The power of a red lip is incredible. It can brighten a face in an instant, transform any outfit and is sure to get you noticed. Application is key though, here are a few steps to ensure your red lip is perfect.
- Prep lips well, colour will not look good on rough, dry lips. When applying your skincare massage in a good balm to make sure lips are well hydrated. Try a scrub or use an old toothbrush to gently remove any flakey skin if needed.
- Remove any excess balm with a tissue and before any colour, apply a touch of highlighter to your cupids bow. Doing it now rather than after your colour means no chance of smudging.
- Liner plays a really important role if you’re after a perfect pout. Always use a nice sharp pencil to get your shape clean and precise, and match your colour to your lipstick. I like to start at the cupids bow and then move to the middle of the lower lip, I then draw in the rest of the lips working in quarters. Make sure you take the line right into the corners of your lips. Smile to stretch your lips, this can help get your line nice and smooth. If you have a double lip line, then experiment with what works best for you. Sometimes extending to the outer line can enhance lips wonderfully, for others it can look too much.
- Not many people’s lips are perfectly proportioned and it is possible to do some correction with your liner. However over drawing your natural line can easily look fake so don’t get carried away!
- When you are happy with your shape, you can fill in your entire lip with the pencil. This will help with the longevity of your lip colour, although it can be a little drying – therefore ultra important to moisturise well beforehand. If you’re not filling in your lip, then soften the inside of your line – you don’t want your lipstick to wear off and leave a harsh line behind.
- Next use a brush to paint on your chosen lipstick. Using a brush really helps with your application. Again stretch out your lips and make sure you get right into the corners. Blot colour with a tissue and reapply colour, repeat.
- Now go back in with your lip liner to really sharpen your shape. Remove any mistakes with a cotton bud and a tiny bit of oil-free moisturiser – I find this works great as a corrector as opposed to a make-up remover as you can re-apply make-up straight away.
- Use a small brush and some concealer around the outside of your lips to cover any smudges and make sure everything is perfect.
- If applying gloss then concentrate it on the lower lip to create volume, and then just soften it out towards the edges. Remember gloss will move so you only need a tiny bit.
Top Tip – a red lip is great but red teeth are not! Put your finger on your mouth and gently close lips around it, pull your finger out. This should remove excess colour and stop it transferring onto your teeth!!
Photo by Mike Blackett, make up by me.
Anyone else got any top tips for applying a red lip?
