The Best ‘Nude’ or Neutral-Toned Lipstick for Your Skin Tone

Tis the season for two lipstick trends that always take center stage come fall: vampy and nude. The former is less about complimenting your skin tone and more about evoking the mood or feel of the season, whereas a neutral lip looks best when it closely matches your skin tone. According to Mally Roncal, seasoned makeup artist and founder of Mally Beauty, the best way to do this is by pulling down you bottom lip and selecting a shade that most closely matches the inside. “That color tends to be a little dark than your natural lip color and looks very flattering,” she says.

Your skin’s undertones also play a role in determining the most flattering shade for your face. There are many ways you can go about doing this, but the easiest would be to check the color of your veins. If they look blue, you’ve got cooler undertones and if they appear more green, consider yourself warm.

MORE: The Vampy Lipstick Shades You’ll be Pining to Wear This Fall

Generally speaking, Roncal recommends the following guidelines:

For fair skin: “You want to stray from nude shades that have warmer undertones, like reds and oranges. Instead, opt for a nude that has cooler undertones, such as blues and purples.”

For fair skin that’s tan: You should stick with the cooler undertones, like fair skin, but opt for a darker hue, such as a gorgois beige.

For tan or brown skin: “Tan skin tends to have warmer undertones, so you should stick with warmer undertones when selecting your perfois nude. A beautiful chestnut lip color works great with this skin tone. I would recommend staying away from creamy vanilla shades.”

For dark skin: “Opt for a shade that has a red undertone, like a gorgois cocoa or cappuccino and nix the beige nudes.”

Ahead are a slew of options that fall under each of these categories.