If you ask any girl what her favourite makeup item is, she would tell you that it is lipstick. As for me, I am not a big makeup fanatic but if there’s something that I will never leave my house without, is a bold lipstick that brightens up my look with just a simple stroke. But you know sometimes it’s not as easy as it seems. Applying a lipstick might sound like a cake walk and it really is, only if you take care of your lips before, after and while applying the lipstick.
How To Apply Lipstick
Pick The Right Shade Of Lip Colour
Lip Care Tips
Benefits Of Using a Lipstick
Different Kinds of Lipstick
Lipstick Hacks
How To Apply Lipstick: A Step – By – Step Guide
Applying a lipstick may seem like a complete no-brainer and it really is but who doesn’t want a lipstick that needs no touch-up? So, here are a few steps guiding about how to apply lipstick & that will ensure your lipstick stays out as long as you do.
Step 1 – Wipe off your lips!
It’s important to make sure there is no extra residue on your lips. Wipe them off clean and make sure there is no extra oil on your lips. Any extra lipstick or lip balm on your lip will make your lips feel too slippery and will not let your lipstick stay on for very long.
Step 2 – Apply a little foundation
This may sound a bit off your daily makeup routine but applying a very little foundation on your lips before applying your lipstick will keep your lipstick from wearing off too soon. Apply a minimal amount on your lips with your finger or a brush before prepping up for your makeup.
Step 3 – Apply a lip liner
Lip liners prevent your lipstick from bleeding and defines your lip line to make you stand out. Apply the lip liner on the outline of your lips before applying. Make sure your lip liner is lighter or of the same shade as your lipstick so that it does not look very odd when you’ve used a liner.
Step 4 – Apply the lipstick
After you have applied your lip liner, it’s time to use the lipstick. You can either apply it directly or use a brush for perfection. Ensure that you apply your lipstick within the lip liner to avoid bleeding of your lipstick. Add a second coat only if you think it’s required.
Step 5 – Contour the area around
If you are the perfectionist and want your lipstick to look absolutely flawless then you can dab some of your foundation with a brush around your lips for the perfect look. If need be, you can powder on your chin for an eater look.
Step 6 – Final touches
If you need a second coat then make sure you apply a layer of powder before applying it. You can try using a lip gloss on top of your lipstick to lock the colour give a slightly pouty effect. Use a highlighter on your cupid’s bow to accentuate the shape of your lips.
How To Pick The Right Shade of Lip Colour
As a pro- tip of applying lipstick for beginners, we would want to establish the fact that picking the right lipstick does a lot to enhance our features. But the question that arises is how do you pick the perfect shade and would you know how to apply lipstick correctly as per your skin tone? A poorly chosen lipstick can ruin your look completely so here are a few pointers to keep in mind before choosing the right shade.
1) Determine your skin tone before picking a shade
You can always go for whatever colour you want to choose because it’s your choice at the end of the day. However, there are certain types of shades that enhances a personality when they are paired with a certain complexion.
The lipstick shades that go perfectly with a fair complexion are light pinks, nudes, dusty reds etc.
Rose, cherry, mauve etc, however, go well with wheatish complexions. Girls with a dusky skin can go with dark shades like deep red, crimson or plum. Hope that helps!
2) The shape of your lips plays an important role too!
If you are confused about what shade to pick depending on your lip shape, we’re here to help you. Women with thin lips should avoid extremely dark shades. They will make your lips look thinner. Creamy or glossy shades will be perfect for you. On the other hand, women with plump lips should avoid shades that are too glossy.
3) Pay attention to deets
Things like your hair colour and the colour of your teeth also make a different impact when you are picking a lip color. Don’t get us wrong but some shades actually bring out the worst when you don’t use them with the right pairing. Nudes usually highlight your teeth making them look yellower.
4) Don’t throw away wrong shades
We all have been there. Picking a shade that we realise looked better at the store. Don’t give it away. You can always mix and match shades to create new ones. This way, you don’t feel like you wasted money.
Ways To Get Your Lips Ready…Not Just To Apply Lipstick
It is important to take care of your lips just like you take care of yourself overall. It is important to go through the process of CTM before you sleep every day for flake free lips.
Things you can do to take care of your lips:
1) Exfoliate
Dead skin can form anywhere. Even on your lips. It is important to exfoliate your lips on a regular basis to make sure there is no dead skin formation on your lips. You can either get your hands on a lip scrub which gently removes all the dead skin or even better, make your own at home.
You can just get some powdered sugar and rub it on your lips to remove all the dead skin. If that feels a little too much then you can just apply some toothpaste on your brush and rub it gently on your lips while you’re brushing. This also helps in getting fuller lips in the longer run.
