I must apologies again for the hideously long gap between posts but I was very busy with much more boring tasks than this. So, this week I am going to try and cover everything I can possibly think of to do with lips.
Lets start with the basics.
Lipstick
When thinking of makeup for the lips, this is probably the item that springs to mind first. It it also my favourite, from sheer to full coverage, creamy to matte – they are all great, and can finish off a look to perfection. Most lipsticks have a beeswax base which lends them their firmness (vegan brands tend to use Japan wax, which is a vegetable derived beeswax alternative), this is then mixed with various oils (commonly caster oil) to soften and add shine. The more beeswax in the ratio, the more matte and solid the lipstick is, the more oils, the softer and shinier it is. So, how do you get a soft matte lipstick? Usually by adding various butters into the mix. This can be purchased both within the traditional bullet shape, or in pots which require easy messing up your fingers, or using a lipbrush.
Ones to try: Chanel Hydrabase (for creamy and pigmented), Chanel Rouge Allure, NARS, Paul and Joe (very soft and creamy, not super pigmented, but great for natural colours), Rimmel Lasting Finish (soft and shiney), Besame (for a more retro matte finish).
Lipgloss
I’m not the biggest fan of lipgloss, but I’ll try and do it justice as I know it is probably more popular than lipstick now (this thought really depresses me). Lipgloss can be thought of as lipstick that is 90% oils and very little wax. Pigment wise they tend to be a lot sheerer than lipsticks, though their are some fabulous full coverage ones out there; they can also be in either liquid or solid form (liquid tending to be within either solid long tubes (like the famous Chanel Glossimers, or the squeeze variety (like Lancome’s Juicy Tubes) while solid is more often within pots (an example is Cargo’s lipglosses. Unlike lipstick, the role of lipgloss is not to merely add colour to the lips, but also to add shine. It is also notoriously short lived, wearing away very quickly and requires constant reapplications.
Ones to try: Chanel Glossimers (the creme de la creme of glosses), MAC lipglass (super sticky, but very long lasting), NYX mega shine (great range of colour, non sticky and super cheap).
Lip liner
Some what veux chapeau these days, but still has a very important place within our makeup bags. Lip liner is usually found within pencil form (though I believe Model’s Prefer has a liquid version) and has many many applications. It can be used to recontour the lip line (only to be attempted in public after much much practice), prevent lipstick from bleeding, adjust the colour of your lipstick, and make your lipstick (or gloss) last longer. There are two distinct forms of liner – one (the more usual) is made for lipstick, these tend to be heavily pigmented, matte and quiet firm. The other is a much softer and sheerer version more suited for use with gloss (e.g. MAC’s Lipglass pencils or Estee Lauder’s Lip Shaping Gloss Pencil). There was a time in the 90s when it was popular (if a little ill advised) to apply liner darker than the lipcolour being used, and some (even more ill advised) seem to be continuing this trend into the present day. While I will admit, 1 in 100 people who attempt this manage to do it well, I suspect it is because of their superior application and colour theory knowledge. As you are reading a ‘makeup for dummies’ post, I doubt you’ll be that one, so please…just don’t, at least not without a lot of practice and some honest feedback from people you trust.
Ones to try: Wet n Wild (ultra cheap, but very soft and long lasting), Barry M (firmer and great for matte lipsticks), Chanel Precision Lip Definer, Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Waterproof.
Lip Primer
Depending on which one you purchase they can do a variety of different things: moisterise the lip, make the colour last longer, prevent ‘feathering’ into lines around the lip and smooth out the lip area. Like lip liner, it is not a must for everyone. If you don’t have lines around your lip you probably can leave this one alone.
Lip Sealant
Now, unlike primer, these really do make your lipstick last longer. Lipcote is the original, and I believe the best (it’s also, I think, the cheapest), but Makeup For Ever also do their own reasonable version. It is a clear liquid that is painted on top of the lipstick and basically seals in the colour – through eating, drinking and errr…other things too :oP. It will tingle for a moment after application (lit: sting) but the result is hours and hours of not having to worry about reapplication. You must make sure when you apply this that your lips are dry, and keep your mouth slightly open while it drys to make sure you don’t ruin it.
Application
Prep
To make the most of your lips, make sure that your lips are prepped and ready for the colour application – red lipstick never looked good on dry cracked lips. If your lips are dry apply a little waxy balm (rather than a petroleum based balm like vaseline or the famous chicken poop) before you begin the rest of your makeup to give it a chance to sink in before starting on the lips. Using a waxy balm (like L’Occitane’s Shea butter balm (in the blue tube), or Nivea (Labello) Lip Care) will moisterise without adding a greasy shiny film to the lips, and will serve as an excellent base for lipstick.
