Masks Off: 10 Women Share Their Favorite Neutral Lip Combinations
Very early, at the beginning of a statewide mask mandate, I realized my go-to lipstick would simply not cut it. I was on a beautiful outdoor dinner date and by the time we said hello, walked to our table and sat down, I realized my lipstick was all over my mask and my face. Quickly excusing myself to the ladies' room, I learned very quickly that my beloved 'Lady Danger' lipstick was too much of a hassle, prompting me to seek mask-friendly smudge-proof lipstick alternatives.
While most are abandoning makeup altogether these days in favor of a more natural look, traditional lipsticks have been on a steady decline yet subtly stained lips in neural tones are on the rise. It's no secret that beauty evolves over time aligning with current events which, in 2021, brightly pigmented lipsticks are last on the list of essential beauty needs. With there being no end in sight to protecting ourselves and others by wearing the newly required facial accessories a.k.a masks, natural-looking lips have seen a recent surge in popularity. Although some would suggest a brightly-colored matte lipstick as an option, the winter season already increases dry cracked lips, so a matte lipstick would do anything but help with the much-needed moisture our lips crave in the cold winter months.
Since wearing your favorite pigmented lipsticks underneath a mask can get extremely messy, I've found the neutral lip replacements that won't fail you. With nudes, it's subtle differences that determine specific shades flattering a range of different skin tones. Easy to quickly and discreetly reapply for an effortless and natural lip, scroll to find 9 shades of nude created with inexpensive color options, beauty tips and product breakdowns from young women online.
From barely-there to soft and subtle, these are the lip colors setting the tone now until the foreseeable future:
Kaela Randolph
"I used Morphe Creme lipstick in the shade 'Whipped' and then I used Maybelline Lifter Gloss in the shade 'Stone'! It has been my go-to combination lately!"
Hanna
"The lip liner is Morphe 'Trendsetter'; it's actually not listed as a lip liner, just a regular liner but many use it as such and it works perfectly. The lipgloss is KIKO in the color 02. I also add a little bit of Morphe lip liner in 'Sweetheart'."
The products she used to achieve this look:
Line outside lip contour with Morphe in "Trendsetter"'
Line inside lip contour with Morphe in "Sweetheart"
Finish with KIKO Hydra Gloss in "02: Natural Beige"
Angelica
The products she used to achieve this look:
MAC Lustre Lipstick in "Fresh Brew"
MAC Lipglass in "Oyster Girl"Taylor Marie
"It's a Sephora Rouge gel lip liner in 'Brown' (#17 Molasses) and Fenty Beauty 'Fenty Glow' Lip Gloss."
Khalila Schneider
The products she used to achieve look:
Kianna
The products she used to achieve this look:
Pat McGrath Permagel Ultra Lip Pencil in "Contour Beige Brown"
Topped w/
Brittany Davis
"The first step is Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in 'Fenty Glow'. The second step is Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in 'Glass Slipper'."
Kandi Joseph
The products she used to achieve look:
NYX Professional Makeup Lip Liner in "Intimidate"
Cynthia Perez
"I was using NYX Cosmetics Eye and Eyebrow Pencil in the color 'SPE 902 BROWN' (I was wearing it as a lip liner) and it's no longer available. I applied the brown lip pencil over most of my lips then added the gloss on top until they became one. Then I clean it up with a concealer to perfect it!"
The products she used to achieve this look:
NYX Professional Makeup Slim Eye Pencil in "Brown" (Formerly "SPE 902 BROWN")
Dior Addict Stellar Lip Gloss in "Color 354 Diorsolight"
Shahirah Ahmed
"As for me, I'm loving Astra Beauty lip gloss, a black-owned luxury cosmetic company offering vegan, cruelty-free and clean beauty products energized with crystals to positively impact your mood. Line lips with MAC lip pencil then apply Maybelline Super Stay Matte ink to inner lips. Finally, adding Astra Beauty Natal Nude to complete the look."
The products she used to achieve this look:
Astra Beauty in "Natal Nude"
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink in "55 Driver"
MAC Lip Pencil in "Cork"
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Featured image courtesy of Taylor Marie
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Get To Know 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' Star India Amarteifio
Actress India Amarteifio has enchanted audiences with her captivating performance of a young Queen Charlotte in Netflix's latest hit Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
The limited series, a prequel to Bridgerton, follows the young queen as her marriage to King George of England causes a societal shift. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story debuted on Netflix earlier this month to rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
The show had left many in awe of the stars' portrayal of each character and its riveting storylines, so much so that it excelled in the streaming platform's top ten charts landing at number one when it premiered.
Since then, Amarteifio and her castmates have been trending on social media for various reasons. The list includes many sharing their remarks regarding the love story between Queen Charlotte and King George and social media users wanting to know more about the actors and actresses.
