How to Get the Perfect Lipstick Finish

Image Source [leessaray.deviantart]

No make up look is quite complete without a touch of lip color. Whether it’s a nude, pale pink, or a bright red lipstick – a favorite at Fashion Fresta – lipstick plays a major role in how we look, and how we feel. Unfortunately, applying lip color is sometimes easier than it looks, and it’s shockingly simple to end up with lipstick that looks like it’s flaking and fading. So just how do you get the perfect finish?

Getting Started

Before you begin applying lipstick, you need to make sure you have a good base to work with. If you were putting up wallpaper in your home – you wouldn’t paper straight over big holes and cracks, would you? So why would you put lipstick on top of cracked, uneven lips? Firstly, check out Vaseline’s advice on how to get rid of chapped lips. It’s so easy with petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly helps to lock moisture into the lips to keep them looking smooth, soft, and supple, making a great base for lipstick of any color.

Once your lips are smooth, there’s just one more trick to getting the perfect canvas for your lipstick –face powder. If you’ve been touching your lips – which we probably all do when we’re about to put on lipstick – there may be excess oil on the skin. These oils will mean your lipstick easily slips off, and your new ‘14 hour color’ becomes ‘2 hour color’. If you don’t want to be reapplying throughout the day, put a little bit of face powder onto your lips to soak up any excess oils, leaving a matt surface.

Creating a Base

Next up – lip liner! Applying lipstick to un-lined lips is like trying to color in a picture that doesn’t have any markings. Lip liner actually works in 3 ways. Firstly, it allows you to define the shape of your lips, ironing out any kinks in your natural shape. Secondly, it provides a guide for where to place the color. And thirdly, if you use your lip liner to color your lips before applying lipstick, it can help your lipstick to stay on longer. Just be sure to get a shade that’s similar to your lipstick color.

The Finishing Touches

You’ve applied your lipstick, but there’s still something missing, right? That’s because you haven’t applied the finishing touches, and these can really make or break your overall look. If you want a super gloss finish, it’s back to the petroleum jelly. Not only is it the answer for how to get rid of chapped lips, but petroleum jelly also forms a protective barrier over the lip that can help keep your lipstick in place, and provides a beautiful glow and glossy effect. Want a more matte look? Then it’s back to the face powder – just a touch so that it doesn’t fade the color.

Still not happy? If your lips look a bit small and thin and you really want them to play more of a starring role, then it’s time to take a few tips from everyone’s favorite Kardashian – Kim. Kim Kardashian is well known for her contouring, and this is what gives you those full, plumper looking lips. It’s easy to do – apply a bit of light shimmer powder or highlighter to the middle of your top lip and the middle of your bottom lip. This will make your lipstick reflect light, creating a fuller look.

So there you have it. Once you know how to get rid of chapped lips, use lip liner to full effect, and create a glossy finish – you’ll have the perfect pout. Easy as that!