I've been on an accidentally secret mission to find a beige-ish nude lipstick that looks good on me. I say "accidentally secret" because I never actually mentioned it, barring off-hand comments about Bite Beauty lipsticks like "Meringue is a peachy nude" and "Bouquet reads more peachy-pink than nude." It wasn't on purpose, though. It just...didn't come up. So here's my admission: I've been trying to find a nude lipstick that looks good on me. And I'm finally at the point where I'm admitting defeat. The Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Sonic Truth was the nail in my coffin.
The Le Marc Lip Cremes are $30 for 0.12oz of product in a sleek black case with a magnetic closure. The range seems to be primarily nudes and other more muted shades, though they do have a few reds and brights. They have a vague candyish scent, but nothing too overwhelming, and I can't smell it at all when it's on my lips.
I was initially inspired to try this color because I liked the formula of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang so much; it was lightweight, incredibly smooth, and very pigmented. This didn't surprise me, since the formula is loaded with emollients like olive oil and cocoa butter. Really, it seemed like this would be the creamy, full-coverage nude of my dreams.
But Sonic Truth didn't have quite the same feeling as KKBB. It still wasn't especially heavy or drying, but even with my lips freshly exfoliated and balmed, it settled in to fine lines and highlighted dry patches I didn't know where there--check out the chunk on my top lip. This isn't very visible unless you're about a foot away from my face, but it's still not comparable to the smoothness of some other nude shades I've tried, like the aforementioned Bite Amuse Bouche lipstick in Meringue. (I don't know if Sonic Truth is the "odd man out" in this shade range, or if Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is "especially nice" compared to the others, so if anybody knows, feel free to leave a comment!)
We were probably doomed from the start, though, because I don't think this is a color that suits me. It's a gorgeous shade, don't get me wrong. It's hard not to feel like Cindy Crawford circa the 90s when you wear it--I laughed when I scrolled through my photo reel and realized I'd subconsciously pulled a bunch of super model faces. (They look derpy on me, by the way, not super model-y.) Yet it just...doesn't seem to work. There's something always off about my face, like I need to take a few more steps to make the lip color fit.
You know what almost nude shade really does seem to suit me? MAC Faux.
Here's Sonic Truth swatched against Faux. They're clearly in the same shade family, but Faux has more pink tones in it. That subtle difference seems to make a world of change for me and my coloring, because while Sonic Truth washes me out, Faux brightens me up.
I didn't give this product a rating or treat this post like a full review because I was focusing more on the color rather than the formula, and in fact, I'm returning Sonic Truth this afternoon. But if I had to give my final word on this lipstick, I'd say this: it's a pretty color in what appears to be a half-decent formula. This beige nude just didn't work for me...and honestly, I don't think any of them ever will.
I've been on the same accidentally secret mission, and I was interested in trying Sonic Truth, since I liked So Sofia's formula so much. I was hoping Sonic Truth would be the slightly grayish beige/pink nude I've been vaguely searching for, but it looks surprisingly warm on you! Thanks for saving me some trouble. I, too, may have to admit defeat. I just look so much better in darker "nudes."
ReplyDeleteI think my coloring is just too "low contrast" to get away with these nudes, which is sad. :( It's definitely lacking gray, though, and it leans more peach-beige than gray or pink.
DeleteI know you're much fairer than me, but Catalyst from Life's entropy is a perfect pink-grey-beige nude on me, and they're a pretty reputable indie company.
DeleteI find nudes really hard on my fair cool-ish skin and pigmented lips. They're usually too dark, too light, too brown, too peach, too pink... not an actual nude. Basically, they either don't look nude at all or just suck the life out of my face. (Obviously, the former is preferable to the latter, but it's not the right effect.) I've pretty much given up on trying to find a perfect nude, and have instead focused on non-nude neutrals. I actually like Sonic Truth on you, but at that price point if it isn't perfect there's no point in keeping it!
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing: it's another one I don't hate, but I don't love. I feel like I'd need much more eye makeup, or a bit more color saturation on the lips, to make it work. :/
DeleteBeing cool toned they don't really work for me. I have pretty pigmented lips and gums so a nude for me might be a MLBB for someone else. The best "nude" that's almost an actual nude I've found thus far is NARS Rikugien even though it's warm, it's neutral enough to not look like a beige peachy mess on my mouth. I only use it when I do a heavy eye.
ReplyDeleteLogically, I know Rikugien looks amazing on a lot of people, especially those with very fair skin. But for some reason, I don't love it on me. It's almost like...it's not special enough? I don't know how to explain it.
DeleteI'm finding lighter pinky colors appear nude on my skin tone. I'm trying to find a dupe with better formula of MACs Angel. In my hunt i discovered Givenchy Rough Couture in Rose Ruban 211. Try it, is more nudey than Angel and soooo gorgeous. The formula is to die for.
ReplyDeleteI'll put it on my list. :)
DeleteHey Renee,
ReplyDeleteI have a sampled once ( sterilized q-tip to doe foot applicator ) Chanel Rouge Double Intensite lipstick in colour light rose. I had asked the sales rep. for another colour and didn't double check, so my bad. It was a disaster on my C4 Mac F&B Skin. So of course the receipt is lost in the wind.
Anyways, it's about 2 shades darker than Faux but just as pink. From what i read online you can sheer it out without loosing staying power.It lasted about 5 hours before it feathered. I didn't use the gloss end as I wasn't interested.
If you are interested I would like to send it it to you free of charge,but perhaps split shipping. I have no friends who love makeup enough to be worthy of this Luxe item. I don't know if this is something I should be saying on your site, so I apologize if it's not.
Cheers!
Thank you for the incredibly kind offer! However, I would definitely say you should swap or sell your lipstick so you can get something else. A lot of people use MUA Blogsales Take Two or Reddit's /r/makeupexchange these days. :)
DeleteAwesome! Thanks Renee:)
ReplyDelete