Real Beauty: My Search For The Perfect Shade Of ‘Nude’ Lipstick That Actually Suits My Darker Skin

Welcome to Real Beauty, a brand new monthly column from Ateh Jewel....

Since I was a child, I’ve always loved the world of beauty. I would look at MGM movies of the 1950s full of colour and glamour and be transported to a new world. For me, the world of Beauty and wellness is deeply magical. It’s the world of transformation, an explosion of colour, healing and self love. Talking about beauty and wellness taps into the mystical invisible world, which surrounds us all. It’s the way we communicate how we feel about ourselves and others. It’s not about vanity, attracting a mate or making lots of money to me. The beauty world is a world of playfulness, fun, artistic expression, healers and peace. Let’s explore it together.....

I’ve been a beauty addict for as long as I can remember and lipstick is the beating heart of my obsession. As a child of the 80s I would gaze with awe at Dynasty’s Alexis Carrington’s 'rich bitch' power red lipstick and all the glamour and swag it gave her.

For me, however, my holy grail was not the search for the perfect red lip but rather the perfect nude lip. A nude lip which would suit my dark chocolatey skin tone – one that ultimately included me in the conversation.

This search has spanned many years, taking me on a journey paved with some pain. For years, many beauty brands just didn't cater to me, with light chalky pinks and dusty browns making up their collections of lipstick – shades which made my skin look ashy and flat. For me, searching for a perfect nude lip has, in many ways, become the ultimate act of self-acceptance and self-love, as it has encouraged me to celebrate my natural skin tone. In a world that has constantly told me for so long that my melanin was wrong and not worth giving options to, my search for colours that suit darker skin is part of social change I want to help enact.

The beauty industry has changed from the beginning of my career 19 years ago, with nude shades going from one standard, boring beige to the understanding that nudes and fleshy tones come in a plethora of different colours – from the deepest to the fairest shades.

I have always thought of nude lips belonging to three camps.

The first camp I call Just Bitten, which is a pinky, berry stained lip, making your lips look like you have been nibbling on a bowl of cherries, Kate Moss in the 90s or as if you have been engaging in some good old fashioned snogging.

The second is a range of Chocolatey Taupes, which blank out your lips in a sexy, 60s mod way, which is great to wear with a smokey eye.

The third camp is what I like to call hard-working lip balms. These are tinted lip balms, which make your lips look juicy, healthy and effortless – think clear gloss with the natural youthful pinkiness of your lips shining through.

I used to blend, mix and create my own colours in order to get the perfect efforts I wanted but now, thankfully, the market is so much better. So, here are some of my favourites from each of my perfect nude lip tribes…

Just Bitten

I was once told by a beauty consultant that black girls don't do pink and can’t blush, which both haunted me and spurred me on to prove them wrong. This bitten look is like the blush of the lips and has a berry pinkness which looks great on all skin tones.

Chocolatey Taupes

I’ve always wanted to emulate iconic lip looks like Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour. You can achieve my version of this sexy blanked-out look with the below products.

Hard Working Lip Balms

Ever since I was given my first Lip Smacker in the 80s, I have had a love affair with lip balms. They’re sweet, comforting and helping to make you look polished and feel pulled together. These are some of my favourites to help give my lips a glossy, healthy glow with a hint of colour.