‘My Lips Like Sugar’ – Follow These Basic Tips for Healthy, Sweet-looking Lips

By Lara Okusanya

No matter what make up’s trendy; there is one thing that can never go out of fashion – lips that look healthy, full, voluptuous and tempting. Even if your make up doesn’t emphasis on your lips, good looking lips always make you look healthier, happier and more attractive. Romance begins with the lips….a kiss or a peck, you don’t want be caught on a date with flaky or unattractive lips, it’s a total turn-off believe me. Moist, smooth lips hold color best. Stay pucker-pretty by following these basic tips for healthy, sweet-looking lips.

Brush off dry, flaky lips; While brushing your teeth in the morning, also brush your lips using a soft toothbrush. Then apply lip balm to smooth the way for lipstick-worthy lips.

Make them soft and tender; Turn up the moisture before you turn out the lights. Give your lips a touch of clear, rich moisture each night and you’ll wake up to softer lips in no time! Special tip: Natural Shea Butter lip balm, Petroleum Jelly and Aloe Vera are great for chapped lips. Another speedy healing remedy is to gently rub lips with cucumber slices.

Create Prettier Lips; To achieve fuller lips, outline your lips with a light lip liner in a color that suits your skin tone. Draw right on the top of your lips’ natural line, don’t go outside of it. After the lip-lining, apply lip color and/or lip gloss. You can use high shine lip color instead of lip gloss. To enhance the 3D effect of the lip gloss/ lip color, you can try to line your bottom lip with a lip liner that is 2-3 shades darker than the lip color. Darker lip liners usually create a pouty look, so be careful with it. Always apply the lip liner before applying the lip gloss/ lipstick. Special Tip: If you’re unhappy with your lips’ shape, you can fix it up using face foundation. If you need to deepen your V formation, cover the middle portion of your lips with face foundation and create a beautiful V-shaped curve using your lip liner. Add some lip color and gloss and it’s done – sexy lips as easy as pie!

Wearing Lipsticks; There are two types of lipsticks- glossy or matte. Matte ones are more durable and last longer most especially on the kissers (Kissers refer to the mouth). They are more discreet and perfect for day wear. Glossy lipsticks go more for evening wear, they make your lips look fuller. They are less durable than the matte ones so it lasts for a shorter period, meaning you will need to apply it more often. When choosing a lipstick, make sure you choose the right color that suits your skin. If your outfit is on the pink side, choose a lipstick in plum shades..if on the yellow side, use a warm red lipstick on a brown base. Note: Red lipstick bleeds. You can avoid this by using a lip liner to fill in your kissers and apply the lipstick afterwards.

Emphasis on the Lips; If you plan on using a bold color on your lips, go light on the rest of your face so you don’t end up looking like a clown. A little bit of mascara, a little blush and you’re done. Also, it is important to note your nail polish color when choosing your lip color; if you’re going bold on the lips, it is better to have a light or clear nail polish. If you want to go bold on both nails and lips, make sure the two colors match.

Now, go ahead! (And thank me later *wink*)

*Okusanya is the CEO of Perfume Colony. She can be reached via info@perfumecolony.com