The Best Tips, Tricks, and Picks for Bright Lipstick
November 19, 2014
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The spring makeup look on everybody’s lips: bold color. Here’s how to get brights right and make the most of your mouth. Just as bright paint looks best on primed walls, shock-value lipstick is enhanced by a soft, smooth pout. The pros share their lip service.
Take Care
Treat your mouth as you would the rest of your face: Moisturize and protect it. Choose a balm with an SPF of at least 15, and reapply often. “We lick our lips constantly, and that can strip moisture just like frequent hand washing can,” says Elizabeth K. Hale, a dermatologist in New York City. If your lips are chronically red and dry, try applying a moisturizing lip treatment, such as Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy ($5, drugstore.com), after your nightly cleansing. And exfoliate with a gentle scrub, such as Fresh Sugar Lip Polish ($22.50, fresh.com)—but only three times a week. Any more and you could irritate this fragile skin.
Holding the Line
Fine lines show up quickly in the cutaneous lip (what dermatologists call the mustache area) due to repetitive motions, like sipping through a straw, eating, and talking. “Many people also carry tension around their mouths, which can cause vertical lines to form,” says Hale. To lessen the look of those tiny creases, use an over-the-counter retinol cream, such as StriVectin Advanced Retinol Night Treatment ($109, strivectin.com), at night. (If wrinkling is severe, try prescription Retin-A.) Apply sparingly, because both can cause irritation. During the day, make sure you’re covering the area with SPF, as the sun breaks down your firming collagen fibers. And consider lip lines another good reason to quit smoking.
Balancing Act
For everyday, all you need with bright lips is foundation or tinted moisturizer, a complementary shade of blush, and a little mascara. For evening, amp it up, as seen here, with dark eyeliner and a wash of shimmery shadow.
Strong lipstick color can feather into the tiny lines around your mouth. To keep it in place:
1. Before applying color, prep your mouth with a lip primer (like Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion, $20,urbandecay.com) or foundation to give it something to adhere to.
2. You don’t need to hunt down a matching lip liner. (“Skipping it makes the look a bit more modern,” says Paul Innis, who did the makeup you see here.) Instead, use a matching skin-tone liner to prevent bleeding, tracing just outside the perimeter of your mouth (no need to fill in).
3. Apply the lipstick, blot with a tissue, reapply, then blot again. For extra staying power, tap on a translucent loose powder in between coats of lipstick.
For more tutorial, tips and tricks on how to wear a bright lipstick all you got todo is to go here: The Best Tips, Tricks, and Picks for Bright Lipstick
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