Lipcare Advice for Great Looking Lips

Lip Lining, Lip Gloss and Lip Plumping Tips

Would you like to know how to have perfectly shaped lips?

Do you wish your kisser was plump and glossy? Would you settle for soft and smooth? Or do you just want to find your best lip color?

Line Your Lips Perfectly

For perfectly shaped lips, try a lip liner. If your lips are thin, draw a line slightly outside your natural lip line. If you have full lips, line them just inside the lip line. If your lips are uneven, line the thinner lip slightly outside the natural lip line and the fuller lip just inside the natural lip line. Stay away from very dark lip liners, which can appear unnatural. You can keep your lip lines looking natural by sharpening your liner once for every six applications. The duller the point, the more natural the line will look!

How to Find Your Best Lip Color

Every look is based on one of four eye/lip combos and your skin/hair shade:

1. Light eyes/light lips: This combination conveys a fresh, dewey look. Your best lip shades here are warm caramels, coffees, toasts and anything with a hint of golden undertones. If you are fair-skinned and light-haired, pink, rose and neutral red shades will look good on you. You can also wear coral, watermelon and strawberry colors.
2. Light eyes/dark lips: This is an elegant, very 1950s ladylike look. The best shades are dark and dramatic, such as plum, true crimson and deep bronze. If you have blonde hair and dark skin, a cool blue-red will look great. For blondes with medium/olive skin, try a rich ruby-toned red.
3. Dark eyes/Light lips: The best combo for a sexy, party mood; the lip colors here are purple, emeralds and maroon. If you have fair skin and brown or black hair, you can wear browns and beiges. A translucent, blue-toned red will also work, as well as clay-pink, sand, dusty rose and clay-red. For the fair skinned and red-headed, try corals and browns, particularly brown-reds like auburn and sienna. Peach, peach-red, tawny rose and apricot will also look good on you.
4. Dark eyes/dark lips: We're talking serious glamour here. Your lip and eye shades should have the same tone. For example, a purple eye with eggplant stain lipstick is an ideal look. A bronze eye with a golden chestnut lipgloss will also look sensational. If you have medium/olive skin and brown or black hair, reds (such as a true red shade) and bronzes will work. If you have dark skin with brown or black hair, try wines -- cool red shades like berry, and burgundy are your best looks. For medium/olive skin with red hair, a warm orange-red will complement your coloring. For red hair and dark skin, a true red shade is the look for you.

Get Plump and Glossy Lips

For plump and glossy lips, dab a little silver or gold gloss on the center of your lower lip. You'll have instant fullness! Makeup artists have long known this; gloss with a sheer metallic sheen gives the best plumping effect (it accentuates the middle of your lip, where the lips are fullest).

Or trace just above the upper lip line with concealer, then blend. You can also throw away your darker lipsticks and use neutral hues such as melon, spice or rose to "lift" your lips (light colors make surfaces appear larger).