If however they are cracked or chapped, lipbalm may not cut it – after applying the balm exfoliate the flakes off using a flannel soaked in hot water (or a toothbrush, or sugar granules if you prefer). Don’t be tempted by the various lip scrubs flooding the market, they can’t do anything a muslin cloth cannot do. If they are very very cracked, leave off the lip products are long as possible, and apply one of those waxes supposed to aid with congestion to the lips (e.g. Vick’s Vapour Rub), leave for as long as possible before very very gently exfoliating with a warm muslin cloth.
Prime
Most people, on most occasions will not need to consider priming, but if you are *cough* of a certian age, or wearing a bright/red/dark lipstick it may be worth considering. Smudge the primer over the lips and allow to settle (with your lips kept apart) for a few seconds.
You can also prime the lip with liner, either try to match your lipstick as well as possible to the liner colour, or find one which matches your own lip colour. Apply it in short feathery strokes around the lip first, and then fill in. When outlining the lips you can ‘dot’ the colour at strategic point to ensure a clean line as you join them up – one over each side of the cupid’s bow (the peaks of the upper lip), two on the bottom lip below these points to indicate how deep the lip goes, and one in the middle of the cupid’s bow (the valley area).
When applying liner to the upper lip, turn the pencil so that you are applying the liner from below (try resting your hand on your chin), this will ensure that the pencil forms a smooth arc going outwards from the lip, rather than collapsing into the lip area. While this look can look good in its own right, unless you are going for the Clara Bow look, you probably don’t want it.
Another alternative is using a lip tint as a base (my favourites are B Never’s and Urban Decay’s), these are liquids that dry down onto the lip leaving a tint (some sheer, some give full coverage) that lasts for hours and hours. These are wonderful under lipstick, as when it has worn away you are left with the tint underneath. They can also help change the colour of a lipstick/gloss (e.g. adding a cool toned colour under a warm colour will make it more neutral, or a pink under a red to make it more fushia etc).
Colour
There are many many ways to apply lipstick, and each of them can give very different affects – so when ever trying out a new colour, play around with it for a while. I personally prefer nudes to be smudged on, bright pinks to have harsh precise lines, and reds to be semi-precise, but you may have your own ideas.
To smudge a lipstick on, apply straight from the tube onto the centre of the lips (avoid the outline), then smudge it out with your fingers to cover the entire lip area. This gives a soft focus to the lips and make them look larger and softer. It may either be full coverage (gorgeous with nudes), or sheerer (unbelievably luscious with berries). To sheer out a full coverage lipstick, apply using the smudge method (just use a very little dab of colour) to stain the lips with the pigment (or try applying over a layer of balm so not so much pigment adheres to the lips – but the stain method willl last longer, the balm method will wear off quickly).
For a semi precise line, use a lipbrush and carefully create the liners around the lip before filling in. Work with a little lipstick at a time, and go back to the bullet often for more colour. Layer the colour to get the desired coverage, don’t try for full coverage all at once. Once you have finished painting the lips, blot then reapply avoiding the edges of the lip.
For a very precise line, do the same as above, but take a clean angle brush (e.g. a brow brush) to clean up the line around the lip. Some people recommend using concealer on the brush to do this clean up, however, concealer + red lipstick = pink skin around the lip (something that is clearly visible even in the poor quality of youtube videos – also look out for the tell tale pale outlines to lips of unblended concealer). A clean brush will give just as sharp a line, but without the hassle of having to blend out the new product/worry about smudging the colour further.
Finish
At this point you can decide the look you are going for with your lips – retro matte (great with super bright reds you may be worried about pulling off), semi gloss or gloss. If you want matte, blot the colour and apply a thin layer of translucent powder (e.g. silk or silica powder) over the lips with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Dab on the powder so as not to smudge the masterpiece. For semi-gloss or creamy do not do a final blot, but apply a little balm as the final layer (waxy balm for creamy, petroleum for semi-gloss), for a gloss finish obviously you need to apply gloss – clear will not interfere with your lip colour, a matching colour will add depth to the look – try experimenting with different colour combinations (try black gloss over red or berry for this seasons dark lips trend – takes practice, but worth it).
Sealing
A sealant can then be painted over the finished mouth – keep your lips slightly apart, and paint in soft short strokes. Try not the smile, talk or wet the lips in anyway for at least five minutes after application. This works best over lipstick, but can be used with gloss too (although it can make the lipgloss into a rubbery layer, so experiment first before leaving the house with this).
Hurrah! 2000 words later we have achieved the perfect lips. As ever, am willing to cover any areas I may have missed out – just let me know :o)
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