2) Moisturise
Using a lipstick is not enough. You need to moisturise your lips using a lip balm on a regular basis. If you cannot take out time in the day then make sure you wash your face and use a lip balm on your lips before sleeping. Choose a non-oily lip balm if you don’t like the sticky feeling. You can also replace your lip balm with natural ingredients at home.
My grandmother was habitual of using desi ghee on her lips every night before sleeping and never really had chapped lips all her life. You can give this remedy a try. It has helped me, it might help you too.
These two tricks will help you get flawless lips in general. After all, you don’t need to take care of your lips only when you’re going out. Here’s is the real deal now.
Benefits of Using a Lipstick
1) It looks good.
No matter what kind of lipstick you prefer, it will always add that extra bit of oomph to your outfit. Whether your style is casual or chic, adding a pop of colour to your lips will just brighten up your look completely. Imagine yourself wearing lipstick over a simple denim and tee shirt combo, your look will completely change. You will instantly feel confident and beautiful. It’s one of the most compact and easy ways of adding style.
2) It heals your lips
Lipsticks usually heal our lips from the dust around us by forming a layer. It is also known to protect and heal cracked lips. If you pick a lipstick that has the essential oils to protect your lips, then you are healing your lips in the process of looking fab. Most lipsticks have essential oils that help in protecting your lips from the weather and the dust. So, shine on and heal your lips!
3) Hydration
Hydrating your lips on a regular basis is very important and sometimes while we are on the go, we tend to forget to do that. As we said, some lipsticks are made with essential oils which solely take care of hydrating your lips which is why sometimes, just sometimes when you forget to carry your lip balm, the lipstick does the drill for you.
4) Sunscreen
Protecting your lips from the harmful UV rays is as important as protecting your skin. While many of us pay a lot of attention to protecting our skin from the sun, we often tend to ignore our lips. Wearing a lipstick not only heals your lips but also protects them from the harmful solar UV rays.
5) It defines your lips
Let’s not forget the fact that lipstick makes your lips look fuller and plumper. It defines your lips and draws attention to your lips in a way that they look plump. Sometimes, just using a lip liner and filling it with light lipstick can be your single hack to looking absolutely flawless.
6) It enhances your eyes
Eyes apart from your lips are that one feature that will help you stand out. The right lipstick will enhance the colour of your eyes and will make them look bigger. Basically, it makes all your other features pop out in a way that it makes your skin look brighter and shinier.
7) It makes you feel pretty
Other than the fact that it makes you look pretty, it also gives a sudden boost of confidence. Women who wear lipstick feel like they have a way of boosting their confidence with just one stroke.
8) Other health benefits
Other health benefits that include are actually very serious health benefits. Your lips as compared to your skin on the face have less melanin to fight the harmful UV rays. Which is why it is important to actually take care of your lips to avoid any serious skin problems. To reduce the chances of skin cancer, however, your lipstick must be of SPF 15 or above.
Also Read Best Light Lipstick Shades Online
Different Kinds of Lipstick Trends Just For Fun!
Lipstick experiments have been a trend in the beauty industry for a long time now. We have picked a few unusual yet popular lip trends and we are sure you might want to try at least one of them sometime soon. From the Ombre lip shade to glitter lips, there is a lot to choose from. So, what’s your favourite pick?
A Few Genius Lipstick Hacks That You Will Thank Us For!
1) Use a toothbrush or a mascara brush to exfoliate when you don’t have a scrub.
2) Use your clean finger and wrap it around your lips and pull it out to keep the lipstick sticking on your teeth.
3) Use your lipstick as a cheek colour when you are out of blush.
4) Use your eyeshadow breaks, you can mix it with a lip balm or vaseline and use it as a lip colour!
5) Use a concealer with your dark lipstick to make it into a light/nude shade.
6) Keep your lipstick in the freezer for a day in case it’s broken. It will fix on its own.
7) Keep all your lipsticks in the fridge during summers to keep them from melting.
8) Did you know you can use your red/ orange lipstick as a concealer. Yes! Try it the next time.
9) If you want to do something out of the blue then just use your bright coloured lipstick with a brush as an eyeshadow or eyeliner.
10) Make an ‘X’ shape on your cupid’s bow to highlight it. This will give your lipstick a fuller look!
We hope that these hacks come in handy when you’re stuck in a makeup rut the next time. If you have a few hacks that we missed out on, do share them with us and next time you go lipstick shopping, keep these points in mind. Happy shopping!
This story was updated in March 2019.
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