My Favorite Nude Lip: Lime Crime Coquette Swatches and Review

Nude lipstick swatches: Barry M Pale Nude, Lime Crime Coquette, and Revlon Soft Nude.

Finding the perfect nude lipstick is like finding the perfect red. It's hard because it's different for everybody. I don't know why it took so long for me to try Lime Crime'sCoquette, considering I bought so many of their other lip colors.

I guess I just figured I should only get the unconventional shades because a nude is so easily accessible from most brands. Right? Wrong. I just wore it to work and got 3 compliments on the shade before lunch.

Lime Crime Coquette Lip Swatch

Color:

It's not a concealer-nude on my NC25 skin, but it will be if you are deeper-toned than NW25 or NC30.

I love it on my skin because it's got some warmth/pink in the formula (see the swatches against Barry M and Revlon above) and not too pale, too grey, or too brown. Because I have so little red in my skin, wearing something too brown or pale makes me look like a walking corpse. This, for me, has a hint of blush in it and is perfect for that kitten-ish Brigitte Bardot look with dark lids and lots of liner and mascara.

Opacity/Texture:

When I swiped this on, I was first impressed by how I did not need any lip primer to even out my lip tone ahead of time. Coquette went on in an even layer and didn't sink into lines like some sheer or waxy pale lipsticks can. It goes on creamy (like a MAC Amplified Creme) and sets into a satin finish an hour later, which is perfect for me.

Wear:

This is not meant to be a long-wearing lipstick but it's lasted pretty darned well so far. After about 3-4 hours of wear (with plenty of talking and some drinking), it will become less opaque and settle into lip lines a little, but that's only noticeable if you hold a mirror a few inches from your lips and stare), but that's much less than other nude lipsticks have. I only need to press my lips together every once in awhile to even it out, and then touch up after I eat.

It also does not make my sensitive lips flake or feel too dry.

Scent:

Unoffensive, comforting Vanillin flavor, like MAC.

Coquette retails for US$15.99 on Limecrimemakeup.com.

Smoky Brown with Electric-Blue Liner (Bourjois Intense Extrait 08 and Regard Effet Metallise 54 Bleu Clinquant)

This is a super-simple way to dress up browns without piling on a whole lot of color. If you enjoy wearing color along your lash line, this is also a way to get it to to stay longer and more intense along the waterline. 

Bourjois Regard Effet Metallise Pencil in 54 Bleu Clinquant on waterline, with Intense Extrait Shadow #08 on the lids.

I used a lot of Bourjois in this look (uninentionally, but aside from the electric blue pencil, it's easy to find lots of alternatives and many makeup wearer should already have similar shades in their collection).

See the step-by-step here!

Barry M 154 Pale Nude Lip Paint

Swatches (L-to-R): Barry M Pale Nude, NYX Circe, Revlon Soft Nude

Nude lips aren't usually a statement in and of themselves but there are so many women who cannot live without a good nude lipstick.Well, finding the right shade of nude can sometimes be tricky, and you will need to experiment to see which undertone suits you the best. 

Barry M 154 Pale Nude has a peachy-pink base and is milkier-looking than either NYX Circe or Revlon Soft Nude. The texture is like a MAC Satin; not quite creamy, but also not matte. It's thick and quite opaque on the lips, which is perfect if you need a real "concealer lips" look. 

Lip Swatch: Barry M 154 Pale Nude Lip Paint on NC25 skin

However, a lipstick this pale is not easy to wear. If you're NW25/NC30 or darker, it WILL be paler than your skin. I also think it looks better on pinker skins, as the peach-pink tones can make an NC girl look a bit sallow (unless they are NC20 or paler).

Barry M 154 Pale Nude

I don't wear this on its own as it's a touch too pale for my skin tone. I usually layer it with something else, like a gloss or a baby pink lipstick such as Lime Crime Great Pink Planet.

Lip swatch: Barry M Pale Nude with Lime Crime Great Pink Planet layered over the centers of lips.