Trendy Wendy Wednesdays * Applying Lipstick Like A Supermodel In Eight Quick Steps
I once heard that the average woman (whoever that is) has seven different lipsticks/lipgloss at any given time. I'm apparently above average (duh) because I have at least seven in my purse at any one time. Let's not even talk about what I have at home scattered through out the house and in my makeup drawer. But even with all of that lip beauty surrounding me, I often find that my lipstick is as absent as a Jewish kid in Sunday School (it's ok. I'm staying here in Atlanta with Jewish friends of mine and they said I could say that). Not a trace to be found anywhere. Especially when we're talking not about chapstick or gloss, but true lipstick.
I have recently re-entered the world of lipstick. You see, I'd become a gloss gal the last several years, preferring the touch of shiny color over true pigmentation because of the moisturizing effects (I HATE to be dry and scratchy, especially my lips. It will distract me and all I can think about is how dry my lips are. So much so, I've been known to have to turn around during a run and go home to put on lipgloss/chapstick because I'm so miserable and I can't focus). But these new-fangled lipsticks are actually pretty moisturizing. AND, I found out how to keep my lips soft and keep the color on. For hours.
In my love of all things Pinterest (I had a bit of a pinning problem once upon a time. I'm better now), I found a pin that lead to this website called DivineCaroline and a post written by Ivy Boyd, where I was educated step by step on how to apply lipstick like runway models do - so that it stays on. Let's pretend for the next five minutes that I'm a runway model (stop laughing) and see how it's done (note in the pics that my manicure that I wrote about on Friday but applied on Tuesday night last week is still going strong):
Step 1: Make sure you're lips are smooth and not dry and flaky by using a lip exfoliator. Not an issue for me, since I hate dry lips and mine aren't ever that way. But if your lips are dry and/or have flakes of dead dry skin on them, exfoliate first. Ivy recommended e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator or Bliss Fabulips.
Step 2: Apply a hydrating lip balm (not gloss) to prep your lips for the next several steps. This was the step that I had been missing and is critical for me to help keep my lips from feeling like they are drying out. I most often use Burt's Bees lip balm. You need it to feel a little waxy so the lipstick won't slide off, so gloss won't do.
Step 3: Put a little foundation or concealer over your lips. Not enough to completely blend your mouth in with the rest of your face, but just enough to take most of the color out of your lips. It also acts a bit of a primer for the next step. I use Benefit Cosmetics Boi-Ing in light to medium, but I forgot to bring it with me on my trip, so today I had to use my under eye concealer by Skinn by Dimitri James.
Step 4: If you're wearing a bold color, Ivy recommends that you use a concealer stick to outline your lips, like NYX Wonder Pencil. I skipped that since I didn't have one in my travel make up kit (in the pic above I've moved on to step 5).
Step 5: Grab your lip liner (and yes, if you're over 25 you should be using a lip liner) and outline your lips with it and then fill them in with it too. It again gives the next step something to grab on to and stick around. I like to use a nude liner, that way I don't have to worry about matching my liner to my lipstick every time. My absolute favorite by far is Kevin Aucoin's Lip Liner in Medium.
Step 6: Start to apply your color, but don't just streak it on. You want to use a light hand and apply it strategically so that you cover the whole lip but stay within the lines you've drawn. I used J. Cats Beauty The Big Lip Pencil in Red Rose.
Step 7: Take a tissue and separate the tissue in half (most tissues are two ply, so pull the two pieces apart). Place one side up against your lips and dust a translucent powder like MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder against the tissue with your powder brush. That sets the color and holds it to your lips like glue (ok, not really glue, but it does set the color).
Step 8: Lightly add a little more lipstick over the top and you're good to go!
I wore this pretty fall red for several hours before mowing down a salad for lunch and wiping my mouth (I'm not a napkin dabber like some folks. Who's lipstick probably stays on through lunch) with my napkin repeatedly. And the eight steps go by pretty fast when you have all your gear sitting next to you. A little hint - take your lip pencil and lipstick in your bag with you when you leave the house for reapplication. You likely won't have gotten all of the "primer" off, so you should still have something for the lipstick to "stick" to and you can delicately dust your lips with a little powder from your compact (c'mon - we all get shiny so you have to carry a compact with you) to help set the color after reapplication.
Now you know how to put lipstick on like a runway super model. If only we had the clothes. You're welcome.
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