Getting your lips right (especially for the party season) can make or break a make up look. As we approach the season of all things fun and festive, a good red lip is an absolute classic finish to a Christmas look. I have struggled to get the lippie right for the most part as it tends to bleed, or look crooked it you look closely. But I have a couple of tricks on how to use lip liner to give a good frame, that you can use as guide for the perfect pout.
1. Start at the centre
Start with the middle to build your lip frame.When applying lip liner, I like to start in the middle. Draw your first line on the lower lip to outline. Then draw on your cupid's bow. This is the start of the frame and highlighting the natural indents on your lips. You need to take care with this so that you get as good as a perfect line on the two parts of your lips.
2. Fill in
Advertised
Just a little colouring in!Using the lip liner, fill in at the corners and anywhere where you would like to add a little volume. I use softer pencils for this look, so I found that Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Lip pencil to be the best for the job. The shade I'm wearing is "Bad Blood" and is a classic red, but has a slight pink tinge to it. This bit doesn't need to be that neat, I should add, as you will be covering some of the product in the next step.
3. Add the lipstick
By filling to frame your lips you actually need less lipstick. I used Max Factor Lipfinity in No. 65 Luxuriant for my lips. This lipstick is soft and hydrating and adds some shine right to the middle of your lips. I applied this straight from the bullet as less precision is needed thanks to the lip liner doing its job.
The finished look!Advertised
You'll see that this is fairly simple to do, and I have to say I have fallen for lip liner all over again thanks to a great selection available. I can also recommend Topshop's range of liners that are slightly harder but do make for a good thin line. If you want to add a little more glamour, pop a small amount of clear gloss in the centre of your lips. I finish off my make up with some finishing spray that also does a good job of keeping lipstick in place. Smashbox' Primer Water is great for this.
So how do you do yours? Is lip liner an essential in your make up bag?
