QUOTE
The perfect pout
Lipstick makes the biggest difference to the way you look. Here's how to make it work for you...
"My lips are too small"
Steer clear of lipsticks that are too deep or too red – they'll make thinner lips look like a slash across the face. Also, don't go too matter, because it makes lips look lustreless. Some shine will highlight and make your lips appear fuller, particularly if you apply the gloss right in the middle so it catches the light.
Make your lips look larger by getting a matching lip pencil and lipstick. Line following the shape you were born with, then apply the lipstick itself. Next, use the end of your lip pencil to pick up some of the lipstick from your lip. Using a combination of this lipstick and the pencil itself, nudge the lip line out slightly, following your own shape. Don't go over the natural lipline by more than one pencil width. This will give you a natural extension, and if you eat the lipstick off, you will not be left with an unnatural line. Liners hold better than lipstick, so if you are drawing on a false mouth before applying colour, you will be left with only a line by the time you have had a drink or bite to eat.
"My lips are too full"
Avoid glossy finishes and frosted colours because they will draw attention to what you'd like to play down. Never wear a dark lip pencil with a light lipstick. To make lips appear smaller, line them with a matching pencil and apply it so the outer edge of the pencil is right on the natural lipline. Don't make it too extreme or you will be able to see the little ridge where the stain of your mouth is and it will look false.
"My lips are uneven"
If the imbalance is from top to bottom, even them out by using a slightly deeper colour on the larger lip. You can also add a bit of gloss or shimmer to the smaller lip. If the imbalance is from side to side, use the same method as for enlarging fine lips. Line as usual, apply lipstick, and then using a combination of the pencil and a bit of lipstick picked up with the pencil from your lips, nudge the uneven side out fractionally. Leave the other side natural.
"My lipstick never stays on"
Apply foundation and powder over your entire lip first, then apply liner and lipstick. Blot and reapply the colour. Match your lip pencil and lipstick. After you line, gently colour in the entire mouth and rub over it with a finger. Leave it for about 30 seconds then apply lipstick as usual. Lip pencils have a strong pigment, so by layering the two, there's something left when the lippie wears off. Use a lip brush – it will give a more professional finish and it will stay on better, I swear!
Try laying a tissue over your mouth and then brush over it with your setting powder. Don't press too hard or you will ruin the finish.
Use a lipstick sealer. They look like a clear nail lacquer and can be applied over any lipstick. They sting upon initial application, but only momentarily. These are readily available from most chemists and include: Lipcote and products by Boots, Body Shop, and Makeup Forever.
"Lipsticks turn blue on me"
Buy an orange lipstick or gloss and use a touch of it either under or over your lipstick. Orange counteracts blue, and this will rescue all of the lipsticks that you thought were hopeless!
"My lipstick bleeds and feathers"
Buy a lip treatment specifically made to reduce feathering. Four of the best are Lauder's Lipzone, Lancôme's Primordial Levres, Clinique's All About Lips, and LaPrairie's Stimulus Lip Complex. All of these are applied to the outside of the lipline as opposed to the lip itself.
You can also apply a colourless wax to the outside of the lipline, which repels oils. This means that once the lipstick starts to melt, it cannot cross over the line of wax. Body Shop does an easy to use colourless wax pencil. More effective is BeneFit DeGroovie. The BeneFit product is more effective because you can apply to a wider area around the mouth. It comes in a compact with a brush and you paint it on either before or after lipstick/gloss. You'll have to see if you prefer applying these products before or after lipstick. The advantages are mixed. If you apply before and get any on your actual lip, the lipstick will not stick there. If you apply them after, you stand a chance of smearing the line. Practice makes perfect!
Use a lipstick sealer. See above.
That covers most of what the pros would do, but you will find that some lipsticks just naturally work better for you than others. This is due to your personal body chemistry, which is why what works for your sister does not work for you, and vice versa. Now get out there and grab a fab lipstick. Glamour is all the rage, and lips are over the top!
