There are a few hard and fast rules to live by when selecting your perfect, pouty nude lip hue. Follow them to the letter. If you don't, lip disasters are just waiting to happen: lip-sasters, for short.

1.

First! No matter what, a nude lip needs to be worn with a bolder eye. Just a few more swipes of mascara and a couple more strokes of liner will do the trick. Of course if you have a fancy shmancy event, please do a full-on smoky eye with shadow and smudging and liner, oh my!


2.


Pale-skinned girls have a broader range of color at their fingertips. When selecting your perfect nude shade, you can go more peachy, more pink, or even washed-out and totally nude. Your pale skin will only enhance any and all of these shades.

3.

If your skin is more olive, you must stay away from truly pale beiges, creams or white tones. The goal with a nude lip is to create something natural, or at least hyper-natural, and something too pale will create a ghost-like, ghoulish and otherwise ghastly look against your darker skin. Go for something with warmth.

4.

Bobbi Brown is the undisputed queen of the nudes and naturals. When testing various colors on your lips, be sure to use eye makeup remover between each shade. If you rub your lips too much (without a remover) while trying on different colors, your natural lip color is usually reddened, thus slightly changing the tone of the color you're trying on.


5.

Some gals love priming their lips with a dab or two of foundation. Some find this a bit heavy-handed and it usually results in a gloppy-looking lip color, with ugly, muddy undertones to boot. Others far prefer a very sheer swipe of an eyelid primer (Paula Dorf's is great) which will keep your lipstick lasting and lovely.

6.

A nude lip requires maintenance. If you're someone who likes to swipe and surrender, this isn't the color for you. Similarly, a red lip requires a ton of looking-after even though they seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. So, when sporing your sultriest of eyes and palest of lips, remember that you will tending to it for the whole evening.

via Vie Couture:

This is definitely what your lips need to look extra sexy and luscious. Apply this clear glitter alone or on your lipstick and experience the unforgettable 3D effect. You’ll get instant luscious lips with gorgeous multi color glitter!

It’s that easy and simple, so grab this US$26 limited edition gloss from Dior!>

Via Glossy Pink:

While waging a war against aging, it’s easy to forget one thing–our lips. Nivea A Kiss of Rejuvenation–Anti-Aging Lip Care SPF 4 is a moisturizing lip balm specially formulated to combat the appearance of aging.

Skin-repairing and antioxidant CoEnzyme Q10+ works to reduces the appearance of fine lines by protecting skin’s collagen and elastin producing process, while super hydrating Calendula Extract and Shea Butter makes lips feel lush and kissable. And, we all know SPF is necessary in the fight against premature aging, and this product contains SPF 4 to protect lips from the damaging effects of the sun.

This squeeze tube lip balm has a terrific texture that feels moisturizing, and it has even rescued me from chapped lips. While I don’t yet have fine lines on my lips, I do notice that my lips feel a tad springier and fuller from using this, and prevention is the way to go. Now, I use it nightly before bed, and I wake up to pleasently soft lips that feel conditioned and pampered.

L'oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss $7.99

Lip gloss is moist (and sometimes sticky) and gives lips a shiny appearance. Need a little oomph? Many lip glosses now have plumping products in them. Lip gloss tends to have less pigment than lipstick, but it can still enhance your lip color slightly.

Speaking of oomph. Does anyone remember when DuWop Lip Venom was all the rage? I tried it, and it was absolutely miserable. Who wants full lips that burn? But, back to the point.

If you always wear lipstick, try lip gloss for a week. You may find that a gloss smooths the fine lines on your lips and even plumps them up. For all you lip gloss wearers, try lipstick for a week and enjoy the wide variety of colors. What's your favorite lip gloss? I'm becoming increasingly fond of

Cargo Lip Base

* If you are wearing lipstick, use a lip liner first and then fill in with the same liner.
* Don't use lip liner to enhance the size of your lips. It's only meant to enhance what is already there.
* Apply your lipstick with a lip brush, like E.L.F. Professional Lip Defining Brush.
* If you want some shine, apply a clear lip gloss to set the color. Try
MAC Clear Lip Glass
, which is an ultra-clear gloss with a high shine factor.

Urban Decay Creates Midnight Cowboy Lipstick ($22.00)

You don't have to go under the knife to get a plumper pout. Here's how to get lips like Angelina Jolie.

Sugar Cosmetics Pump 'N Shine Duo is great for beginners who might be timid about bigger being better. The Pump ‘N Shine Duo is a lip gloss/plumper duo that will give you the shine you want, while pumping up your pucker, too.

For someone with more experience, Fusion Beauty XL Micro-Injected Collagen Lip 0.29 oz
is the perfect product for you. Swipe it on your lips and wake up with some plump, firm and sexy lips -- naturally. This product uses hyaluronic acid, which is a powerful plumping agent.

The crème de la crème of lip plumping products is the . This set comes with their famous Lip Injection that will give your lips instant fullness, Extreme Lip Injection which will plump your pout for the long term, a Lip Injection Mask that is like a facial for your lips and also Techno-color, a fabulous lip gloss by Too Faced.