Smoothing Your Lips
Exfoliate your lips. Dry lights reflect less light than smooth, hydrated lips, which can make them look smaller. Before putting on any lip products, exfoliate your lips to remove any dry, flaky skin. Use a scrub designed specifically for the lips or brush them lightly with a clean, sanitized toothbrush to remove dead skin. You can make your own lip scrub by combining 2 teaspoons (10 g) of brown or white sugar with 1 teaspoon (15 ml) of an oil, such as coconut or olive.
Apply a moisturizing lip balm. When your lips are exfoliated, you want to hydrate them to lock in the moisture. That will leave them looking plump when you apply your lip color. Use a moisturizing lip balm or treatment, and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes so it sinks into your lips. You can use any type of lip balm or moisturizer that you like, but it’s a good idea to choose a formula that lists a mint, such as peppermint or spearmint, as an active ingredient. Mint helps boost blood flow, so it can help make your lips look fuller.
Blend concealer over your lips. Patting concealer over your lips can help ensure that your lipstick or gloss goes on true to color. You can also make your lips look fuller if you blend the concealer just a little bit beyond your lip line to blur the edge. That will help it look more natural when you line outside your lips with a liner before you apply your lipstick. Use a concealer that matches your skin tone exactly so you can blur your lip line more easily.
Adding Color to Your Lips
Start with a temporary lip plumper. Many cosmetic companies make temporary lip plumping products that use ingredients that temporarily swell the lips to make them look fuller. If you really want full lips, apply a clear lip plumper product to your lips before lining or applying lipstick. Lip plumping products often cause a stinging sensation that some people find uncomfortable. It’s a good idea to test the product on a small area of your lip before applying it all over, especially if you have sensitive skin. You can find colored lip plumping products, such as glosses and lipsticks. If you use one of those, you can apply it just as you would a regular gloss or lipstick.
Line just beyond your natural lip line. Your lip liner is a powerful tool in creating the illusion of fuller lips. Instead of lining right at the edge of your lips, use the liner to define just beyond your natural lip line for added fullness. For the fullest looking lips, use a lip liner in a shade that’s just a bit darker than your lipstick. That will help add major definition to your lips. Don’t fill in your lips with the liner. You want to keep the definition sharp along the outer edge. EXPERT TIP Yuka Arora Yuka Arora Makeup Artist Yuka Arora is a self-taught makeup artist who specializes in abstract eye art. She has been experimenting with makeup art for over 5 years, and has amassed over 5.6K Instagram followers in just 5 months. Her colorful and abstract looks have been noticed by Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kat Von D Beauty, Sephora Collection, among others. Yuka Arora Yuka Arora Makeup Artist Practice makes perfect when you're experimenting with liner. According to makeup artist Yuka Arora: "Overlining is definitely a skill you have to practice. The trick is that near the corners of your mouth, the line should match where your lips naturally go. Then, toward your Cupid's bow and below the center of your bottom lip, draw just a little bit over your natural lip line. You can also use a darker color on the outer perimeter with a slightly lighter shade of the same color on the center of your lip."
Apply a light or nude lipstick. Because dark colors make things look smaller and light colors make items appear larger, avoid dark lipstick when you want your lips to look fuller. Instead, opt for a nude or other light colored lipstick, such as pink or peach. For extra fullness, consider blending two lipsticks that are a similar color but a shade or two apart. Apply the darker shade on the outer parts of your lips and the lighter color in the center, blending the edges with a lip brush for a seamless transition.
Finish off your lips with a gloss. To make your lips even fuller, top your lipstick with a gloss. The shiny finish of the gloss will reflect light and help your lips appear larger. Apply a clear lipgloss or a sheer shade that’s similar to your lipstick color. Using a gloss with a shimmery finish can add even more dimension to your lips to help them look fuller. EXPERT TIP "Gloss can really add volume, because you're drawing a lot of light to your lips." Yuka Arora Yuka Arora Makeup Artist Yuka Arora is a self-taught makeup artist who specializes in abstract eye art. She has been experimenting with makeup art for over 5 years, and has amassed over 5.6K Instagram followers in just 5 months. Her colorful and abstract looks have been noticed by Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kat Von D Beauty, Sephora Collection, among others. Yuka Arora Yuka AroraMakeup Artist
Highlighting and Contouring Your Lips
Outline your colored lips with concealer. To bring focus to your lips and make them appear larger, it helps to use concealer to outline them. Use a very small concealer brush to carefully apply your favorite concealer around the edge of your lipliner. Make sure to carefully blend the concealer into your skin so it looks natural. This technique can also help clean up any mistakes you may have made when applying your lipliner or lipstick.
Highlight your cupid’s bow. Don’t just use your highlighter to accent your cheekbones -- dab a small amount of your favorite powder or cream highlighter on the small indentation above the center of your top lip known as the cupid’s bow. That will bring light to the area and help your lips appear fuller. Blend well so the highlight looks natural. Make sure that you apply the highlighter all the way along the groove that runs from your cupid’s bow to the bottom of your nose.
Contour beneath your lower lip. You can give the illusion of a fuller bottom lip by using contour powder. Use a small, fluffy brush to lightly dust contour powder or bronzer just beneath the edge of your lower lip. Make sure to blend well for a natural look.
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