Beauty NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Guide: Shades, Tips Plus Top Dupes
An educational guide from the Beauty AMZ research team. No hard sell, just what you need to know.
The City Shade Concept
NYX named these creams after world cities. Each shade captures a mood, from Copenhagen cool to Amsterdam bold. The naming made collecting fun. Fans love hunting their city shade.
Shade Guide by Skin Tone
Fair skin glows in Zurich nude and Cannes rose. Medium skin suits the whole range beautifully. Deep skin stuns in Copenhagen plum and Amsterdam red. Athens greige needs the right undertone on any skin.
Layering and Mixing
Mix cities for custom shades. Layer Zurich over Copenhagen to soften the plum. Add Amsterdam center over nude for dimension. Mixing extends your collection without new purchases.
Comfort Tips
Maximize the soft matte comfort. Exfoliate weekly. Apply a thin balm layer under, blotted well. Avoid matte lip liners underneath. Refresh the center with balm through long days.
Traveling with Liquid Lips
Pack liquids smartly. Store upright to prevent leaks. Keep away from heat which thins formulas. Bring one nude and one bold for trip versatility. Minis do not exist, so decant if needed.
Recommended Products
These are the products our research team rates highest in this category.
Best for: Deep plum matte lips.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, Copenhagen
- Copenhagen is a deep plum matte
- Soft Matte Lip Cream formula
- Velvety, non-drying matte
- Doe-foot applicator
Pros
- Gorgeous deep plum for fall
- Comfortable matte texture
- Great shade range
Cons
- Deep shade needs careful application
- Fades in the center after eating
- Can stain lips
Best for: Daily nude matte lips.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, Zurich
- Zurich is a soft pink nude
- Weightless soft matte finish
- Creamy liquid applies smoothly
- Everyday wearable nude
Pros
- Perfect everyday nude pink
- Feels light on lips
- Affordable staple
Cons
- Light shade shows wear quickly
- Needs reapplication
- Can look pale on deep skin
Best for: Classic red with soft matte.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, Amsterdam
- Amsterdam is a classic red
- Soft Matte Lip Cream texture
- Bold red with velvet finish
- Buildable coverage
Pros
- Timeless red shade
- Velvet finish looks luxe
- Easy to apply
Cons
- Red bleeds without liner
- Transfers onto teeth if overapplied
- Fades unevenly
Best for: Polished rose matte lips.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, Cannes
- Cannes is a muted rose pink
- Soft Matte Lip Cream formula
- Muted tone for polished looks
- Smooth, even application
Pros
- Sophisticated muted rose
- Works for office and events
- Comfortable wear
Cons
- Muted tone may wash out some skin
- Short wear versus true long-wear
- Tube can leak in heat
Best for: 90s-inspired nude lips.
NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream, Athens
- Athens is a warm greige nude
- Soft Matte Lip Cream texture
- Trendy 90s-inspired nude
- Velvety matte finish
Pros
- Trendy warm nude tone
- Great with smoky eyes
- Smooth application
Cons
- Greige is not for everyone
- Can look brown in some light
- Drying after hours
Ready to Choose?
See our top product picks for nyx liquid, or jump straight to the head-to-head comparison of the two most popular options.
Beyond the Wrist Vein Trick: Real Undertone Testing
The wrist-vein test fails often enough that better methods matter. The jewelry test is more reliable: hold gold and silver jewelry against your face in daylight; if gold flatters more, you lean warm, and if silver wins, you lean cool. The white fabric test works similarly: hold pure white and off-white cloth near your face; stark white flattering you signals cool undertones, while off-white or cream flattering you signals warm. The foundation mapping method is the most practical for lipstick: check your foundation shade's undertone label, warm, cool, or neutral, and match the nude lipstick's undertone to it. A warm foundation with a cool nude clashes visibly. Finally, test every shade in daylight and indoor light before deciding; the Soft Matte Lip Cream shades like Copenhagen and Zurich shift noticeably between lighting, and the shade that works is the one that flatters in both.
Veins lie under different skin thicknesses; foundation was matched to your whole face. Our best NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream shades roundup maps each city shade to its undertone.
Seasonal Undertone Shifts: When Your Nude Stops Working
Skin tans in summer and pales in winter, and the same nude lipstick stops working across that shift. A nude that matched perfectly in July looks ashy and pale on February skin, while a winter-perfect nude disappears into tanned summer skin. The adjustment is depth, not undertone: keep the same undertone family but go one step deeper for summer and one step lighter for winter. In the NYX Soft Matte range, that might mean Amsterdam in winter and Copenhagen in summer for the same wearer. Transitional months need the in-between shade or a mix of the two. The mistake is buying a whole new undertone each season; the undertone stays constant while the depth follows the tan.
A summer nude with winter foundation looks disconnected regardless of the lipstick's quality. The Copenhagen versus Amsterdam duel shows the depth difference side by side.
Why the Same Nude Looks Different on Everyone
Three variables explain why Zurich looks perfect on your friend and wrong on you. Natural lip pigmentation is the biggest: the lipstick mixes with the lip's base color, so the same tube reads warmer on pigmented lips and cooler on pale lips. Tooth color contrast is the second: whiter teeth make nudes look deeper and richer by contrast, while less bright teeth make the same nude look flat. The third is skin depth: a mid-tone nude vanishes on deep skin and overwhelms fair skin. None of this means the shade is bad; it means nudes are the least transferable category in makeup, and personal testing beats every recommendation.
Account for the variables when shopping. If your lips are pigmented, swatch on the lip, not the hand. If choosing between two depths, pick based on your skin depth first and undertone second.