This Holiday Season will expose you to every manner of opulent, glittery, over-the-top makeup collections and collaborations in hopes of separating you from your dollars. But we’re not falling for it. Instead, we’re looking at the very best that companies have the offer this season in the ‘nude’ category. The best nudes are whatever naturally enhances your individual coloring, in a way that leaves observers guessing about just how much your flawless finish is the result of natural selection.

  By Terry easily nails this category with the release of the Nude Expert line of foundations. The stick applicator is actually a combination of a foundation and highlighting shade to simultaneously add pigment and glow. the other end of the applicator features a blending sponge, but you’d do just as well blending out with fingers. The medium-coverage formula is weightless and nearly undetectable once blended. It sets to a demi-matte, and will only need to be set with powder on the most oily skin tones. Pair with Stylo-Expert Click Stick Concealer to address any extra coverage needs.

If you must use powder, Danessa Myricks has you flawlessly covered with Evolution Powder. Like foundation, it works best when matched to your individual skin tone. The airy powder instantly sets makeup without leaving the finish cakey or overdone… and the less you use, the better. This powder is so finely milled that the top contains a built in stopper to keep it from flying all over the place every time you open the container. Touch the smallest end of the Oval Powder Brush into the pot, tap the excess, and dust as needed. Hello Flawless.

There’s much debate about what constitutes the perfect nude ‘glow.’ We contend that a blush color that literally makes you look as if you are glowing from the inside out (without the assistance of shimmer or glitter) is the best way to get it. The answer may lie with Surrat Artistique Blush in Chaleur. The warm nude color offers just a wash of pigment with a subtle glow that looks both elegant and effortless on a wide range of skin tones. Run a small amount across your eyelids as well to pull the entire look together.

Shiseido completes the look with Lacquer Ink Lip Shine in Honey Flash. This truly weightless formula is non-sticky and can be either applied directly from the wand or softened and blended out with fingers. This particular shade is a yellow based nude with a more universally flattering quotient. But this formula comes in a wide range of colors, including Vinyl Nude, which has more of a peach-pink undertone.