Fearless and wonderfully feminine, the impact of lip color lies entirely in how you wear it. Even fire-engine red can go classic, modern, and natural with variations in application.
The trick to locking any lip color in place is with the demarcating powers of lip liner.
1 Start by defining your cupid’s bow, the most complex part of your lip shape.
2 Trace the perimeter of your lips moving outward from the center.
3 Continue to the corner of your lips.
4 Starting at the center of your bottom lip, draw along the perimeter.
5 Connect the line all the way to the corners of your lip.
TIP • Blend the lip liner toward the center of your mouth for a more natural lipstick application.
TIP • Alternately, you can use lip liner as a long-lasting matte lipstick by filling in your entire lip from the center out.
For a long-lasting lipstick that won’t budge, smudge, or dry out your lips, start with these failsafe lip-smoothing and color-securing preparations.
1 Gently exfoliate your lips with a lip scrub or soft toothbrush to remove any dead skin.
2 Apply a lip primer to enable longer wear for your lipstick.
3 Apply lip liner to the outer perimeter of the lips.
4 Apply lipstick.
5 Blot lipstick.
OPTIONAL: Apply translucent powder to lips for an extra-long-wear matte lipstick.
OPTIONAL: Apply an additional layer of lipstick.
1 Starting at the center of the top lip, apply lip liner to the skin, following the outer perimeter of the lips.
2 Follow the line all the way around the outside of the bottom lip.
3 Fill in lips with lipstick.
Pillowy lips can come by way of genetics or injections, but they can also be recreated with clever trompe l’oeil makeup.
1 Apply lip balm or lipstick to lips.
2 Apply concealer (or a lighter lipstick) to the center of the lips.
3 Blend the concealer (or lighter lipstick) out toward the sides of the lips with your fingers.
For the lipstick averse, lip gloss offers a hint of pigment without the commitment.
1 Apply an SPF-loaded lip balm first to avoid sun damage from light-catching gloss.
2 Sheer colors are easier to wear than opaque vinyl-finish colors, which can be difficult to keep in place.
3 Customize any lip gloss to your best shade by adding sheer lip balms like Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream.
4 To get the finish you’re looking for, follow this rule of thumb: the stickier the formula, the higher the shine.
To channel the high glamour of a Hollywood screen siren, six steps will achieve crisp, smudge-proof lines.
1 Using a color-matched lip liner, draw a diagonal line from one of the points of your cupid’s bow down to the center of your top lip.
2 Crossing the first line, draw a diagonal line from the opposite tip of your cupid’s bow down to the center of your top lip.
3 Following the perimeter of your bottom lip, draw a line along the center.
4 Place dots midway between the center edge of your lips and the corners of your lips.
5 Connect the dots.
6 Fill in your lips with lipstick.
Today’s women don’t have to overthink their lipstick application—a quick daub of pigment with the fingers has a charm all its own.
1 Apply lipstick onto your forefinger.
2 Smooth lipstick onto your lips with your finger.
3 Press lips together.
A time-honored beauty tradition, a crimson lip is at once daring and romantic, and always individual.
1 Using a color-matched red lip liner, trace the perimeter of your cupid’s bow from the center out.
2 Starting at the outer corners of the top lip, trace the perimeter of your upper lip to meet your first line.
3 Starting at the center of your bottom lip and extending to the corners of your mouth, complete the line on the border of your lip.
4 Using a brush, fill in your lips with lipstick.
5 Use a concealer brush and trace the outside of your lips with concealer to ensure your lipstick doesn’t bleed.
6 Blend the concealer into your natural skin tone. (This will also make your lips look larger.)
The most budge-proof of all lip colors, lip stains were invented to last well through the night.
1 Apply lip stain to your whole bottom lip.
2 Apply a bit of lip stain to the center of your upper lip.
3 Press lips together.
4 Fill in any remaining negative space on your lips with color and blot.
TIP • Most lip stains can do double duty as a cheek tint for an ultra-natural, blushing from-within look.
From rich plums to gothic oxblood, dark lipstick is easily navigated with a two-part customizable blend.
1 Apply a cranberry lipstick
2 Add black lipstick until your desired shade is reached.
Taking your lips from naked to next-level nude only requires finding the right shade to complement your complexion.
Fair skin tones can add warmth to the face with sheer baby-pink formulas.
Rosy-beige nudes complement light skin tones, which can also pull off a caramel-toned beige lipstick in a shade darker than their own skin.
Medium complexions are tonally suited for rosy lipsticks, in shades as dark or just lighter than the skin.
Deep skin tones go well with cinnamon-hued lip colors, especially those in a glossy formula.
TIP • Try this with emboldened brows and warm apricot blush.
Pink is the most ubiquitous lipstick color for its universally flattering properties. But, when specially tailored to your skin tone, it has the ability to brighten your whole look.
Fair faces can go in one of two directions: crisp neon-pink shades that pop against your pale backdrop, or soft peach-driven shades that help to neutralize unwanted redness in the skin.
Light skin tones are best complemented by lipstick choices that are equally muted, such as sheer petal pinks.
Medium complexions can balance almost any pink shade against their olivine undertones, but glowing yellow-based watermelons are a surefire win.
Deep skin tones can fearlessly experiment with blue-based fuchsias but should steer clear of neutral pale pinks, which will wash them out.
Harnessing the charm of just-kissed lips or the remnants of summer popsicles, gradient lips concentrate pigment at the center of the mouth and are guaranteed to wear well.
1 Working quickly, apply lip stain to the center of your bottom lip, starting at its uppermost perimeter and going about halfway down.
2 Apply lip stain to the center of your top lip.
3 Before it has completely dried, blend the stain on your bottom lip out, but not all the way to the edge of your lips. Do the same to the top lip.
4 Apply lip balm for a seamless blend.
1 Trace along the edge of the lips with a transparent lip liner.
2 Apply concealer on the outside of your lip line.
3 Blend the concealer out with your fingertips.
The better preparation you give your lipstick, the less you’ll have to think about it. But you may want to consider checking the state of your mouth…
1 After you finish a meal.
2 After you finish a beverage (when possible, use a straw).
3 In the middle of the day.
4 Before you go out for the night.
1 Always keep one in your bag, so you never have to worry about not having it.
2 Stow one in your glove compartment, where it’s out of the sun and within arm’s reach.
3 Keep a trustworthy lip balm at your desk to reapply as often as necessary.
4 Pack one in your carry on—airplanes are extremely dehydrating. You’ll be grateful to have one with you midflight.
5 Have an extra hydrating formula on your nightstand to apply before bed for overnight replenishment.
