Lip makeup: main rules and correction of imperfections

Alesya Kuzmenok, makeup artist-stylist, multiple winner of the Ukrainian Makeup Championship with experience working on TV channels and UFW

Lip shaping is the final stage of makeup, on which the image as a whole depends. A few useful tips will help you correctly correct the shape of your lips and make them more expressive.

First, let's understand the terms. The shape of the lips is: wide, plump, thin, normal (the upper lip has the classic “bow of Venus” shape). They have a red and white border. The red border is the area of the lips colored with pigment. The white border is the line on the outside that outlines the border of the red border. In addition to the lips, the concept of “mouth” includes two nasolabial folds, a filter (the distance from the nose to the upper lip), the corners of the mouth and the mental groove.

Rules for creating lip makeup

Lip makeup , like makeup in general, begins with tinting the contour and powdering. Then the contour is outlined with a contour pencil. It is best to start outlining from the V-shaped area in the middle of the upper lip, then draw the outline towards the corners. The lower lip should be drawn with a solid line from one corner to the other. Afterwards, the contour needs to be gently shaded. It is better to paint the surface of the lips with a brush.

To give greater relief and volume to the lips, highlight highlights with a lighter lipstick tone. In the first option, a highlight is placed in the center of the upper lip and two highlights on the lower lip. The lipstick must be shaded, but the light spots should remain noticeable.

Second option: the main color of lipstick is applied to the area of the upper and corners of the lower lip. A highlight in a lighter tone is placed in the center of the bottom.

Highlights are most often used in evening makeup, and also if the client has flat lips. You should never use a pencil that is too dark in combination with light lipstick. It looks ugly and vulgar.

Lip shape correction using makeup

The makeup features of lips of different shapes will be different, so that as a result they turn out beautiful and close to ideal.

• To enlarge the lips, the contour is drawn 1-1.5 mm above the natural line.
• The upper and lower lips should be approximately the same width. It is permissible for the lower lip to predominate over the upper lip, but in no case vice versa. The contours of the lower and upper lips should meet in one line. We recommend glosses with a volume effect based on Peru tincture and products with shimmering particles.
• To make the lips smaller (20s style), we tint the edge line of the lips and apply the contour 1 mm closer to the center. Avoid glitter and bright lipstick colors . You should use matte or transparent lipstick in moderately dark tones. The contour of the lips needs to be shaded, the most intense color is applied to the center of the lips.
• Full lips look good if they are tinted only with a contour pencil over the entire surface.
• For lips with drooping corners, outline the contour of the upper lip, slightly lifting the corners with a contour pencil, without reaching the very corners.
• For lips with aging skin and transverse wrinkles, we use a non-greasy contour. We blot the excess lipstick with a napkin, powder our lips and cover with lipstick again. Soft gloss lipstick will hide wrinkles and create the illusion of smooth, shiny skin.

Lip shape and face shape

Lip correction also depends to some extent on the shape of the face. For a square face, a soft lip shape with rounded lines is recommended. Curved lines are not suitable for a round face; preference should be given to straight ones. Girls with a triangular face shape should not have protruding lips; when drawing, it is better to use elongated lines. And the greatest emphasis should be placed on the lower lip.

Full, rounded lips suit a rectangular face. Women with an oval face shape can paint their lips according to their shape, slightly rounding the contour of the lower lip. A narrow, thin face looks more feminine if the lips are well painted and shiny.

Which lipstick should you choose?

Lipsticks in texture can be creamy in the form of a stick, liquid in a tube, dry in the form of a powder-pigment, and also caring in the form of a balm in jars.

For thin lip skin, especially in summer, it is recommended to choose textures that are lighter, non-sticky, with a high moisturizer content and a high protection factor. For the frosty winter period, accordingly, oily and dense textures of lipsticks and glosses are better suited.

Now you know how to change the shape of your lips with makeup, correct imperfections and create a luxurious makeup that your clients will be delighted with!

The article was first published in MAKEUP&YOU Professional magazine.