One of the best things about makeup is that it can change our features and overall aesthetic…temporarily. You may feel like a gothic queen one day and a candy-colored princess the next— achieved perfectly with a few select products. If your desires are to plump that kisser a tad, you are in luck! We’ve assembled some simple hacks to make your lips look bigger. No needles, no crazy costs, just good old makeup illusion.
Pair liner and gloss or balm
The first tip is my personal favorite when I want bee-stung lips without a lot of color.
A nude liner just a little deeper than your natural lip shade or nude shade and press into the lips, concentrating on the center. This will draw light to the lips, create a glistening dimension, and a diffused juiciness.
You can also increase the size of the lips without adding a statement color. Slightly overdraw the lip line and use your finger or a brush to blur the lines. Then, take a balmy gloss in either a clear Product Faves: Caramel liner and Bungalow Babe gloss
Highlight strategically
Using a highlighter or even a very pale concealer can really give your lips a boost. Remember, light makes areas pop while shadow makes them recess (hence why we contour our cheek hollows and highlight our cheeky apples).
Apply your liner and lipstick or gloss (i.e. like above!). Then, take a shimmery (not glittery) highlight and dab it on your cupid’s bow and in the center of both lips. This will make the pillowy centers of your lips look all the more plump while creating a moon-kissed sheen.
Don’t be scared to overline when using color
While matte lippies in bright or deep shades can make the lips look smaller, it doesn’t have to be that way.
When you apply a bold color that contrasts with your skin tone, and pair it with a sharp line, the size and shape of the lips are pretty set in stone. However, if you use that to your advantage, you can manipulate the size of the lips simply by extending that sharp line.
Tip: to avoid clown lips, don’t extend the color at the corners of the lips and keep the extension to the upper and lower centers.
Stay hydrated and exfoliated
Dry lips are automatically smaller-looking than hydrated ones, as that crusty layer of dull skin has a tricky shrinking effect. Regular exfoliation is crucial as it gets rid of any dead or flaky skin, while triggering more blood flow. We love the Sugar Baby lip scrub! Use it whenever you’re gearing up for a matte lippie day and when your lips need a little reviving.
The next unmissable step is hydration with a rich balm that sinks deep into the layers. Apply a generous layer of balm before bed and treat it like a sleeping lip mask, and re-apply throughout the day, (especially during winter). This will not only keep your lips comfy and protected (use an SPF balm, we beg you) but it will make them juicier all before any color products are applied.
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