makeup

RETURN OF THE GLOSS

POST + PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY NADINE, GRAPHIC DESIGN BY EUNICE CHUN

After a solid few years of matte lipstick, let’s bring back the Lacquered Lip, shall we? It’s refreshing  after all this time and vibrantly gorgeous! Glosses have come a long way since their reign in 2000. I used to wear goopy lip gloss and worry that a fly would buzz by and get stuck in it! But formulas have improved, don’t feel heavy anymore and are shinier than ever! Here’s how to sport this look: 

TOOLS:

• Lip Liner — I used Bobbi Brown Pale Pink Lip Pencil because it’s a nude with a hint of pink to add a little life. But you can use any color! If you’re doing a red gloss, use a red pencil, etc.
• Lip Gloss — these are our favorites for high shine without heaviness: Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss (I used Origami on our model above), Stila Stay All Day Vinyl Lip Gloss and Covergirl Lipslicks Smoochies Sizzle Gloss.

STEPS:

• This step is optional but I love a lined lip. Just make sure the pencil shade is really close to the gloss shade and not darker. Start at the cupid’s bow and outline the V in the middle. Then draw a line from each of the top two points of the cupid’s bow to the end of each side of the upper lip. You don’t have to draw the line in one long stroke. I do small incremental strokes as I work my way to the end. Line the bottom lip as well. You can also fill in the entire lip if you want the color to last longer.
• Fill in the lip with the gloss. You can do it directly from the tube (most convenient technique obviously!) or with a lip brush for more precision. Build in layers by rubbing your lips together in between applications. I did two layers on our model above. More than that isn’t necessary.