Indeed, dark lips look sexy and seductive, providing that you are skillful enough to apply a dark shaded lipstick correctly. Undoubtedly, we all should learn how to do it right, especially when realizing that #darklips makeup trend is going to be a hit in the upcoming season!
I didn’t use to define my lips with dark lipsticks because I simply didn’t know how to do it. I wanted to achieve beautiful and bold lips effect but what I managed to create was a kind of clown makeup – it was too much of it and I just looked cartoonish. For that reason I would go for very subtle, almost invisible lip glosses.
My first ‘bold’ lipstick
I began enhancing my lips when I started dating. I know that it may sound a little bit silly for you but that was my main motivator to reach for a dark lipstick so I don’t want to tell you any different 🙂
My first dark lips were – surprise, surprise – blood red. They were really intensive and this is how I mastered the art of using lipstick “on a dime”. I managed to learn how to define my lips with a dark lipstick to look alluring, not funny. What was funny though is the fact that blood red wasn’t and still isn’t my color. Now I know that this shade doesn’t suit me at all since I look definitely better in burgundy and dark violets.
Yet, my “journey” with blood red lipstick was necessary. After all, it was this very shade that I practiced on. Now I’m going to walk you through this and reveal my secret tricks to get beautiful, alluring and bold lips.
Dark lips don’t suit everyone
Okay, it is trendy but I’ll try my best to convince you not to follow all trends blindly. Indeed, dark lips look stunning but sadly not everyone should wear them. For example, if you are a delicate blonde woman whose complexion is pale and has deep set eyes, then you may look like a death if you apply a maroon or black lipstick. Moreover, you shouldn’t reach for dark lipsticks if you can’t get into full swing of this trend. What I want to say, if you don’t feel this #darklips trend, don’t paint your lips dark just because 80% of your friends do this. Trust me, you will feel uncomfortable in your own skin, so what’s the point?
How to use dark lipstick correctly?
Well, sadly, there’s more to it than just reaching for a dark lipstick and glide it a few times across your lips. Actually, this is a fast track to achieve a look that is far from sexy and purely feminine. Here are a few simple rules which will help you get the dark lips you want to have!
1. Before you apply a dark lipstick, do some exfoliation.
Lip exfoliation is a really simple treatment which leaves lip skin delicate and smoother. Making your own lip scrub is easy too. Combine a spoon of honey with brown sugar and use this mixture to massage the lips for a few minutes. In this way, you get rid of dead skin cells and make the skin soft. Apart from achieving the effect of smooth lips, honey will leave them nourished and renewed. Why is it so important to do lip scrub before applying a dark lipstick? Such lipsticks look better on smooth and soft lips, but that’s not all. Once lips are smooth, the wear of lipstick increases. Woah, that’s a piece of information, isn’t it? This means that you can enjoy flawless dark lips for longer, providing that you prepare them appropriately beforehand.
2. Don’t forget to use a lip liner if you want to paint your lips dark.
I’m still wondering why lipsticks aren’t sold with matching lip liners – it’s a mystery to me. I can’t remember me succeeding in applying a dark lipstick without using a lip liner. It’s just impossible! It seems that my dark lips are kept at bay due to the very color cosmetic. Therefore, before reaching for a dark lipstick, you must outline the lips with a lip liner that matches the shade of the lipstick you are about to use. Only then can you fill the outline with the right shade to enjoy long-wear makeup. Well, there’s yet another technique that I should mention. Some makeup artists advise that we should apply a nude lipstick first and then cover it up with a dark shade. And this is how dark lips get really long-lasting.
3. Always use a brush to apply a lipstick.
What’s the point of all the weird applicators and profiled lipsticks since it appears that I have to get an extra brush? Well, I didn’t say that you can’t apply a lipstick without a brush. Of course, you can! But don’t expect the effect to be long-wearing because without the brush, you will apply too much of the color cosmetic which in turn will smudge fast. In here, minimalism is what matters because #darklips is about elegance, not exaggeration. To clarify, thanks to a brush, you will apply less of the product but this will help you ‘press’ it into lips better, which means that it will be more resistant to smudging. Trust me, once you start using a brush to apply your lipsticks, you won’t return to your old habit.
4. Always fix the final effect but not necessarily with a powder.
One of the common tricks (that you can find online) concerning fixing lips depends on a powdering them with a translucent product. Since it fixes the entire makeup, why wouldn’t it work out on lips, right? Indeed, the color on your lips will remain longer when treating it with a powder but… dark lips will lose their bold color. And this isn’t the effect you look forward to achieving. Therefore, instead of making the color less saturated due to a powder, I’d suggest you to use a makeup setting spray. Spritz it on the lips to see that your dark lipstick isn’t only still vivid but also lasts longer – you don’t have to worry that it will disappear from your lips soon.
5. If you paint your lips dark, use only matte lipsticks.
It goes without saying that lip makeup depends on making the effects long-lasting. Since we spend a few long minutes on coating the lips with a dark color, we don’t want the effect to vanish fast. Sadly, lipsticks have this tendency to ‘eat up’ fast. And this applies mainly to glossy lipsticks. This is exactly why the best solution here is offered by dark matte lipsticks that guarantee long-wear. However, if you feel like having dark lips with a shine, here’s how you can achieve this goal. Apply your favorite dark matte lipstick and then follow with a transparent lip gloss. This is how you get long-wear effect of dark and glossy lips.
