Makeup – How to use a lip liner for a glamorous mouth like the stars?

A real star of the 1990s, the lip liner is getting a makeover thanks to many stars like Cate Blanchett at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. To emphasize her mouth, the Armani muse is made up with the Smooth Lip N°2 lip liner and matched with her Ecstasy Miroir lip lacquer n°102 in pink tones. Become trendy after a few years of bad reputation, the lip pencil can give a lot of style to your makeup, provided you use it well. Here's how to choose it and how to apply it to be glamorous.

Used correctly, lip liner is very handy for outlining the contours of the mouth just before applying lipstick. It has two uses: it allows you to draw the lips well to highlight them, and it helps the lipstick to hold well. By drawing the outline of the lips before filling them with a lipstick, you prevent the lipstick from running and eventually fading. To obtain a beautiful result, however, it is necessary to choose the right pencil and apply it correctly.

How to choose your lip liner?

There are many types of lip pencils, as well as an infinity of shades. You can opt for the classic lip pencil with a rather hard texture that you have to sharpen regularly, or for a more modern pencil, which is more like a marker and offers a more fluid texture. Then, concerning the color, it all depends on the result you want to obtain. If you use your pencil to prevent your lipstick from running, choose it in the same shade as your lipstick for a chic and glamorous result. If you want to plump up your lips, then you can opt for a pencil in a color slightly darker than that of your complexion, then apply a gloss or a glossy nude rouge.

How to apply lip liner?

Most often, lip liner is used to outline the contours of the mouth before applying lipstick and to prevent it from running into the corners of the lips. If this is the result you want to achieve, choose a pencil the same color as your rouge. Then apply it following the contour of your mouth. For this, you must start from the center of your upper lip to reach the first end. Do the same on the other side. Repeat the operation on each side of the lower lip. You can then apply your matte or glossy lipstick, and blend lightly with your finger so that the pencil and the lipstick blend together. If, like Meghan Markle, you want to use lip pencil to give volume to your thin lips, you should choose a pencil slightly darker than your natural color. You must then apply it just above the contour of your mouth, avoiding too much excess. Then you can fill in with a red, preferably nude, with a shiny or pearly finish for more volume. If applied correctly, the pencil will give you a very stylized and glamorous look, ideal for your evenings or your romantic dates.

Moisturize your lips well

The pencil tends to dry out the lips. On mature or dry skin, this results in the appearance of fine lines or cracks that will stand out under the effect of the pencil. To avoid bringing out all the little flaws in your mouth, it is therefore important to prepare it well beforehand. To do this, do not hesitate to apply a moisturizing balm or nourishing oil to your mouth daily. If this does not erase all your cracks, you can also exfoliate your lips once a week. Prepare for this a homemade exfoliant made of sugar and honey that you will rub gently. Then rinse with lukewarm water, then dry your lips to be able to apply your make-up for the day.

Photo credits: ARMANI