I was once a lipstick novice. I know it's hard to believe it now, but there was a time (about a year and a half ago) when I thought lipstick was for fancy time or business ladies and that was it.
Oh, how I've learnt from my mistakes. And also taught myself how to wear lipstick. With most lipsticks you can't just slap that shit on like a Chapstick and be done with it (which is a drawback, I understand) - but the right lipstick can make an outfit.
I'm a big supporter of red lipstick for any occasion, but my go to lipstick is Mac's Matte Lipstick in the color Russian Red. I could survive on that color alone. I don't, and won't, but I totally could. Bright Red lipstick isn't for everyone, and that's ok, but once you've found your color - be it coral, red, purple, pink, blue, black - you'll know and you'll want to be able to wear it.
1. Prep
Before I was lipstick crazed, my biggest problem with the stuff was that I didn't like how it looked on me. My lips never looked nice or smooth. The best solution: Chapstick with SPF 15 or higher on a regular basis and a lip scrub. You can buy lip scrubs at places like Lush or Sephora, or you can make your own. The chapstick will moisturize your lips and protect them from the sun, and the scrub will remove any excess dry skin and leave your lips feeling (and looking) soft.
2. For Longer Lasting Wear With Less Touch Ups:
Try either a midrange lip stain (sometimes called a lip cream) - my favorites are the Sephora brand lip stain and the NYX lip creams. Both stay on for a crazy long time, come in lots of colors and are under 15$ each. Not too shabby for something that'll stay on your lips without feathering for 4-6 hours. I wouldn't suggest the cheaper ones as they have a tendency to dry out and end up looking flakey within an hour of putting it on. Not Cute, yo.
Your other option for longer lasting is to pair a lip liner with your lipstick. The way to do lip liner (as I was told by a professional) is to almost ... color in your lips with the liner, starting with the center of your top lip and working your way out, slowly and coloring in about 1/3 of your lips. And the nice thing is that a lot of companies are coming out with 'universal' lipliners so you don't have to worry about matching the colors of your liner and lipstick 100%! Liners are the most helpful for going out - with it, you'll worry much less about looking like a clown while eating and drinking. (Wearing lipliner won't stop you from acting like a clown, but that's up to you. At least you'll be a pretty clown.)
3. Actually Putting on the Lip Stick
Take. Your. Time. Do not put it all over your bottom lip and then rub your lips together and think you're done. Unless you have a weirdly even top and bottom lip that won't cut it. The way that works best for me is the same way I do lipliner: starting with doing a swipe on my lower lip, then the middle of my upper lip and working my way out.
4. Tips for Mistakes
If you think you have too much on: get a tissue and blot that shit away.
If you messed up around the line of your lips: put some moisturizer on the end of a cue tip and wipe it away (this also works really well for liquid and gel eyeliners.)
If you're not 100% happy with the color: try mixing it with something more orange or purple based. Or try adding sparkles. Or start over. It's up to you - I keep face wipes nearby when I'm putting on my makeup for this very reason.
My favorite lipsticks:
Drugstore: NYX lip creams and matte lipsticks, Revlon lip butters (super pigmented and lots of colors) and lip crayons (the matte ones are really lovely), L'Oreal color riche lipsticks
High End: Mac Lipsticks (most bang for your buck), Tarte's Amazonian Butter Lipsticks (really lovely vibrant colors), Bite Beauty's Luminous Creme Lipsticks, and NARS Semi-Matte and Satin lipsticks
The best way to learn how is to practice. And to take your time learning how to do it, but once you've mastered it you feel like you can take over the world with smooches.
Products Used:
Lush's Lip Scrub in Mint Julips
Mac's Cremestick Liner in Red Enriched
Mac's Matte Lipstick in Viva Glam I
**I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned in this post**
