The obsession with all things Kardashian (and now all things Jenner) gives us makeup artists so many things to be inspired by, from Kim K’s flawless smokey eye to Kendall J’s perfectly dewy skin to our current (kurrent?) obsession: Kylie Jenner’s lips. The youngest Jenner’s full pout is the definition of bombshell beauty, and has got us itching to plump up our lips for the upcoming holiday, ‘cause if you ask us, there’s no better time than now to turn up the drama with your makeup. Here are three simple ways to transform your lips into a perma-pucker. We’ll start by teaching you how to boost your everyday nude lip, and then show you how to make it work with your go-to statement color before we dive into the stylist-approved trick to making your bolder lips *really* stand out. Scroll down to learn how get your kisser red carpet ready in just four steps.
Not-So-Naturally Nude
1. Begin by applying a concealer to your lips with your finger by gently tapping your lips and the areas slightly over the edges to create an even base.
2. Using a nude lip liner like Revlon ColorStay in Natural ($6), line your lips slightly outside your natural lip line.
3. Fill in your lips gradually with the nude liner, applying it heavily around the edges of your mouth to give the illusion of a fuller lip. Apply it more gently as you fill in toward the center of your lips.
4. Highlight your lips using a clear lipgloss on the bow of your upper lip and the center of your lower lip.
I mean, isn’t the whole point of this look to make it appear like your lips are *actually* larger than life?! ;)
1. Apply your go-to statement lipstick first — I am using MAC in Del Rio ($16). Blot your lips together to finish, but don’t worry about your lower lip causing a little smudge over the bow of your upper lip; that will actually help you exaggerate your lips in the next step.
Statement Color
2. Line your lips slightly outside your natural lip line with a matching liner or in a shade that’s slightly darker. This liner is L’Oreal Infallible Lip Liner in Plum ($7).
3. Use a lip brush to gently blend the liner into the lipstick.
This technique will work with any lipshade to pack a full-on color punch, whether it’s a TSwift red, a Lorde-approved plum or our ode to Kylie: this bombshell mauve.
So the thought here is this: We contour our faces and our eyes, so why not our lips? Here you will be using three shades of lip liners to create the perfect multidimensional pucker.
1. Using your darkest liner — we’re using on L’Oreal’s Infallible Lip Liner in Plum ($7) — line your lips slightly outside your natural lip line. Then line along the corners of your mouth and into the center of both your lower lip and the bow of your upper lip. Think of this as the bronzer for your lip: the shade to deepen and draw back the attention.
Multi-Dimensional
2. Now apply a slightly lighter hue like Covergirl Lip Perfection in Beloved ($7) to fill in the rest of your lips and gently blend it with the darker part. This would be like your foundation, something to fill in the overall color.
3. Finally, use a much lighter color like Revlon ColorStay in Natural ($6) to highlight in the center of your lower lip and the bow of your upper lip. This is your — you guessed it — highlighter, which sets the focus on whatever part you apply it to.
4. Add a tiny amount of a clear or shimmery gloss over the lightest part of your lips to really bump the highlight to the next level. Skip this step if you want to rock the matte look.
See how the center of your lips appear *much* fuller? That’s the contouring in action. And now that you’ve got the technique down (way easier than you thought, right?), have fun creating tons of different looks for your lips — that berry lipstick you impulsively snagged at the drugstore would look really impressive with an LBD, or take a peachy lip up a notch by using a gold gloss as the highlight. We think on that night we’ll be saying adios to our besties by doling out two kisses each.
Muah… and muah!
