Full, lush looking lips have been a desire of many for a while now.
So much so, the aesthetics industry has been seriously boosted by the arrival of injectable options to boost the size of your pout.
But what if you aren’t keen on needles, want to slightly enhance the shape of your natural set or even define lips that have had an enhancement?
An easy solution can be found in the clever application of makeup, something professional makeup artists have been doing since well before plump lips became a thing. Whether its amplifying the look of a lipstick, creating a more even look to a naturally un-even lip shape or preventing lipstick from feathering into lines, there’s one product that is a must-have.
Contouring, shaping and anchoring lipstick can all be done with a lip pencil in a shade similar, or slightly deeper than your natural lip colour.
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Globally-respected British makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, who has her own line of popular makeup available at MECCA, has built some of her success on a product that fits the bill.
Her Lip Cheat lip liner in the pinky-nude shade ‘Pillow Talk’ has become a best-seller and a favourite with celebrities for the way it can help subtly reshape the look of lips to get a plumper effect. For those with deeper skin tones, the shade also comes in the warm berry pink ‘Pillow Talk Medium’ and deep tawny brown ‘Pillow Talk Intense’ shades. The lip pencil glides on gently and is waterproof so lasts well and anchors other lip products applied on top.
L-R: Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk, Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath in Pillow Talk.
Plump up the volume
Her plumping approach can be created with any lip products, but her Pillow Talk collection was created with this approach in mind.
“You can instantly add volume by tracing the natural outline of your lips using [this] natural pillowy-pink tone,” Tilbury tells MECCA’s In Tray.
For an extra volumised look, Tilbury’s expert trick is to “define your lips by drawing the liner just outside the edge of the lip line to reshape and resize for fuller, wider looking lips in seconds, then fill in using a matte lipstick.” She tips starting in the top corner to define your cupids bow and then tracing around the rest of the lip line.
Fill in lips over the top of the liner using a similar shade. Tilbury’s matching Matte Revolution lipstick in the shade Pillow Talk is a perfect match, and the hydrating matte lipstick is enriched with special pigments that create the appearance of ‘lit-from-within lips’ that look moist rather than dry or flaky.
For added lift and shape, Tilbury advises adding a touch of luminosity to your upper lip.
“Brush your highlighter along the upper lip line, focusing on the Cupid’s bow so you don’t go too high.”
Finish there if you want a matte lip, or add a touch of gloss over the top, focusing on the center of the lip for an even more dimensional look.
