Best Nude Makeup

After seasons of Technicolor smoky eyes, the faces on Gucci's spring runway were scrubbed clean and sparingly painted in muted shades of nude on nude. Like a breath of fresh air, ethereal beauties from New York to Milan exuded a natural sensuality in spite of their carefully contoured cheeks. This isn't the monochromatic face of the '90s, when supermodel features were erased by layers of concealer, Pan-Cake, and powder, says makeup artist Bobbi Brown, who launched her groundbreaking Foundation Stick in 1992: "Back then, it was about covering up your real skin. Makeup colors were gray and ashy." Today's nude isn't limited to boring beige, adds Brown. "It can mean deepening the natural color of your lips or using bronzer instead of blush. At the Brian Reyes show, I applied foundation on the lips. But in real life, a sheer nude lipstick looks less dead."

By Ning Chao