My cry for the perfect nude lip, answered by e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Color!

I think I've worked out where I've been going wrong in my hunt for the perfect nude lip. I've always equated nude with beige, or with brown, when actually a much better nude seems to be one with a red tint. Red! The colour I've always shied away from! The colour I always tend to avoid when lipstick/lipgloss shopping! Well, it seems I was being rather narrow minded in my quest for nude, but to my joy and astonishment I seem to have stumbled across the very colour I was unknowingly looking for...

e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Color Natural 

Enter e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Color in Natural (£3.50). It might not seem that red in the picture above, but wait until you see the swatches. As part of a recent e.l.f order I popped one of these in my on-line basket, intrigued to see if it would be a good fit for me, the on-line swatch showing a pinky brown nude colour and the 'Natural' name tag luring me in. Perhaps this could finally be the one...  

(I couldn't get any close-up shots of my mouth because I'm still fiddling around with my camera, but hopefully the pic above shows the red-ness of it!)

e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Color 'Natural' 

I can't even begin to praise this little pencil enough. I tested it out today, having waited a few days (I know! Crazy! To think what I was missing out on!) First I used it to line my lips. So far, so good, I thought to myself as I drew it on; smooth, easy to twist up, soft enough to prevent dragging, and a nice colour. I proceeded to fill in my lips, noticing how creamy the consistency of the pencil was, and how it left a lovely matte texture. And then I noticed that it had a slight red tone to it. Not beige or brown-nude, but more of a pink-red. And it hit me that I'd assumed I'd need a paler shade. But no! 

The longer I left it on, the more excited I became about it, due to it's staying power- a lunch of chicken pie and chips, and three cups of tea. Which is pretty impressive if you ask me. The matte texture remained; the colour didn't bleed; it didn't disappear, it didn't leave me with an awful red-pink lip line. 

I am truly converted to the joy of a natural reddish lip. It doesn't feel garish, it doesn't feel as if it's 'too much'. It feels like the  nude lip I've been searching for all this time. 

Thank you e.l.f!!

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