How to create the deep nude lip (it's much easier than you think)

Yesterday I talked about my obsession with finding the perfect shade to pull off the deep nude look.  I had some prospects in mind including MAC's Verve and Photo.  I was even going to make a stop at the drug store to see what other options were available.  I imagined myself building a new collection of darker lip colors in hopes that eventually I would stumble upon the exact shade that worked perfectly.

Then I headed over to Youtube for some inspiration.  After sitting through several videos, I had an epiphany.  That perfect shade I'm looking for might already be in my makeup bag.

You see, many of the ladies created that dark nude look simply by filling their entire lip with their lip pencil.  This provides that monochromatic effect between your lip and your lip color.  Once filled you can choose to add a little bit of moisture by using your favorite lip balm.  I absolutely love Aquaphor to add a little moisture without going overboard on shine. Once I apply, I dab my lips with a paper towel to wipe off the excess.  And if you want a bit more color, you can add a tiny amount of your favorite gloss. Not too much because we want to the outcome to be matte.

MACs Chestnut works well if you are deeper skintoned. I also love Cork which isn't as deep as Chestnut. Now I'm on the lookout for a brown-mauvey lip pencil. On my to-do list is to check out NYX's lipliners.  Take a gander at the tutorial below to see how she created this deep neutral look.  On her lips she paired two pencils. Jordana's Rock and Rose and Jordana's Coco Loco.

Oh, one last thing, if you are going to experiment with this look, make sure to exfoliate your lips using a sugar scrub and drink lots of water to keep your lips soft and hydrated.