3 Products - The Lip Edition

3 Products – The Lip Edition

Welcome, hello, how are ya? What an absolute cracker of a year we are all having! 2020, the year that keeps on giving! I am currently sitting under a doona, fed up with the winter and trying to make it reasonably unscathed through the school holidays. So in a bid to cheer myself, and hopefully you, up, I decided to do something a little different with the blog and focus the topic on one area that can always use a little extra love in these winter months. Our Lips! We start off with something to pamper and then something to make them bewdiful…. I think you’ll like it.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm

“For dry skin, luscious lips and glossy bits”

This lanolin based balm is an absolute staple in my makeup kit. I apply it to lips prior to starting a client makeup and no matter the condition of the persons pucker, by the time I’ve finished the rest of the makeup their mouth is totally kissable and ready for even the boldest of lip treatments. Dr Lipp Nipple Balm is a thick, rich and long-lasting moisturiser which is medically proven on dry, sore and chapped skin. It can be used for everything from sore nipples to glitter glue and works beautifully to gloss an eyelid or the high points of your cheekbone. It works best when it’s warmed up so in the winter months definitely carry it around in your jeans pocket so it’s ready to apply when you are! For all the breastfeeding moms out there, think Lansinoh but glossier! Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm is my go-to balm to get brides lips looking ship shape in a couple of hours. If you suffer from dry lips in winter, and let’s face it, who doesn’t? Then you need to try this, I promise you will be so happy with the results.

Mecca Cosmetica Kissable Lips Hydrogel Lip Mask

We’ve all been there right. We’ve got a big night out, an important day at the office, a first date even and we go to do our makeup only to find that our lips resemble a Velcro strap (insert sad face). There are a few things you can do to help your makeup routine along so that by the time you come to applying you fave lippie, your mouth is prepped and plumped and fresh. Today though I’m going to let you in on a little cheat secret, the Mecca Cosmetica Hydrogel Lip Mask. The lip shaped film is concentrated with “a unique complex of oils” to help hydrate and plump your lips. You simply remove the mask from the tray and place over your mouth for 10 – 15 minutes and let the goodness soak in. Once you remove it you then just pat the remaining oils into your skin, it’s totally easy and fuss free. I used one the other night as my lips were in a particularly heinous state and I was really impressed with how supple and soft they were after the application of this mask. The only thing that I would suggest as beneficial is that if you have an excessive amount of flaky skin, then I would do a lip scrub first. Mecca make one, Frank Body make a nice one or you can just mix some granulated sugar with some olive oil and make your own! I did have a lot of dry skin when I did this mask and although it dealt with a lot of the problem there were still a few little bits that didn’t come smooth. I would recommend this baby for parched and dehydrated lips though and I think it is going to make a great addition to my kit for that extra pampering experience.

The perfect Red Lip

There are often questions you are asked as a makeup artist which are tricky to answer. What’s your favourite cosmetic company, what’s the best foundation, how do you not just spend all your money on makeup…! I also get asked regularly what the best Red Lippie is. I mean, it’s like asking me to choose my favourite child, which between you and me would probably be easier ha! A GOOD red lipstick is the most prized possession of a girl’s makeup bag. It’s the epitome of class, it’s the ticket to elevating any makeup look from “I made an effort” to “I am here and I exude confidence”. Dramatic? Then you don’t have the right red lipstick in your makeup stash. To help you out I’ve listed some of my most prized shades of red below. I predominantly use MAC lipsticks in my kit so you will notice that these dominate however, I’ve listed the “kind” of red that they are so you can hopefully apply this logic to YOUR favourite brand of lip candy.

MAC Matte lipstick in Mangrove – A hot Bright Red, perfect for warmer skin tones. Great colour payoff. What I would call a more modern day red colour.
MAC Matte lipstick in Lady Danger – Vivid bright coral red, borderline orange so be careful with this one. Looks terrific on more olive complexions.
MAC Matte lipstick in Chilli – Brownish orange red. This is definitely more vampy, if you are looking for more of a 40’s red I would probably go with this one.
MAC Retro Matte in Ruby Woo – Cult favourite, vivid blue red, suits majority of skin tones. Has a lip liner in an identical match if that is important to you.
MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick in Fashion Legacy – Intense fire truck red. These liquid lipsticks do not move! If you have not prepped your lip (see below) they can be drying and look patchy. If you do the prep work though, they are a dream.
Stila Stay all Day Liquid Lipstick in Fiery – Again, used by my brides who want a long lasting bold lip. Works a treat.
Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in Starwoman – I love these pigments from Nars. So much colour payoff, can be very runny though so a little difficult to apply in deep colours like red but so worth it when you get the hang of it.
Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl – Easy to apply, long wearing somewhat sheer for a matte formulation but not drying on the lips. I really enjoy these lip pencils and they are a great price point.
lilah b Divine duo lip and cheek in Fearless – a multi purpose, long wearing, super blendable formula for both lips and cheeks. I love products that do more than one thing and this lil gem has you covered for an easy but vibrant monochromatic look.

As I’m sure you are aware, a red lip can really up your makeup game and make you feel dressed to impress when you are feeling otherwise a little flat. If you don’t take the time however, to prepare your lips and give the product the best canvas possible, a red lip can also be a massive fail for an otherwise decent makeup look. Below I’ve dot pointed some of the easy tricks I use and suggest others use to ensure that your red lip is fabulous and flawless every time, consider it a bonus chapter!

Treatment – As above guys. Apply an ointment or balm at the beginning of each makeup. If your lips are particularly shabby try a scrub or the lip mask prior to doing anything else.
Primer – Yes, lip primer like any other primer is a thing! MAC make an excellent one. Lip primers prevent your lip colour feathering and wearing off. They smooth and protect your lips ensuring the canvas is perfect condition for applying statement colour. A similar effect, though not perfect, can be achieved by using concealer and loose powder on the lips and blended away from the lip line. Personally I wouldn’t bother with a primer unless you are wearing a bold or statement lip.
Lip liner – yep good old fashioned lip liner. I always, ALWAYS use a liner on clients, especially for a bold lip. They can be used to define the lips, alter shape (that’s right none of us have perfectly symmetrical lips), and help lipstick to last longer. If you are using a bold colour lipstick try applying the lip liner after the colour and use it as a way to smooth the edges and define. This can be quicker than trying to get the lipstick perfectly sharp. A little tip I picked up from the Queen @pinkiiieee
Brush – Seems simple enough but using a brush with a bold coloured lip can cut down your application time by half. It’s easier to control the colour and where you are putting it and having a clean brush handy to blend and smooth edges will make any clean up jobs necessary a breeze.

I hope you have found the Lip edition of this blog useful. If you have any questions about lip prep or any of the Red Lipsticks I’ve suggested please don’t hesitate to get in touch Here. If you haven’t used a red lipstick before but would be keen to see how you can introduce it into your makeup routine then book yourself a 1:1 makeup lesson with me and we can not only find the red to suit you but give you some cheeky tips on how to apply it easily and quickly. You can purchase vouchers for my 1:1 makeup lessons Here. Thanks for taking the time to read about another bunch of products I love, until next month my beauty junkies xx