For some time, Botox and collagen injections have been the trendy way of cosmetically enhancing your face without the hubbub of a full-on facelift. If it’s not lifting your eyebrows or filling your cheekbones, it’s about plumping up the lips. Lip fillers have become the popular choice for so many and it isn’t even just about the famous doing it anymore, it’s your everyday woman.
If we look at lips in a more meaningful way, we know that lips are the gateway to the mouth, which in turn is the part of our body that helps us communicate verbally. As soon as someone starts to talk we are instantly drawn to their mouth. However sometimes talking doesn’t require us to focus or be attentive to one’s lip area. Sometimes it’s the shape, fullness and size of the lip that makes us look. Seeing as cosmetically enhancing your lips has become the trend off-late, it is quite obvious that lips are the area of the face that we’re most conscious about. Historically, the lips have been a way to attract the opposite sex using various colour stains and it was a way to illustrate your social position. While times have changed in our overall perception of beauty and how it demonstrates your social standing, lips are still something to consider.
Now I’m of the school of thought that it’s better to boost your features using makeup methods as opposed to more invasive procedures. So, I challenged myself to come up with a full-proof method to not only redefine the way your lips look and feel, but that they are more plump and that they highlight and accentuate all other features of the face.
My Lips Redefined Method:
Step 1: Apply a lip scrub
Using a lip scrub exfoliates the dead skin off your lips to make them softer and even-toned. It is also a great way to prep the lips before using any makeup product, but what I will say is give your lips around five to ten minutes to ameliorate. For me the best scrub is the Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub (£5.75); it includes caster sugar and organic Jojoba oil. Lush is known for using ethically sourced ingredients so you know that you’re using a product that is good for your skin. The caster sugar acts as a natural exfoliant to remove the dead skin layer and the Jojoba oil is there to rejuvenate and hydrate the new, exposed layer of skin. The bubblegum flavour and scent is for me a delightful quirky aspect of the scrub; it smells amazing and should you find that a bit of the product has touched your tongue or mouth it tastes as if you have actually chewed some bubblegum!
Step 2: Outline your lip using a lip liner
Lip liners are for me a cult classic. Not only are they functional whereby they create a border and guide around your lips so it’s easier to keep the lipstick on the lips, but they also contour the borders of the lip to accentuate the size and shape. My absolute favourite is the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Iconic Nude (£16.00). The product itself has a rich and velvety texture, so it glides on easily around the lip and it is also waterproof so you won’t find any colour seeping into the skin below the lip. The Iconic Nude colour is perfect for a natural lip but if you are looking to use a brighter or darker colour, Charlotte has a variety of different tones. The ultimate goal of the liner is to not only give the impression of enlarged lips, but by coating your entire lip and then applying a lipstick on top, you promote the longevity of your lip look.
Step 3: A tinted lip balm or lipstick will do
While lipsticks can be an option, I often like to use a lip balm that has a slight tint following the scrub and lip liner I have applied. Balms are not only hugely nourishing but a tinted balm gives the impression that your lips are naturally coloured; the aim is to have plump and luscious, naturally looking lips. There are so many tinted balms out there in the beauty market, but I’ve come across none that are close to the Dior Addict Lip Glow in 001 Pink (£24.00). There is a wonderful sweet scent that emanates as soon as you start to apply it; you can put as little or as much as you like and what you will find is that not only are your lips intensely hydrated, but that the tint starts to build-up and create a natural pink-toned lip. At this stage, you will see a clear difference to the overall health, shape and fullness of your lip.
Step 4: The lip enhancer: a lip gloss
To go hand in hand with all three stages above, the final touch to your redefined lip is a great lip gloss. Not a lot is required, but just enough to give a little lift! For me it’s all about the Dior Addict Lip Maximiser in 001 (£23.50). The product itself actually includes collagen; collagen is a protein in the body that maintains the firmness and smoothness of our skin. As we age, our collagen production depletes and skin starts to lose its youthful elasticity. Despite some wanting to use a more invasive procedure to put collagen back into their skin, the topical use of this gloss is a lot less offensive. It has a menthol scent and it tingles when applied, but you will be shocked at how plump your lips will really look after you have used it. A single coat will do, but it compliments all the other lip defining stages so well that the final view of your lips is that they look revitalised, plump, wonderfully contoured and but one of many beautiful features on your face!
For more beauty inspiration, visit to-love-beauty.com!
