Nude (neutral shade) lipstick is usually polarising: typically people either dislike it or love it. It’s either a go-to shade or seen as a waste of time. But a nude lipstick is a great start to make-up or addition to an established make-up bag. Not only does it serve well on days when you need a non-flashy pick-me-up to feel more put together, and that moisturises your lips but it can also be a helpful layer when creating more interesting looks.

The best nude lipstick, perhaps more than any other shade, is different for everyone because the natural shade of our lips are so different. For south Asian women, the natural colour of lips can vary from pink to brown to greyish-purple. Baring that in mind, here are some fantastic shades to begin with. But if the shade itself doesn’t suit you then you’ll certainly find one that will in the lipstick range it’s from as these are some of the best on the market.

The first one is Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolour in Weekend

Bare Minerals are a clean beauty brand which means their products are cruelty-free and free of 10 harmful chemicals like parabens, formaldehyde and coal tar. Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipcolour is a great range of mostly-peachy nudes which is great for south Asians are brown skin and peach often go together really well. The shade weekend is a honeyed pink-peach that will be complimentary to pink, peach and brown lips. The formula is extremely silky and glides on smoothly. It is lightweight although you will be able to feel like you are wearing something. It has a sweet smell that fades gently. As the colour settles into your lips it will become more pigmented. However it transfers easily so you will need to either top it up or use a lipstick sealer like Lipcote.

The second one is Fenty Beauty Slip Sheen Sheer Shiny Lipstick in Glazed.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is also a clean beauty and cruelty-free brand and is vegan and gluten-free too. The Slip Shine Sheer Shiny Lipstick (quite a mouthful!) range is utterly unique. A lipstick, it has the shine of a low-impact lipgloss and the feel of a lip balm, which makes it a perfect day product. It’s incredibly lightweight and soft to wear. It will provide a sheer-medium coverage but the lipstick is buildable so you can create a more pigmented look. It’s not the most long-lasting but because of it’s lip balm-like quality it’s super easy to apply on the go. Glazed is a delicate peachy pink that is our pick to look effortlessly chic on brown skin but if it doesn’t suit you, the whole range is full of neutral shades to try.

The third one is NYX Cosmetics Lip Lingerie XXL Matte Liquid Lipstick in Xxpose Me

This collection follows on from their Lip Lingerie line of nude lipsticks designed to “mold your lips and accentuate your lip shape”. This follow up collection has a range of 24 nudes and some pinks and reds and is vegan and cruelty-free. Although a matte liquid lipstick, it’s isn’t too drying and feels comfortable to wear. If you’re worried about your lips feeling dry, it’s always a good idea to apply lip balm first, let it be absorbed and then apply the liquid lipstick. Apply a liquid lipstick to just-moisturised lips will prevent the formula from drying down and achieving that staying power. The range is highly pigmented so you won’t need more than one or two layers to achieve your look and it has a fluffy, mouse-like formula. We found the shade Xxpose Me was the best nude for south Asian skin with it’s peachy-orange/almost rust shade tones.

The fourth one is Mac Cosmetics Love Me Lipstick in Très Blasé.

This is a traditional lipstick format but the formula is creamy and moisturising and has a decent staying power of four hours or so. But even after several hours, it is silky and comfortable to wear. It applies smoothly and will melt into your lips to make them look soft and plump. As it’s not matte, it has a gentle satin-like shine to it. It’s also worth noting that the packaging is gorgeous. You should get good colour from just one or two layers but due to it’s silkier formula, you may need a few more swipes to build up more pigmentation if you want. We picked the colour Très Blasé to best suit brown skin because it’s a light peachy beige that will meet the darker natural colour of your lips whilst also bringing gentle petal-pink pop.

The fifth and final one is Charlotte Tilbury Kissing Lipstick in Bitch Perfect

At £25, this is most expensive one on our list so it’s our choice for if you’re looking for something more high-end. Like the MAC, it’s in a traditional lipstick format. This formula is creamy but it doesn’t apply smoothly and does feel heavy and waxy at first although this does wear off to become lightweight. It is moisturising and has a satin finish with a slight shine that stays even after the colour fades away. Like most traditional lipsticks, it has decent staying power but it is pigmented so you won’t need much for it to show. The shade we’ve chosen - Bitch Perfect is a pretty coral-peach that looks natural and can be worn all day.