Nude lips

Pardon me if I don’t get overly enthused about the latest fashion and beauty trends. Everything old is new again. For example, net-a-porter.com and other trendsetters say that leopard prints will be big for fall: did leopard prints ever really go out of fashion?

It’s the same way with beauty trends. The August 2009 issue of Allure highlights nude lips with smoky eyes on the runway. This is a classic look. Makeup artists advise women to focus on either the lips or the eyes: thus, if you wear a smoky eye, keep lips neutral.

Pür Minerals is pairing matte nude lips with a twist on the smoky eye. To create the nude lip with Pür Minerals, use its lip liner in Natural Calcite (all Pür Minerals’ shades are named after minerals) to line and fill in the lips. Then apply its lipstick in Sheer Zircon. To make the lips matte, apply powder over your lip color (not surprisingly, Pür Minerals recommends its 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation With SPF 15).




Pür Minerals Mineral Shea Butter Lipstick in Sheer Zircon

The smoky eye is created with Pür Minerals Pressed Mineral Eyeshadows in Champagne Citrine and Midnight Jade.

I’ve discovered that after the lipstick fades, the stain from the lip liner remains, even through donuts and salad dressing. Also, what if there’s pinkish skin beyond your lip line? I use concealer applied with a tightly wound, pointed tip cotton swab (I bought my swabs in Japan) just outside your lip line and blend: I use a dampened Beautyblender.