Lipstick makes the biggest difference to the way you look. Here's how to make it work for you...
"My lips are too small"
Steer clear of lipsticks that are too deep or too red – they'll make thinner lips look like a slash across the face. Also, don't go too matter, because it makes lips look lustreless. Some shine will highlight and make your lips appear fuller, particularly if you apply the gloss right in the middle so it catches the light.
Make your lips look larger by getting a matching lip pencil and lipstick. Line following the shape you were born with, then apply the lipstick itself. Next, use the end of your lip pencil to pick up some of the lipstick from your lip. Using a combination of this lipstick and the pencil itself, nudge the lip line out slightly, following your own shape. Don't go over the natural lipline by more than one pencil width. This will give you a natural extension, and if you eat the lipstick off, you will not be left with an unnatural line. Liners hold better than lipstick, so if you are drawing on a false mouth before applying colour, you will be left with only a line by the time you have had a drink or bite to eat.
"My lips are too full"
Avoid glossy finishes and frosted colours because they will draw attention to what you'd like to play down. Never wear a dark lip pencil with a light lipstick. To make lips appear smaller, line them with a matching pencil and apply it so the outer edge of the pencil is right on the natural lipline. Don't make it too extreme or you will be able to see the little ridge where the stain of your mouth is and it will look false.
"My lips are uneven"
If the imbalance is from top to bottom, even them out by using a slightly deeper colour on the larger lip. You can also add a bit of gloss or shimmer to the smaller lip. If the imbalance is from side to side, use the same method as for enlarging fine lips. Line as usual, apply lipstick, and then using a combination of the pencil and a bit of lipstick picked up with the pencil from your lips, nudge the uneven side out fractionally. Leave the other side natural.
"My lipstick never stays on"
Apply foundation and powder over your entire lip first, then apply liner and lipstick. Blot and reapply the colour. Match your lip pencil and lipstick. After you line, gently colour in the entire mouth and rub over it with a finger. Leave it for about 30 seconds then apply lipstick as usual. Lip pencils have a strong pigment, so by layering the two, there's something left when the lippie wears off. Use a lip brush – it will give a more professional finish and it will stay on better, I swear!
Try laying a tissue over your mouth and then brush over it with your setting powder. Don't press too hard or you will ruin the finish.
Use a lipstick sealer. They look like a clear nail lacquer and can be applied over any lipstick. They sting upon initial application, but only momentarily. These are readily available from most chemists and include: Lipcote and products by Boots, Body Shop, and Makeup Forever.
"Lipsticks turn blue on me"
Buy an orange lipstick or gloss and use a touch of it either under or over your lipstick. Orange counteracts blue, and this will rescue all of the lipsticks that you thought were hopeless!
"My lipstick bleeds and feathers"
Buy a lip treatment specifically made to reduce feathering. Four of the best are Lauder's Lipzone, Lancôme's Primordial Levres, Clinique's All About Lips, and LaPrairie's Stimulus Lip Complex. All of these are applied to the outside of the lipline as opposed to the lip itself.
You can also apply a colourless wax to the outside of the lipline, which repels oils. This means that once the lipstick starts to melt, it cannot cross over the line of wax. Body Shop does an easy to use colourless wax pencil. More effective is BeneFit DeGroovie. The BeneFit product is more effective because you can apply to a wider area around the mouth. It comes in a compact with a brush and you paint it on either before or after lipstick/gloss. You'll have to see if you prefer applying these products before or after lipstick. The advantages are mixed. If you apply before and get any on your actual lip, the lipstick will not stick there. If you apply them after, you stand a chance of smearing the line. Practice makes perfect!
Use a lipstick sealer. See above.
That covers most of what the pros would do, but you will find that some lipsticks just naturally work better for you than others. This is due to your personal body chemistry, which is why what works for your sister does not work for you, and vice versa. Now get out there and grab a fab lipstick. Glamour is all the rage, and lips are over the top!
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