Style

I Tried Every WOC-Friendly Lipstick From Mented

by Summer Arlexis
Summer Arlexis

A match made in heaven nude lippie is easily one of the hardest products for women of color to secure — and believe me, I've tried. Luckily, now the struggle might be a little less real. Made with melanin in mind, the nude lipstick shades from Mented Cosmetics are a dream come true for brown beauties aiming to flaunt a flesh-toned pout.

When it comes to cosmetics, women of color don't always have it easy. Everything from finding foundation shades for deep skin to snagging a blush with the proper non-ashy hue is a task when many brands don't have extensive shade ranges. A black-owned makeup brand that gives women of color options, Mented is solving yet another major beauty conundrum: The damn near impossible task of finding true nudes for brown skin. WOC friendly nudes can seriously feel like the unicorns of the beauty sphere sometimes, but Mented's stock proves they aren't hard to come by when you look in the right places. With a capsule lipstick collection featuring six shades that combine pink, red, and tan hues to perfection, Mented's supply is the line brown babes need to see.

At $16.50 a tube, or $89 for the entire capsule collection, each boldly pigmented and moisturizing hue will enhance your pucker like no other. Here's every heavenly nude shade you can find on Mented's virtual shelves.

From pinky nude to rich chocolate, there's a complimenting shade for every tan to deep complexion. With just one stroke, each color packs a pigmented, non-patchy punch, with (left) or without (right) flash.

Recently expanding their stock, Mented Cosmetics just introduced a summer lipstick collection that's just as lust-worthy as their original batch of lippies. Each tube retails for the standard $16.50 price, or $45 for all three shades in the Feel The Warmth collection.

Keep scrolling to take a trip to nude lip heaven— you won't be sorry!

1. Peach Please

I don't think I could ever part ways with Peach Please. The hue was my natural lip color, but better! It added just a splash of tan to my already soft pink pout. As shown by the site's mocha toned model, the shade looks equally stunning on darker skin.

2. Pretty In Pink

I'm normally against pinks because they generally do nothing for my tone, that is until I met Pretty in Pink. A soft shade made with a light brown base, it isn't a classic pink, but something more beautifully subtle.

3. Nude La La

Nude La La is guaranteed to compliment a range of skin tones. It hits the sweet spot between pink and brown, not leaning towards either hue too much.

4. Foxy Brown

Gliding on like butter, Foxy Brown is the ideal daytime brown. It's not so dark that it feels completely vampy, but you could definitely rock it for a night out on the town.

5. Brand Nude

A deep tan with a bit of a cool undertone, Brand Nude is definitely a holy grail lippie. I even tested it on my mother whose has a much deeper skin tone than myself (she's Lancôme shade "460 suede" for reference) and it looked impeccable. While the shade was a soft brown against my skin, it was her spot on, true nude. If any, I'd say this is the neutral all brown babes need in their stash.

6. Dope Taupe

Easily my favorite of the bunch, Dope Taupe was the answers to my prayers. Compared to Foxy Brown, it has a cooler undertone. But it didn't give a ghoulish look to my complexion like most cool toned shades do. It's seriously the perfect hue.

7. Brown Bare

Not quite as deep as Mented's darkest shade, Dark Knight, Brown Bare is a soft brown against melanin-rich skin and a warm chocolate when paired with lighter complexions. It shines beautifully as a hue that's not so "girls night out" that it can't be low-key.

8. Mented #5

Just picture Mented #5 on a deeper toned babe. Seriously getting chills just thinking about it! Although it is a rich brown shade, it has a mauve undertone, which makes it incredibly unique. Who knew purple and brown could blend together so beautifully?

9. Dark Knight

Dark Knight almost looks good enough to eat! It's the dark chocolate shade that many other nude collections fail to include. On a golden tan toned beauty like myself, it has '90s vibes written all over it, but it could easily be a subtle stunner for darker skin tones.

There's no denying how mesmerizing each Mented nude looks with such bold color and lustrous shine. They even feel equally as great, sliding onto the lips with ease and wearing comfortably. For those sensitive to fragrance, rest assured that these beauties don't have a true scent, so you'll be able to wear them free of worry.

By now, it's obvious that Mented is onto something with their exquisite range of nude lippies. There wasn't a single shade that didn't impress me or compliment my tan complexion beautifully. With that kind of black girl magic behind a brand, there's no limits to the amazing products they come up with.