One of the hardest things to do with makeup is to create the perfect red lip. It’s odd because when you think about it, it seems really simple – you just follow your lip line and BAM, red lip success. In reality though, it is not as simple as just applying an awesome red shade. These are the steps to take for the perfect, sultry red lip look.
The first thing you need to do is apply a lip balm or lip primer. If using a lip balm, make sure that you do not use too much, or one that is too shiny in case you are using a matte lipstick. The reason you would not want to apply too much of a moisturizing product is because it will cause the lipstick and liner to feather out instead of having a clean look. Lip primers are excellent because they act as a sort of Velcro to hold the lipstick and give it more staying power.
The next step in the process is to use a lip liner. Lip liner is important because it will help to prevent your lipstick from feathering, give the lipstick staying power and will give your look a clean finish. Choose a liner that matches the shade of red you are using. To line your lips, start at the peaks of the upper lip and bring the liner down the sides following your natural lip line. Make sure that when you line the corners of your lips to open your mouth slightly so that you do not overdraw the line. Next, make a line on the middle of the bottom lip so you will know where to start and bring the liner outwards to where the upper line is. Then shade in your lips with the liner, but not fully so that the middle of your lips has no colour.
The next step is to grab that sexy shade of red and apply it on your lips! A great way to apply the lipstick is to use a lip brush. The brush will help to apply the lipstick more precisely, especially if the lipstick is darker or lighter than the liner. A brush is not necessary, so if you do not have one or want to buy one you can still apply the lipstick without it, just be a little more careful when using the lipstick. To apply the lipstick, coat the lips with it but do not go beyond the liner as it will end up looking messy. You can get the lipstick in the corners of the mouth by opening your mouth and carefully applying the product in the corners, but not too heavily as it will give a swollen look and not in a good way. If the lipstick is a slightly lighter or darker shade than the liner, make sure you blend the lipstick to the edge of the liner so that there is no visible outline on your lips.
The final step is to carefully apply concealer around the lips. This will prevent feathering and make your lips pop. Just dab the concealer around the lips or in areas that you feel tend to feather more. This will also help if you have gotten any colour past your lip line that will not simply wipe away with a Q-tip or Kleenex. The concealer will cover up any residue that is left behind if you do not want to use makeup remover to fix a small mistake.
This step is only necessary if you would like to use gloss, but if you are going for the matte look – obviously, do not use gloss. If you would like a little shine to your look, make sure not to use a lot of gloss on the lips and make sure not to apply the gloss all the way to the lip line as both these things will cause the colour to feather out past your lip line.
A great tip is to try not to rub your lips together as this will also cause feathering as well as making the lipstick fade faster. I hope this has been helpful and everyone can start confidently rocking those red lips!
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