nude for Brown women" and I was like wheewww I guess I gotta cop this then. I'm glad I did too. I'm wearing it here and here. In the picture of me in yellow, I applied it over the NYX Brown lip liner (see what I mean when I say the liner tones down colors?). In the tube it looks brown but on me it's actually more of like a warm pink with a touch of brown, like it's more bright and pink on me than anything. It's very versatile though, I love it.
- NYX Lip Lingerie in Seduction $7 - Pretty much the only lip lingerie I wear even though I have like 3 other ones in my possession. It's the color I like to go for when I want a very natural lip that's gonna be comfortable but also last all day. I like this color in particular because it matches the natural pinkness in my lips, which is kind of rare for me.
- Lime Crime Riley $Free - Forever bitter that this was limited edition and they have absolutely no plans on reintroducing this permanently, Riley was described as a "warm coco brown", this looks more like Cindy on me but with pinker undertones instead of peachy. I'm honestly hesitant to use it cause I'm gonna cry when I run out. I know it.
- NARS Satin Lip Pencil Bansar $27 - I think this was like the first rosy brown lipstick I ever bought. I was very much into Twin Peaks when I got this (still am, still waitin for that revival this year) and I was trying my damnedest to replicate their iconic makeup. I still don't think I've found that Twin Peaks lipstick yet, but I'm probably gonna keep trying anyway because why not. This pencil is very creamy and opaque, and shows up more pink than brown, but not overly so. I think it'd look good on any skin tone, really.
Top to bottom: Seduction, Ashton, Riley, Bansar
For the #BrownieNudes
I obviously saved the best for last; the brown nudes. For the girls who love a warm brown lip that's not too dark and not too light, but just right. A brown lip that compliments your skin tone without washing your face out and giving you concealer lips. Because we don't do that around here.
Colorpop Taurus $5 - Described as a "mid-tone yellow brown", which is extremely accurate cause the yellow undertones in this are strong, this is one of my favorite nudes. On me, it comes off as a tan, slightly orange-y brown. It's matte but the formula is very good, it's super creamy and comfortable but it feels like nothing on the lips and lasts all day.
- Tarteist Lip Paint, Fortune $24 - Looks super dark on my arm and in the tube but on my lips, the color is actually kind of similar to Cork by Dose of Colors. The color is a gorgeous, caramel brown nude on me but my only gripe about this product is the formula because it's SO drying. This needs to be worn with a gloss or balm, otherwise it'll be uncomfortable and it'll be crumbly throughout the day.
- NYX Dubai $8 - A gorgeous taupe-y brown color that's not ashy or too light, it's one of my faves. I couldn't find it so I couldn't include it in the swatches but I did swatch and review it a while ago on instagram.
- Dose of Colors, Cork $18 - When Sir John said he used this on Beyonce at the CMAs and her recent Grammy performance where she was decked in gold with my siblings in her stomach, I couldn't not buy it. I feel a lot more close to Beyonce now that I have this. It's the perfect nude for any brown girl, I'm telling you. Not only is the color bomb but the formula is one of the best I've ever tried. Super comfortable and doesn't feather or crumble.
- NYX Berlin $7 - This one is a warm brown with a tiny hint of red in it, it's perfect for those who want an effortless, darker brown lip to wear everyday.
- Lime Crime Salem $20 - It's such a versatile color because you can either wear it on its own as a deep chocolatey lip, or you can layer a lighter lipstick on top and customize it to fit your skin tone. It's the perfect color to mix lipsticks with that you think are too light for you cause it helps to deepen the color. I owe many successful nude lip concoctions over the years to this lipstick.
- Colourpop Hollywood Blvd $5 - Another yellow-toned brown like Taurus. On my lips it's a nice warm, yellow-y, caramel tan that's a little on the darker side.
Top to bottom: Taurus, Fortune Cookie, Berlin, Cork, Salem, Hollywood Blvd