Although few details have been released about Amarteifio and her life, many would be surprised to know some uncovered facts about the star, unveiled recently during her promotional tour of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
India Was a Trained Dancer
Prior to focusing on acting full-time, Amarteifio was a trained dancer.
Marie Claire magazine reports Amarteifio --who grew up in England-- attended the Richmond Academy of Dance when she was 11. The following year, Amarteifio received a scholarship for Sylvia Young Theatre School. But the star's dancing journey would ultimately be cut short when she was 12 after sustaining a hamstring tear.
Amarteifio told L'Officiel what made her fully transition into acting, in addition to her injury, was that she was "constantly" falling ill. Amarteifio shared that because she loved "the acting element through dance," becoming an actress was a "natural" switch.
"I always wanted to dance. I went to performing arts school when I was 11 to 16. Then I really badly injured myself, and it made me question the industry and the lifestyle of something so reliant on my body," she said. "I constantly was getting injured and ill, and it made me look at the reality of the life of a dancer. I always loved the acting element through dance, so I made the natural transition that way. But I always wanted to perform—acting is just more of a newish venture."
India Started Acting Really Young
Despite Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story being Amarteifio's breakout role, the star has been a part of the entertainment industry since she was a baby.
In an April interview with Vogue magazine, Amarteifio revealed that she landed her first acting opportunity alongside her mother in a commercial for Vodafone when she was eight months old. A few years later, Amarteifio would land theater jobs, including The Lion King, where she played the role of young Nala, Matilda, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
"I was in a Vodafone advert with my mum when I was eight months old. I only found out about it the other day – she told me they did an open call and she just rocked up with me," she said." Growing up, I loved theatre and dance, and when I was nine, I auditioned for The Lion King in the West End. I did that for about a year, then moved on to Matilda, then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Around that time, I got a scholarship to Sylvia Young Theatre School."
After Amarteifio's injury at 12 and fully deciding to pursue acting as a career choice, she would go on to get minor roles in Doctor Who, The Tunnel, and Sex Education.
"We had a careers evening when I was 14, and I started thinking, 'If I keep doing this, I'll have a short career.' So, I started focusing on acting and ended up getting small roles in Doctor Who, The Tunnel and Sex Education," she said.
India On Being Mixed Race And How She Related To Her Character
As the conversation shifted to how Amarteifio could relate to her Queen Charlotte character, the actress shared that because of her mixed background, she felt she could identify with the idea of not knowing where to "fit in."
Amarteifio's mother is white, while her father, who is Black. Further in the interview, Amarteifio recalled what it felt like being the "only person of color" to enter a room and compared those instances to Queen Charlotte's experiences early on in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
"I'm mixed race. I've got a white mum and my dad is Black – born in London, but with Ghanaian ancestry – so I can relate to her in terms of not really knowing where you fit in. I know what it's like to walk into a room and have everyone look at you because you're the only person of color. There are so many scenes, especially early on in the series where Charlotte does exactly that," she stated. "In those moments, you feel alone and awkward, and it can be uncomfortable to talk about it, but by writing those scenes, Shonda's starting that conversation and showing people that they aren't alone."
India Prepared For Queen Charlotte: A Briderton Story By Watching The Crown
Earlier this month, Amarteifio opened up about how she prepped for her starring role in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
In an interview with Bustle, the actress disclosed that she binged-watch Netflix's The Crown to get another perspective on being a royal. Amarteifio also shared that her co-star Corey Mylchreest suggested it after they were informed that they would be doing a coronation scene.
"Corey [Mylchreest] actually recommended [that I] watch The Crown because we were doing the coronation scene [in Queen Charlotte]. In Season 1 [of The Crown], the Queen is going through a coronation, and it was interesting to see how that was done—because it's a ritual, it's a very similar experience, and to see the behind-the-scenes elements that they showed in The Crown was actually helpful," she explained.
Amarteifio also mentioned that portraying Queen Charlotte and watching The Crown helped her understand the royal family more as people.
"I definitely understand the royal family more, in the sense of knowing who people are in relation to other people—that's because when I was filming, I binge-watched The Crown. So I feel like I know them all. I know their secrets," she said. "But [Queen Charlotte] didn't give me any further insight into them because we don't delve into that. We're taking from history, but we're retelling it."
India On How The Queen Charlotte Role Impacted Her
In the same interview, Amarteifio provided details about how portraying the role of Queen Charlotte positively impacted her life.
Amarteifio stated that before taking the role of Queen Charlotte, she was often nervous to ask questions out of fear that she would "rock the boat." Still, after playing the character, the star started opening up more because she realized that even if she didn't receive any answers, it made situations much easier to handle.
"I see her as a very different entity. [But] not being embarrassed or afraid of asking questions is probably one of the things that I took away, because she asks questions and gets answers. Sometimes she doesn't get answers, but at least she tried. Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit nervous to ask questions or rock the boat — but actually, it just makes things easier," she stated.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is now streaming on Netflix.
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Feature image by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
