Let your lipstick steal the spotlight by following these tips for lip care
Selfies and pouts are all the rage on all social media. Plus, with the growing importance given to being well groomed at all times, lipsticks, especially those that stay on, are a must-have cosmetic.
There are a few rules to keep in mind so that no matter when you’re taking a picture, your lips are camera and pout ready.
Lip maintenance
When it comes to a skincare routine, people often forget that our lips are also part of our faces. Keeping them clean and moisturised is just as important. Next time you are using an exfoliating scrub for your face, rub your lips with it too. This removes the dead skin and makes it easier to apply a creamy long lasting lipstick.
At night, when you apply moisturiser on your face, apply lip balm to prevent your lips from cracking. In Australia’s severe winters, cracked lips can be a serious problem. An apricot oil-based cream or lip balm is a good solution to keep lips from getting dried out.
If you have lines above your upper lip due to smoking or ageing, you can use the anti-wrinkle cream that you use for your under-eye area on this part of your face too. It will delay the onset of further wrinkles and minimise the existing ones.
Lip colour choices
Keeping in mind which skin tones go best with different lip colours, here are some tips for choosing your lipstick shade and when to use lip liners, if at all.
When you choose a lip colour, look at your skin tone and the colour of your lips. If you have dark lips, pale peach is not going to work, for example. If you have pale pink lips or lips that are almost your skin colour, then you can experiment with reds, corals and nudes. If you have dark pigmented lips, go for maroons, burgundies, dark red or even a bronze. If your lips are slightly darker than the rest of your face, you can try hot pinks, cherry red or colours with hints of purple.
Avoid shimmery lip gloss unless you have very thin lips and want to give them some volume. These days, you can opt for any number of moisture rich, long lasting lipsticks with creamy finishes. It is while wearing these lipsticks that you need to have moisturised lips beneath. Peeling skin, cracked lips and this kind of lipstick is not going to work at all, no matter how much the colour complements your skin.
When you choose shades of nude, remember that the one that will suit you best is one where that is slightly darker or brighter than your skin tone. If you have a dark complexion, those with undertones of brown will look good and if you have a pale, light complexion, those with undertones of peach or pink will work best.
Avoid dark lipsticks that are too purple or, unless you like the Goth look, black or blue based ones. Not only do they make you look like Dracula’s cousin, they also add years to your face. Stick with reds, pinks, browns and shades of these families of colours.
The trend these days is to not use lip liner. Instead, you should outline your lips with the lipstick itself or go without a line completely. The important thing is to apply lipstick and not let it bleed. Blotting after every application helps.
When you apply lipstick, start at the centre of your mouth and blend in the colour moving towards the outer corners of your mouth.
If your lipstick is a shade that is a tad too bright, or you’re feeling hesitant about it, just smudge some on to your lower lip with your finger and press your lips together. Blend with your index finger and spread evenly. You can always dull a lipstick if it is too bright by mixing it with a nude lip gloss.
If you want your lipstick to last longer though, apply from the tube then blot with a tissue and reapply.
Eyeliner and lipstick combinations
When you wear red lipstick, use black for eyeliner and mascara. Don’t make the liner too prominent, let the red lipstick hog the limelight.
When it comes to pinks, you can experiment with eyeliner and eye shadow in shades of pink or nudes. This is one colour where you can do a mix and match to complement your outfit. I always use purple eye liner when I wear a pink lipstick containing shades of lavender or purple.
Oranges go with browns and bronzes, so depending on your skin tone you can use brown eyeliner and mascara and experiment with gold and bronze for eyeshadow.
Maroons and burgundies are strong colours so you can either do away with eye make-up entirely or go with a discreet brown shade. Again, let the lipstick do the talking. You look less made up if you go easy on the eye make-up.