Breaking Down the Pale Nude Lipstick Trend + Find Your Perfect Shade

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The Best Pale Pink Lipsticks for Every Skin ToneCourtesy of rom&nd

Whether it's at the Met Gala or on our TikTok For You Page, pale lips are making a comeback. No longer are celebrities rocking a red lip; instead, many of them are opting for a nude, pale, or even no lip color.

With sheer lip oils trending for years, it's no wonder this is the next best thing in beauty. Let's just hope the dreaded concealer lips aren't returning, too.  

Even in our everyday lives, many of us forget to put on a lip product, or we leave it until we're already on the go. So, while you could go completely bare, sometimes we need a little something to cushion our lips and give them that even tone and glossy look.

But what shades are best for you? We broke it down by undertone and skin tones, and recommended our favorites to make it easier for you. 

How to Pick the Perfect Pale Nude Shade for Your Skin Tone? 

When it comes to choosing the right shade of pale nude for you, the traditional makeup advice still holds. Figure out your understone.

Are you warm, cool, or neutral? If you're warm-toned, look for shades that have a little bit of yellow, gold, orange, or peach in the pigment. If you're cool-toned, your perfect shade will be those with a base of blue, purple, or pink pigment. For neutral tones, all shades and undertones work for you. 

In lipsticks, undertones are easiest to detect in red shades. Nudes, on the other hand, are trickier. Still, it's not impossible. It's just a matter of training your eyes to detect the cool or warm tone under the pigment. If you're struggling, many shade names include a description with their specific undertone. 

If You're Fair to Light, What Pale Lip Shades Work For You?

For those with a fair to light skin tone, most pink and nude shades work perfectly for you. It all depends on your taste! For those with a warm tone, a nude shade that has a bit of pink is recommended. For a cool-tone vibe, look for beige shades instead. Still, if all up to your preference. Just remember, for you, the lighter the better. 

If You're Medium to Dark, What Pale Lip Shades Work For You?

For those with a darker skin tone, it's a bit trickier. The undertone rules still apply, but you have to keep in mind how the color will translate on your lips.

Keep in mind pigmentation. Is the lip product bold or is it sheer? A light, pale color might be perfect if it's pigmented and you want a frosty look. But if it's not as pigmented, it might disappear completely on you. It depends on the look you're going for. In general, light brown beiges and pale mauves are highly recommended!

Best Lipsticks & Glosses For The Viral Pale Lip Look:

rom&nd Glasting Color Gloss in Cream Shell

This K-Beauty gloss is beloved on TikTok for its hydrating formula and range of cool-toned and warm-toned shades. Everyone's favorite? This light cream color has a warm pink hue that looks good on everyone. 

MAC Cosmetics M·A·Cximal Sleek Satin Lipstick in Crème De Nude

Everyone knows MAC Cosmetics is the queen of the pale and frosty lips trend. The Sleek Satin Lipstick offers full-coverage color and hydration, and its Crème De Nude shade is a perfect pale peachy beige color. 

LAWLESS Forget The Filler Lip Plumper Gloss in Skinny Dip

This lip-plumping gloss promises to leave your lips looking fuller, hydrated, and very shiny. The shade Skinny Dip is a pale pinky beige that looks lovely on every skin tone. 

KimChiChic Beauty Marshmallow Butter Lippie in Café Au Lait

Created by RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Kim Chi, this lipstick has a soft and creamy texture with incredibly bold pigment and a satin finish. The Café Au Lait shade is a pale mocha brown with a hint of pink and a warm undertone. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Velvet Full-Pigment Lip Mousse in Pure Hollywood

There are plenty of pale nude shades to choose from in Anastasia's new Lip Velvet mousse, but the shade Pure Hollywood is perfect for medium to dark skin tones with its pale mauve nude color and cool undertone. 

Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Ice

Infused with hyaluronic acid, Maybelline's Lifter Gloss will leave your lips hydrated, shiny, and not sticky. The shade Ice is a pale bubblegum pink with a hint of purple that works for every shade. 

PAT McGRATH LABS SatinAllure Lipstick in Skinsane 2

Ideal for medium to dark skin tones, this Pat McGrath Labs Lipstick in the shade Skinsane 2 features a creamy formula, a satin shine finish, and a warm-toned rose nude color. 

NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cairo

A drugstore staple, NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream has so many color options that it's very nearly overwhelming. Lucky for us, that means there's a pale nude option for us! The shade Cairo is a true pure nude that could double as the infamous "concealer lips."

Wet n Wild Mega Last Matte Lip Color in Never Nude

Infused with hyaluronic acid, this semi-matte lipstick is the most affordable option from our list. The shade Never Nude is a pale brown beige with cool undertones that is perfect for medium to dark skin tones. 

How We Choose

The E! Insider Shop editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews, and use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.

As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think our readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not E!. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.