I am just like everyone other lipstick lover, in that I keep a few quality nude lipsticks in my collection. I own neutrals that range from $5 to $40. And while I don’t mind spending a few extra bucks for a great product, I do enjoy the convenience and luxury of running into my local drugstore to pick up an affordable lipstick. However, as a black woman, wearing the color nude can be tricky. Especially when historically, the options for women of color have been limited amongst mainstream beauty brands. There are dozens of nude lipstick options on the beauty aisle, but how many of them could compliment the hues of those who have darker skin tones than most? It was time to see for myself, so I tried five of the top rated drugstore nudes and here are the results.
First, I tried a pick from NYX which is one of my favorite drug store brands. This is in the shade “Sandstorm” which is a creamy light brown neutral. 
I love how this formula swipes on with minimal effort. Although it has a super matte finish, the color is also rich and pigmented. I like the way it looks on my skin and this will definitely be a new go-to nude in my collection.
Next I tried drugstore household favorite, Maybelline in the shade “Carnal Brown.” This chocolate nude is a brown girl’s dream. The hue is rich and deep in color which is a great compliment to my skin tone.
If you’re a super matte formula kind of girl, then you need this in your life. This lipstick saturates you lips in pure matte edginess.
Next I tried Iman Nude by Iman cosmetics. Iman is a black own branded and specializes in results for women of color. Naturally, I expected this lippie to deliver.
This the perfect nude lip shade with a slight orange undertone, which works really well with the undertones in my skin. This is now officially one of my favorite drugstore lipsticks. The coverage and the formula is amazing.
Next I reached for a Wet N Wild lipstick in the shade “Bare It All.” In the tube this shade appeared more nude like, however it appears to definitely be in the pink family once applied.
Perhaps on a darker skin tone this shade would be more nude, but on me its a bit too pink. I do like the color, but its not exactly in the nude family for me. I would add a liner to tone down the pink and enhance the shade.
Lastly, I tried this lipstick by Loreal in the shade “Matte-Itude.” It comes highlight recommended! I was anxious to give it a try because the undertones are dark which I figured would compliment my skin complexion.
Turns out I like this shade a lot and even though it has slight grey undertones it didn’t appear ashy on my lips. I also adore the light cocoa finish. This is also a great matte formula that is super hydrating and long lasting.
These 5 picks are a good selection for drug store nudes, and overall I am pleasantly surprised and impressed. As a woman of color, I think its super important to try things out to see how they wear on your skin. When swatched most of these colors didn’t appear to be anywhere near nude, however the majority were very complimentary because of the undertones.
So which lippie is the winner of this drugstore nude round up? 
IMAN’s hydrating nude, thanks to its undertones and deep hue, was the only shade in the lineup I could truly consider a nude shade, despite how much I enjoyed the other four. But hey, that’s just my skin, any one of these other shades might do the same for you.
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