The “N-words” have taken America, and the beauty world, by storm over the past few years. Although some of the looks for this fall involve some very bold choices, we’re still seeing a ton of the N-Trend and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
What exactly do all of these buzz words mean, anyway? Let’s talk about it:
Naked-
Naked was originally used, in beauty terms, interchangeably with nude and natural. It meant, “looking-like-I’m-wearing-no-makeup-even-if-I-spent-2-hours-putting-three-pounds-of-makeup-on-my-face”. However- with the dawn of the Urban Decay Naked Palette, and its subsequent products and palettes, (all bearing the “Naked” moniker), it has taken on a whole new meaning. Naked now bears more of a hybrid meaning between neutral and sexy. Naked is the New Neutral!
Natural-
As I alluded to previously, natural usually means that someone wears very little makeup, or wants to look as though they are wearing very little makeup. ’tis a very fine line we walk when speaking of a natural look. If you happen to be utilizing the services of a makeup artist or a retail beauty consultant, it is best to specify exactly what you mean, in relation to the term “natural”. If what you really mean is, “I am fairly low-maintenance when it comes to my beauty routine and I’d like to keep it that way.”, then that’s exactly what you should say. If, however, you mean that you want to look like the best version of yourself, while using a neutral palette- that’s what you should tell your artist or consultant.
Neutral-
Neutral is probably the most straight forward of the “N Words”, kind of. Neutral mostly means the same in the makeup world that it does in the clothing world. Generally, neutral is earth tones and “colorless” shades. Brown, beige, black, gray, ivory, etc.. Something to keep in mind, however, is that there are “new neutrals” in beauty, just as in fashion. “Huh?” Right- NEW neutrals usually mean the traditional metallics: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
Nude-
Last, but not least, we come to Nude. Again, once used as a synonym for some of the other “N Words”, Nude has kind of taken on its own definition. I think of nude as most closely related to natural. So: “I’m going to wear some lipstick. I don’t want something bold, I’d like to wear a nude lip (ie: the same color as my own lips, just a shade darker. Shiny, but not shimmery)”. To many, however, nude means something closer to neutral or muted out. For instance: “I’m going to wear some lipstick. I’m making a bold choice and going for a nude lip (ie: I want my lips the same color as my skin, maybe even matte)”. I know, it’s kind of confusing. It’s kind of like how life is a part of dying, and dying is a part of life. Or something. Anyway, when I worked in the beauty retail industry and someone said “…blah, blah, nude lip.”, I just always asked, “What does nude mean to you, basically the same color as YOUR lips, or a muted out, almost colorless lip?”.
Hope this helps!
What’s your favorite look from all of the N Words? Do you have a favorite naked, nude, or neutral product? Tell us all about it in the comments!
pretty please beauty 