Is there anything more Kate Moss than a smoky eye and a nude lip? Rimmel’s collaboration with the iconic Brit supermodel has given us countless iconic shades of lipstick, but none more iconic than the Essential Nude Lasting Finish Lipsticks released for Spring 2016 ($5.79 each, available exclusively at Walmart).
From the soft peach packaging marked with Kate’s signature — equal parts modern and evocative of classic vintage lipstick tubes — to the chic range of 10 nudes in varying hues and undertones, all lipstick lovers are bound to find a nude lip to love.
Like Kate’s celebrity status, nude lips can be intimidating. Some may elect to gleefully experiment with all of the shades, while others may want to more carefully follow a playbook. Alas, I belong to the latter group.
Nude lipstick can be a bit of a challenge for me personally — finding the “right” shade can be overwhelming, like picking a foundation! Like all skin-toned products, there are things to consider, from the shade, to the undertone, and a whole host of other aspects from opacity to texture that make a nude lip perfect for an individual’s beautifully unique complexion.
What I love about this collection is the fact that Rimmel seized the opportunity to make nude lips more approachable. At $5.79 each, the Essential Nude Lasting Finish Lipsticks aren’t cost prohibitive, meaning that you can pick up several shades and experiment with them, or mix, match and layer to create a customized hue.
Each lipstick is tagged with an associated undertone (more on that in the captions), making it simpler to target your “my lips but better” shade.
On the other hand, the array of diverse nudes allows you to achieve a particular effect — brightening the overall complexion, adding dimension or adding warmth — should you choose to use your lips as a way to change the overall appearance of your makeup.
Shades 40 through 44 can be considered “traditional” nudes, with undertones such as pink, apricot and coral, whereas 45 through 49 begin to depart from the classics and feature hues such as olive, brandy and coffee. The offering of 10 shades provides a wide selection for varying skin tones (shade 43, for instance, is recommended as being particularly flattering for warm undertone beauties), as well as the ability to select based on trends and fashion.
I promised myself I wouldn’t say “Kylie Jenner lip,” but 46-49 are very in right now.
I swatched all 10 shades wearing otherwise understated makeup and had a blast studying how the varying nudes impacted the overall appearance of my makeup. Shades 40 through 42, for instance, are meant to add warmth; however, given my pale complexion and pigmented lips, I was washed out. Nudes 44, 45 and 46 brightened up my face and overall look while the deepest shades in the range gave my lips dimension and made my pout look plump.
Although I felt that the lightest shades in the collection weren’t for me, I started to hit my comfort zone by the time I got to 43 and was pleasantly surprised and very out of my comfort zone when I reached the deepest shades. All of Rimmel’s Essential Nude Lasting Finish by Kate lipsticks are lovely, and I can imagine them working on others, but for me the sweet spot seemed to be 45, described as a rose nude. (No surprise there!)
Given that I’m not much of a nudist (ha!), the exploration of 10 shades in varying nudes was a welcome opportunity. I found my perfect “my lips but better” shade and dabbled in trendy light and dark pouts. Who knew I’d be so drawn to the way #49 looks on my smackers?
Are you a nude lip lover? Do you select nudes based on trends, or on your complexion and undertones?
Like you, I am not a fan of nude lips that look like I have concealer on them. I am very fair, and love Bobbi Brown lip colors and have found several that are a rosy brown – truly MLBB.
Bobbi Brown has always been so good at “everyday” makeup that seems to suit a wide variety of complexions. Surprisingly (I can’t believe I’m admitting this), despite hearing wonderful things I don’t think I’ve ever tried a Bobbi Brown lipstick! I think I may need to change that.
Jessica
These look divine! 43 and 47 are for me. Thank you so much for reviewing Rimmel Jessica. I hope you’ll be giving them more attention in the future because they are always one of my favorite value lines.
Like you I’ve always LOVED Rimmel for high
Like you I’ve always LOVED Rimmel for high quality, affordable lipsticks. Despite the fact that I’m not huge on nudes the quality of these blew me away. Rimmel is always comparable to high end brands in my book!
Jessica
I’m not a fan of “concealer” lips at all. At least, not on me. I’m too pale and it looks weird. If I do beige lips, I have to have a shimmery gloss over it. More often, I go for a peachy or rosy brown nude, or even a really pale lavender.
Rosy brown nude is also my sweet spot. With pale skin and dark lips, anything lighter doesn’t work for me either.
Jessica
Ooh, these look like they would be fun to play around with! I am glad to see such a nice variety of colors, given that there really is no one “true nude.”
I think Rimmel did a great job at providing something for everyone with this launch. 🙂
Jessica
I picked up one of these recently and it’s the perfect nude! They wear really well, but you do have to be careful what type of lip balm you wear underneath as they don’t wear well with slippery balms
Duly noted! I generally stick to my trusty Nuxe Reve de Miel which is fairly matte, but I can see how the formula wouldn’t adhere well on anything more glossy.
Jessica
The darker nudes look appealing to me, the lighter tones make me usually look like I am dead.
Too orangey-peachy for my taste. They could’ve been more creative in regards to the shades.
I’ve been waiting for this line to come to the US. #45 is the one I’ve been eyeing, but #47 unique. I’ll probably buy #48 too. 🙂
I’ve really been into nude lips lately, so these are something I’m definitely going to look for! I like those two darkest ones and the olive is something I’m going to check out, too. Now just waiting (and store stalking) until these finally show up!!
#45 is the one I got too, but I think it was the darkest at the time I picked it up. Being so fair-skinned, I need some sort of colour on my lips so I don’t looked washed out/dead, LOL!
I’m not sure any of those would work for me. I am super pale and super dark lipped.
I really want to try these, since I love the previous Rimmel Kate lipsticks. I’m completely obsessed with nudes right now, and the rose nude looks like something right up my street! xx
Hi Jessica! I know it’s been over a year that you posted this blog, but I just wanted to say you did such a great job with these Rimmel Nudes Collection. Just today I noticed this lipstick display in my local drug store and wasn’t sure which shade to buy. I was leaning towards #49; I like brown tones. I’ve purchased browns in the past without much satisfaction. So I thought I’d hold off from buying it until I could see some swatches. I went online and searched for reviews/swatches of the Rimmel different colors, and I found your site, which is the best site online after searching through many different pages/sites. Thank you! Great job showing and swatching the Rimmel Nude Collection!