Ok so it’s finally the first day of fall and you know what that means… it means you can break out that dark lipstick you’ve been dying to wear all year. I know you’re pumped but lets calm down for a second and remember all the tips and tricks that make a dark lip truly stunning.
Lip Primer
This first step is not a must. But if you can find a primer that you like and that doesn’t lighten or taint the color the lipstick then go for it!
Lipliner
This may be a bit of a no brainer for some, but there may be some beginners out there. So bare with me. Lipliner is a bit of a necessity for dark lip. It’s much easier to fill in your lips with a liner and it helps the color stay on your lips for longer. You can line your lips in different ways, just of around the outside, or fill your lips in completely or somewhere in between. It’s up to you. In theory you could get away without it for a more nude lip, but if there’s a drastic difference between skin tine and lipstick color than it’s gong to be noticeable if if there are any mistakes.
It’s also worth mentioning that the darker the lipliner compared to the lip stick the larger your lips will look. You can go subtle here or more bold in the difference, that’s up to you. Of course you could get an individual lipliner that corresponds to each of your lipsticks, but if you’re on a budget that may be a bit much. I’d recommend getting one lipliner for every color ‘family’ of lipstick you have. Like one nude, red, dark red, pink, peach, etc. Rimmel is pretty inexpensive and has a wide range of colors, Jordana is another great less expensive drug store brand. Urban Decay and Rimmel have a clear lipliner that can be used for any lip color.
You can either get creamy lipliners or pencil ones that you have to sharpen. It’s all up to you. Here's some suggestions on how best to line your lips.
Lipstick
Ok, ok, so this is the reason you’ve been reading this whole article. In choosing your lip color you can keep in mind your skin’s undertone. A good way to identify your undertone is to look at the veins in your wrist are they blue? Then you have pink undertones and may look better in cooler lip colors with blue or purple tones in them. Are they more green? Then you have warmer yellow undertones and may want to wear lip colors with warmer pink undertones. If they look like both then you have neutral undertones, and can wear either. While all this is fine and good, if you see a lip color you like then forget undertones, and wear whatever the heck you want.
If you’re apprehensive about wearing an especially dark lip, there’s one thing you need to do. Just do it. Seriously. Go to your local drug store and pick out a relatively cheap one that way you can try it out before maybe buying a more expensive version of the color.
Something you may want to keep in mind, if you’re fair, is that the darker the lip color the more washed out you can look. It may be a good idea to wear more bronzer or maybe an illuminating foundation to add more color.
It's not an unbreakable make-up rule or anything, but if you are interested in what colors correspond to your skin tone here are some options.
Matte or not matte that is the question
If you interested in a matte (meaning not shiny) lip, then go for it. It will dry out your lips, more so than other lipsticks, so remember to put chapstick on before you go to bed. But some of the advantages of a true matte lipstick is that it wont move once it’s dried on your lips. With normal lipsticks you run the risk of the lipstick ending up outside of the lipliner. You still need lipliner with a matte lipstick. It also lasts a bit longer. I would do some research and really check out what’s out there and think about what you really want. For instance NYX has some excellent matte lipsticks, especially liquid lipsticks. They are a bit drying but, it’s a true matte. L’oreal’s infallible matte liquid lipstick looks matte but it feels a bit creamy and does transfer more than some other mattes. At the end of the day it’s up to you, and what you want.
Setting
Again, this isn’t at all a must. But if you want you can buy a lipstick setting powder, or you could peel apart a tissue to it’s last layer, put that against your lips, and dust some sheer foundation setting powder over your lips. This may be worth it if you’re wearing a lipstick for a night out, maybe for Halloween or just a night on the town.
How long will it last?
I don’t care what the commercials tell you, you will need to reapply after eating or drinking. Matte or not matte it doesn’t matter. Some will last better than others but be sure to check in the bathroom and touch up, because you probably will have to. That being said a decent lipstick, and yes you can find a more then decent lipstick at the drugstore, will last you pretty well throughout the day, meal times aside. Again, do you research and keep in mind what you want.
You may want to carry around a small makeup bag with the lipliner and lipstick you’re wearing that day. You could even add in a make up remover pen, Elf has a pretty good one, and use that to get rid of any stay bit’s of color outside you’re lipliner. You could even throw in a pack of oil blotting sheets, NYX and Elf both carry these, for the rest of your face make-up if that’s a concern for you.
Just remember…
When you put the lipliner and lipstick just try to make it as good as possible, not perfect. Remember that people won't be leaning as close to your face as you are to the mirror. Stand back a bit and if it looks even and clean then you’re ready. The longer you spend messing with it the more likely it is that you’re going to mess it up for real.
Also don’ think about it. If you’re aware of it throughout the day, you’re going to be worrying about it and making sure it hasn’t faded or bled. Just forget about it and go about your day. Remember: you’re wearing your make-up not the other way around. As cliche as it sounds just be confident and wear what you want.
Don’t adhere to any of the fashion rules if you don’t want to. Where a burgundy lip in the summer or wear a cool toned lip color even if you have warmer undertones. Just wear it with whatever you want whenever you want.
Jordana
Rimmel