I'm not a fan of heavy makeup and I'm still quite ambivalent about wearing lipstick.
However, during the autumn months, rich and plummy lip tones somehow pulls the most drab of outfits together and I go crazy picking out every shade between deep vermilion and the darkest crimson available.
There's a reason why cherry or berry reds are still the most popular shades of lipstick: they make the most ordinary lips seem quite juicy and plump!
The trick? Buy the drugstore variety.
For anywhere between 99c and $8.00 tops, your lips will look as full as ever.
Providing you do what you should before applying any lipstick - buff your lips with a touch of baking soda or brown sugar, when washing your face. Sometimes I even use the teeny tongue scrubber on the back of my toothbrush.
I figured, since I'm in the general vicinity...
Anyways, I've made it my business to try every kind of lipstick out there - from the expensive Chanels or YSLs, to the mid priced Bobbi Browns and MACs - and every time, my go-to sticks from CoverGirl and Wet-n-Wild always do as good a job.
And in some cases, the job's quite better; the CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Embrace that I'm wearing prompted a friend of mine to declare, "whoa - were your lips always THAT luscious?! Do tell the secret!"
Well, that's the secret in a nutshell: Buff your lips regularly and buy cheapie lipstick in punchy shades from your local drugstore.
As for application? I keep it pretty basic, as well - I apply straight from the tube, and would only use a lip brush if I'm mixing shades.
My lips are thankfully quite pronounced with that Cupid's Bow on the top lip, which is perfect for the come-hither pout. If I were to do the whole lip liner bit, I'd surely look like a minstrel gone mad, though.
Remember the 90's? With the boggling trend of wearing light lipstick finished off with jet black lip liner, a la Pam Anderson or Ru Paul? That's how stark raving mad I'd look with lip liner.
So using lip liner really depends on the shape of your mouth, and whether or not you want to further accentuate your lips.
Otherwise, I use the slightest touch of lipbalm pre application.
I've found that setting it with powder before putting on lipstick - whether from the tube or via the brush - tends to create the strangest bits of residue and gunk on my lips, once I get to talking and going about my life.
Not fun, but that's just me. Maybe lip setting will work for you.
Then there's just the business of doing one light layer, one easy blot, and then a final layer, and you're done!
Oh, and balance out the bold lips with bare skin and some other bold jewelry around your face for that fabled bit of pizazz.
I generally wear the same pair of pearl earrings - with nothing else - every day, but I couldn't resist pulling out these 20s chic feather + silver earrings that were custom made by B.U.'s Ieasha Watson-Harper.
Aren't they rather fun?
Can't tell you the last time I've worn shoulder-dusting earrings, but since sporting these I've been getting so many compliments, I may make a habit of it...
Seen Wearing: Sisley Cashmere-Blend sweater tee; B.U. Pheasant Feather Earrings
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